The Historic District

I've been trying to get the house ready for my guest who is due in 10 days. It was the excuse I needed for a big push, and the weather is pleasantly cool at this time of year. The pantry is almost finished; I still have to complete restoration of the windows, both the double-hung over the sink (which will get leaded glass) and the cabinet with glass in the doors. The cabinet is from a demolished house of the same vintage in this neighborhood, so, although it has been painted so many times that the profile is no longer discernible, I consider it worth the effort to restore. Here, a view of the cabinet door, with multiple paint layers where the latch has been removed:

Getting the details back James would be it’s own sort of satisfaction. Was the cabinet a built in at the other home?

Gothichome wrote: ↑Sun Apr 17, 2022 6:24 pm Was the cabinet a built in at the other home?

It doesn't appear to be since it has finished sides. The side panels are Masonite, which throws me off because these houses were supposed to be built in 1918 and 1919 so, although the cabinet is clearly old, it may not be original construction. Masonite was not invented until 1924, about 100 miles from here, in Laurel, Mississippi.

It also has a type of crown molding around the top which would preclude it from serving as a built-in.

Stripped, varnished and glazed the bottom sash of the upstairs bathroom window. The upper sash is going to be more of a project because it's painted shut and there is a screen on the outside which is also painted (or nailed) shut, requiring a ladder that I don't have at the moment. The good news for me was this sash cleaned up nicely and I was able to stain and varnish it to match the rest of the woodwork. This is one of those top-channel (dado?) sash so the channel had to be made a little wider to accommodate the slightly-thicker Florentine glass. Bedding putty was stained to harmonize with the wood.



Still needs another coat of varnish and then its lift hardware installed.

I wondered about the name "Florentine." I promptly ruled out "served on a bed of spinach" for reasons that would be evident to a person of mental stability, and then turned to the adjective for Florence, Italy. This seemed like the obvious origin for the name until I noticed that "flor" is the Spanish word for "flower." Spanish being closely allied to Latin, and the pattern's possible interpretation as stylized flowers led me to suspect that "florentine" (lowercase) could mean "flowery."

This, from somejamokewithacomputer.com:

"The Latin florens, florentius means "blossoming", verb floreo, meaning "I blossom / I flower / I flourish"."

The jury is still out. Maybe it's both.

James, your thinking this out with the horticultural part of your brain . It looks more to be the pattern ice crystals form. Any how, this came up about your glass here in the district in 2017 posted by our long time member Vala (I wonder how she is making out with her new home), Casey had the proper name, and you even posted.
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Ron

Thanks for the memory. That was when I first got the house, almost five years ago.

I'm no Canadian, but I have seen my fair share of ice and to me it looks more like a pattern called "glue chip":



I remember that conversation because that's where I learned the name. Casey's "Florex" glass is another less-common name for it.

When I told the stained glass artist the obscene amount I paid for a small sheet of Florentine glass (she calls it that too) on eBay, she gasped, pointed into the corner of her studio to a stack of it and told me I could have all I wanted for free. I took her up on the offer for the two small panes in the upper sash. I'm afraid it didn't reduce her supply significantly.

Flowers or ice, it has great nostalgic effect for me.

I replaced the ordinary glass in my 100 year old pantry cabinet with a pattern called German antique. Subtle and beautiful. Photo to come.

After I had to put my dog of 18 years down in March, I said that there would be no more dogs in my life.



Well, never say never. This little girl needed a home and I was elected, so Thornewood has a new mascot.

Well good for you James, I see she has the pouty eyes look down pat.