264 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
AGE NE needs not be discouraged if one finds 
Ka, oneself the possessor of a house far out 
of date and of bad architecture, for an old 
house is by no means hopeless unless it is 
absolutely decayed. If one has taste he 
can transform it into something that will 
represent his own ideas as to what he likes 
in the way of a house, and at the same time express his own 
individuality. 
This house was built some one hundred and fifty years 
ago by the present owner’s grandfather, and it may be of 
interest to mention the fact that General Washington spent 
one night in it when on his way to Valley Forge. 
When Mr. Moro Philips took possession of this little 
house it consisted of a single stone building, with several 
additions extending at the rear, as was the custom of the 
Pennsylvania farmer’s house. 
The type was one 
that is frequently seen 
along the rural high- 
ways of Pennsylva- 
nia, but fortunately 
of such a character 
that the form of the 
house could be main- 
tained. It was too 
good to tear down, 
and when Mr. 
Philips saw its possi- 
bilities for transfor- 
mation he decided to 
turn it into a modern 
dwelling. 
The suggestion pre- 
sented to express this 
scheme was to cover 
the entire building 
with stucco, and treat 
the whole with a 
white cement wash. 
The blinds were 
painted an apple- 
green. The roof was 
reshingled and 
stained a gray-green. 
The piazza was ex- 
tended across the 
front and around the 
side of the house, 
which not only gave 
extra outdoor living 
A Reclaimed Dwelling 
By Paul Thurston 
How a Farmhouse at Stokes Pogis, Villa Nova, Pa., Was Reclaimed and Transformed 
into a Habitable Dwelling 
space, but brought 
the lines of the house 
closer to the ground 
and added a pleasing 
feature to the general 
The house gate with its overhanging privet hedge 
character of the house. The interior was cleaned up, and 
the only addition which was found necessary was the kitchen 
built at the rear of the house, and the bathroom on the 
second floor. 
The entrance is directly into the living-room, which oc- 
cupies one end of the house. It is a pleasant room with a 
wall covering in plain yellow. Chintz curtains of ecru and 
old rose are hung at the doors and windows; the latter hay- 
ing softer draperies of muslin against the window panes. 
The room is furnished with antique furniture and the great 
chairs on each side of the reading-table are upholstered in 
chintz to match the draperies. The fireplace is built of red 
brick laid in white mortar, while the mantel is painted white, 
the same as the trim. 
From the living-room a door opens into the dining-room, 
which is furnished in a unique manner. The color scheme 
is lilac-green and white. A lilac-green and white-striped 
paper is placed on the 
walls, while the trim- 
mings and all the 
woodwork and furni- 
ture are painted 
a lilac-green. The 
chintz curtains of 
lilac and white are 
hung over softer ones 
of white muslin. A 
closet was built in 
the corner and an- 
other at the side of 
the room, the latter 
having open shelves, 
to hold old blue 
china and Colonial 
glass. The dining- 
table was a relic of 
the black walnut 
period and was resur- 
rected from the attic 
of the old manor 
house known as “‘Ar- 
rowsmith.” This 
table, together with 
the simple wooden 
chairs of Windsor 
pattern, were painted 
a lilac-green, in har- 
mony with the wood- 
work of the room. 
This makes a very 
interesting scheme 
for a simple dining- 
room, and is what one 
may have, if good 
taste is used for a 
few dollars’ expendi- 
