Rediscovery was the key to this project: the homeowners’ goal was return a historic aesthetic to two elements of their house that had been significantly altered in previous “modernizations”: the fireplace surround and the wooden screen separating the stair hall from the parlor area.

Bringing these delightful details back to life involved . . .

• Reintroduction of a wooden screen separating the stair hall from the parlor area, which was been removed many years ago; the nailing pattern was all that remained. Based on this discovery and using the design of the original balustrade, we designed a new screen to fit the pattern.

• Restoration of the original fireplace surround. The original mantel had been removed during a previous “modernization,” and the entire room was painted white. The the outline of the original surround was discovered after stripping away a portion of the paint. Matching the materials to those elsewhere in the residence, we restored the original scale and splendor of the fireplace.