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You’re restoring a house to its traditional roots and want every detail to bejust right. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some sort of renovation cheatsheet — a list of instructions that would guarantee the finished product tolook as classic in 100 years as it does today? Every project is different, says GilSchafer, a New York architect known for meticulously designed traditionalhomes, but yes, there are a few go-to moves that will never do you wrong.

Cliffs Notes on

classic architectureArchitect Gil Schafer, creatorof impeccably classic dream

homes, tells us how to getthe details just right

By Shaila WunderlichSPECIAL TO TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS

1Old wood

Schafer tries touse reclaimed

wood wheneverpossible, especially onfloors. “Old wood is byits very nature morespecial,” he says. “It’scoming fromold-growth trees thatare sometimeshundreds of years old.The wood we usetoday is more like 40years old.”

2Real muntins

Faux adhesivemuntins (versus

built-in strips betweenindividual windowpanes) are one ofSchafer’s pet peeves.“They don’t have thesame quality, neithervisually nor literally,”Schafer says. “You cantell they’re fake bylooking at them, andthey can actually snapor fall off.” 3

Vertical panes On windows and doors, vertically oriented panesalways appear more traditional. “When they’re horizontal they justlook wrong,” he says. Schafer says it’s also important that the

muntins and framing surroundingthe window are proportionate to the scale of the panes.

PHOTO BY CARTER BERG

PHOTO BY JONATHAN WALLEN

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6Proportionate

detail “Thetrim around the

doors, the baseboardmoldings, the cornicesat the top of a wall:They should all beproportionedaccording to the scaleof the room,” Schafersays. Don’t overlookdetailing such as themolding on a staircaseor its balusters orhandrail. "Balustersshould have thediameter and detail tomatch the style of thehouse, too."

5Continuous trim Repeat the style,proportions and color of moldingand trim across all rooms for an

authentic, harmonious feel. Coordinatedtrim also enhances the sense of flowbetween rooms.

4Original architecture Mostimportant, Schafer says, is to staytrue to a house’s original style.

Adding architectural elements merely forthe sake of adding them can result in analien or dated look. “If it’s been monkeyedwith, get it back to what it was. And avoidgimmicks whenever possible.”

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“If it’s been monkeyed with,get it back to what it was.And avoid gimmicks whenever possible.”—Gil Schafer