In this book, architectural antiquarian Erika Åberg shows you how to maintain, renovate and make creative reuse projects with old windows and doors.

“Windows are the soul of the house” has become almost a proverb in the building industry. What does it really mean? What are the significance and qualities of old windows? And what about doors? Here, Erika Åberg talks about design and stylistic approaches through the ages, different types of glass, function – or the lack of it – and the challenges of keeping the heat in and the cold out.

The timber used for windows and doors in the past was the best available, of a quality that is hard to find today. If cared for properly, it can last for hundreds of years. Here you will learn about restoration of varying degrees of difficulty, from first aid to full restoration.

With smart techniques and solutions, you can get windows and doors that are beautiful and fit your house. It goes without saying that preserving is more environmentally friendly than buying new. Here is an example of an orangery built with recycled windows.

Erika Åberg tells you in text and pictures how you can take care of and enjoy your old windows and doors for a long time to come.

Discover, preserve, recreate. A garden is in a state of constant change. Caring for an old garden is therefore not about freezing a state. Instead, it is about getting to know the garden in order to best preserve its various elements for the future.

In his role as a garden antiquarian, André Strömqvist has extensive experience of older environments and, as a gardener, the necessary practical knowledge.

He describes how we can find clues, interpret what we see and set a level of ambition that works. He guides us through the different parts of the garden in the form of flower beds, hedges, stone paths and fruit trees. He describes how we can go about caring for, restoring and recreating the various parts, and lets history in the form of pioneers of older times, methods and cultural varieties arouse curiosity and inspiration.

Photo: André Strömqvist

Historic oil paints in architecture and restoration is a thorough presentation of the composition of the linseed oil paints used in Swedish building painting from the 18th century onwards.

It provides a clear but multifaceted picture of how recipes have varied over different periods and how they have been adapted to different substrates.