places: stair risers, a fountain, an entry threshold. An asymmetrical front, often anchored by one focal window or a chimney with a decorative cap. Inside, beamed ceilings, arched doorways, and Saltillo tile underfoot. WHAT USUALLY GETS LOST The tile roof replaced with composition shingle, which costs the style more than any other single change. Stucco resprayed in a heavy modern texture that flattens the hand-troweled surface. Arched openings squared off during a remodel. Wood windows swapped for white vinyl in rectangular frames, which takes the deep reveal with them. Iron removed as dated. Saltillo covered with plank flooring, and beams boxed into drywall. SMALL MOVES THAT BRING IT BACK A heavy wood door, arched if the opening allows, with iron strap hinges, clavos, and a speakeasy grille. Iron or dark bronze lanterns flanking it, and a chain-hung fixture in the entry. A set of decorative tile risers on the front steps, or a tiled house-number plaque beside the door. Patch stucco by hand and finish it in a warm limewash rather than a cool flat white. An iron grille or a small balconet on a front-facing window. Inside, seal and warm the Saltillo you already have rather than covering it, and open one boxed beam to see what is in there. The roof is a bigger project, worth taking on the moment it comes due anyway. THE MODERN VERSION Current work thins the ornament considerably. Limewashed walls in warm white, iron in plain black or dark bronze rather than twisted scrollwork, smooth plaster in place of heavy texture, and tile concentrated in one or two spots instead of everywhere. Interiors go pale and quiet so the arched openings and the beams carry the room, with the clay and terracotta tones brought in through textiles.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR A low-pitched or flat roof in red clay barrel tile, with almost no eave overhang. Stucco walls, hand-troweled rather than sprayed, in warm white or cream. Arched openings at the door, the windows, or along a covered loggia. Windows set deep enough to show how thick the walls are. Wrought iron at the window grilles, the balconets, and the stair rails. Decorative tile in concentrated Spanish Revival and Mission, roughly 1915 to 1940
8
HOME SWEET HOME Magazine
Powered by FlippingBook