For the Restoration Fanatic in All of Us

If there is one bit of advice I can give then it is to stay away from stores that offer historic looking replicas of hardware. They are evil places, built to lure you into their showroom, wanting to temp you into falling in love with their products. STAY AWAY!

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating. But honestly, one of my favorite stores is the one I stay away from. I remember when they first came to Indianapolis, over 10 years ago, and I was amazed by their product line. Mixing in the old with new design was something I had not seen. Their concept was revolutionary...so who are they? Restoration Hardware, of course.

I guess the concept I like the best is the old looking products they offer, perfect for when you want to update your old home. They also offer very modern designs which allow you to bring a historic home into the 21st century. But either way you go, I stay away because I could browse there for hours. I could also walk out having spent tons of money on things I don't need, well, at least not right now. If you are remodeling a home, or completely restoring one, check out this store for some great ideas.

If you are brave, and bring your check book with you, have fun shopping. We are lucky to have the only two locations in Minnesota, here in the Twin Cities:

• 3670 Galleria, Edina
• 791 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul

Trent Tiles

One thing I love about historic homes is the interior details that go into a home. I don't think you could afford to build a home today like they use to a hundred years ago or more. The cost would just be too high, and the craftsman to do the work don't exist.

When we were renovating one of the Victorian Queen Anne homes we bought, the double parlor had two of the most beautiful fireplace surrounds I have seen. This was my first experience with Trent Tile Company tiles. It is quite easy to distinguish them from others because the images are amazing. Below is the "God" image I fell in love with. The photo doesn't do it justice, but if you were to look at it closely, you would find some beautiful work: the eyes have detailed pupils, and his hair has depth to it.


The second fireplace had images of a mother and a child, shown below is the mother. You can see it is just as detailed as well.


Trent also produced tiles of nature scenes, birds, flowers, etc. I have even seen an entire surround of cherubs. (I wish I would have bought it.) Trent was founded in 1882 and closed it's doors in 1939. If you find some tiles, and they are free standing, that is not attaced to a fireplace mantel, then the words TRENT can be found on the reverse side to help with identification.