Here’s how to restore the missing brass hardware on an antique door. The ghost image of original brass hardware is often visible. It can be replicated by tracing the impression. A cardboard template is made to scribe the design. The brass is cut on a bandsaw and smoothed with a belt sander. The piece is polished and installed on the door.
Color does more than beautify. It affects our moods and energy levels, influences our sense of temperature, and alters our perception of space. The most basic guide to the impact of color is warm vs. cool: Warm Colors – Shades of red, yellow, and orange are cheery, animating, and bright. They can even stimulate appetite and conversation. Cool Colors – Blues, greens, and violets are more calming and serene. These hues lend a feeling of harmony to a home.
A fountain, unlike other statues or pieces of garden furniture, works with two senses at once: sight and sound. The pleasing sound of flowing water goes a long way to providing a calming atmosphere, indoors or out. In urban environments, flowing fountain water screens out the city’s noise pollution, and if you live outside a city, it will help block out the sounds of screaming neighbors’ children, traffic noise, and other distractions.
While paint, dust, and soil are the most common lead hazards, other lead sources also exist.
– Drinking water, your home might have plumbing with lead or lead solder.
– The job, if you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes.
– Old painted toys and furniture.
– Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain.
– Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air.
– Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery or stained glass, or refinishing furniture.
– Folk remedies that contain lead, such as “greta” and “azarcon” used to treat an upset stomach.
As in all aspects of decor, the color of a lamp and its shade will affect the atmosphere and style of a room. Use strongly contrasting colors to make a localized decorative statement.
When shopping for brass, take along a magnet. If the magnet sticks to the item such as a lamp base, it is not real brass. If the magnet falls off, you’ve got the real deal.
