The things worth carrying up from the attic
The Attic is about objects that outlived their first owners — furniture, tools, ceramics and the odd curiosity — and the patient work of bringing them back into use.
Almost everything we write about was, at some point, thrown out. That is the part that still surprises us: the quality of what people discard, and how little it usually takes to bring it back. A loose joint, a tired finish, a layer of someone else's paint — none of these are the end of an object's life, though they are usually treated as if they were.
Finds
What we turned up at markets, estate sales and the back of a barn.
Restoration
Repair over replacement, and knowing when to leave the patina alone.
Materials
Wood, brass, glass and the way each one ages.
Guides
Plain how-tos for the first-time restorer.