Guest Contributor

I'm reprinting one of Danno Sullivan's hilarious postings, from his web-site InAccuFacts (www.largecorp.com).

The Sullivan clan is sadly leaving Jefferson Park (and Los Angeles) after seven years of restoration fun.

What's the worst part of being an agent? Being involved in the departure of friends.

Restoring the Arts and Crafts Bungalow

27 April 2007 | Permalink

The Arts and Crafts Movement dates back to the 1860's as a dramatic rebellion against the formalized style of the Victorian period.

We recently purchased our own little slice of heaven, a bungalow of 1911, a glowing example of the Arts and Crafts movement. Restoring and re-decorating this could-be jewel to its original Arts and Crafts glory is largely a matter of detective work.

The fireplace, for example, now brick, we discovered was once made of macaroni necklaces--one of the most visually impressive of the arts and crafts.

The bathroom is still mostly original arts and crafts, with Gods-eyes covering the floor, and felt bookmarks with glitter initials all around. What was once a wonderful old laniard keychain has been updated, tragically, with a sink.

And so through the rest of the house. The parlour still has some of its original spoon puppets, and the clothespin sailboat has somehow remained untouched, but the egg-carton flowers were pulled out during an "improvement" in the 1950s, and, even more tragic, the tuna-can pin cushion that would have once been the jewel of a house like this has vanished.

Most Arts and Crafts items are much sought by collectors--and expensive. One can try eBay or estate sales, but I've found, surprisingly, that any kindergarten classroom is rich in these valued treasures of our architectural past.