Royal Rugs

08/29/2026

We are in the midst of a kitchen remodel in our 1906 home and discovered this lovely wallpaper behind the refrigerator 🥰

I'd love to find a way to preserve and display it as a homage to our homes history, but I am having a difficult time how to remove the wallpaper without damaging it. We have a section of the original plaster with the wallpaper intact, thanks to a small opening we created into a scullery.

Any creative ideas for how we could display the wallpaper with the plaster intact?

And for all those old house enthusiasts, any guesses on the era of the wallpaper? I'd love to know when it was installed 🏡

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

We recently bought a 1915 Edwardian here in San Francisco that has a ton of beautiful unpainted wood paneling and trim, which I believe from old documents is gumwood. However, it’s in rough shape—it feels quite dry and there are a lot of dings and scratches and spots where tape was obviously applied/removed at some point in time and took the finish with it.
I’d love to give all the wood some much-needed TLC, but I would really prefer not to do a full-on sanding or professional refinishing (that’s beyond my bandwidth at the moment!). Any recommendations for how I can restore this lovely wood? (I’ve used Old English on wood furniture before but I’m not sure if that’s appropriate here…??) Thank you in advance!

08/29/2026

Bought this house it was built in 1970 it was a disaster and needed a lot of love

08/29/2026

We’ve been using picture rail hooks and chain from House of Antique Hardware to hang art without putting holes in the plaster, and I love the concept, but I’d like to find a chain that feels a little less industrial. Our home is a 1904 Victorian with Edwardian interior details in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Has anyone found a good source for strong picture chain that has a finer or more historically appropriate look? I’d especially love to see what you’ve used in your own old house.
Sharing a photo of our current setup for reference. I share more of our old house projects and antique finds over at Heirloom Dwelling ( on Instagram), but I knew this group would probably be the best place to ask!
— at Blue Ridge Mountains.

08/29/2026

I’ve got another one for you brilliant people. I say that with complete sincerity as you all have been very helpful.
1937 Detroit home…I just replaced the crappy front porch light the previous owner installed. My question is how to best seal the fixture to the stone without using huge globs of caulk to fill the gap on the top? What would your process be?

08/29/2026

I’m wondering if any of you have a suggestion for my issue. I had these tiles installed in my fireplace a few years ago (same era as my house). However on the right, the surrounding tiles around the castle tile got very dusky (like coated) in something- probably when they cut the tile to install. I washed them but it didn’t change anything. I know it’s hard to see in the pictures. Before the tile was installed those tiles all looked the same color. It drives me crazy!

08/28/2026

1914 vs 2017. Edna Jones stands at the front door what we believe is an Easter morning.

08/28/2026

Today I closed on this home built in 1900. First time purchasing a home at 49 years old. From an irresponsible young adult, to a single mom with 3 kids ( there were times I didn’t think we would make it) to finally owning my first home! I can’t wait to make it my own!

08/28/2026

So when deciding where to spend $40,000 in home renovation funds.…. Do you:

A. Build a $40,000 wine cellar in a house you will eventually be foreclosed on
B. Mitigate asbestos
C. Remove lead pipes
D. Did someone say wine time!

Edit:
The previous owner chose to invest in a wine cellar, would later lose the house, and do none of the remediation work. Bonus points, basement flooded, their $40,000 wine cellar ended up in $500 dumpster