Jane Powell 1952-2012

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our dear Jane E. Powell, author, linoleum expert, historian, and notorious curmudgeon. 
Jane passed away  peacefully on the morning of November 11, 2012 surrounded by friends in her beloved Bungamansion in Oakland. She will be greatly missed by countless fans and friends, and especially by us. 

Ms. Powell was a restoration consultant, house restorer, lecturer, and author of six books, including Bungalow Kitchens; Bungalow Bathrooms; Bungalow Details: Exterior; Bungalow Details: Interiors; Bungalow: The Ultimate Arts and Crafts Home; and Linoleum.
A long-time Artistic License member and former president of the guild, Jane was well-known as “the bad girl of bungalow writing”  and often described herself as  "historian, author, and notorious curmudgeon."
As a hands-on restorer, she brought ten vintage homes back to life and sold them to appreciative buyers, as well as restoring her own home, the 1905 Jesse Matteson house, affectionately known as "the Bungamansion."   The practical experience of restoring houses armed her with the kind of concrete knowledge that can only be gained by screwing up, and thus she was uniquely qualified to help her clients avoid many of the pitfalls that go along with restoring an older home. As a restoration consultant, she helped homeowners as well as house museums with their kitchens, bathrooms, interior and exterior paint colors, and other aspects of restoration and renovation.
Ms. Powell wrote for magazines including Old House Journal, Style 1900, and American Bungalow. She wrote a monthly column as well as feature articles for the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and her opinion pieces appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet, the Oakland Tribune, and on Oaklandnews.com. She also appeared on HGTV's Curb Appeal and Food Network's Ultimate Kitchens.

Jane at the Bungamansion benefit in 2011, photo by Melanie Hofmann

She was a popular and entertaining speaker, and lectured at conferences including The Grove Park Arts and Crafts Conference, Pasadena's Craftsman Weekend, Seattle's Bungalow Fair, the Restoration and Renovation Conference, and many others. She also spoke for preservation organizations, neighborhood associations, home builders groups, and historic district organizations across the country, and even at kitchen showrooms and retail businesses. In addition to the talks based on her various books, she spoke on related subjects including historic preservation, development issues, and the built environment.

Jane is survived by her sisters, Nancy Klapak, Mary (Rob) Enderle, Karin and Brian Klapak her niece and nephew and many loyal friends. A memorial service is planned for January 2013. Donations can be made to the East Bay SPCA-Oakland in honor of her many cats at Jane’s website via PayPal www.janepowell.org/tinykitties .    Sympathy cards or donations can also be sent to her sister Mary Enderle at 389 Photinia Lane, San Jose, CA 95127.

Textile Studio & Friends

Textile Studio and Friends - a pop-up shop opens in Rockridge!

 

Guild member Dianne Ayres of Arts & Crafts Period Textiles has opened a pop-up shop at 5550 College Ave. in Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. 

Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Ave

The shop features a antiques and contemporary works, mostly Arts & Crafts style, alongside Dianne's famous hand-crafted textiles, antiquarian books and ephemera as well as contemporary books, including a complete selection of books by Jane Powell.  Other Artistic License members whose work  is featured in the shop include Theodore Ellison, Jana Olsen, and Debey Zito.  

Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Ave, Oakland

Visit Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Avenue, Oakland through the end of the 2012.

Fireplace Ideas for Bungalows

Recently published in Old house Journal:  Jane Powell's  look at the wide array of Arts & Crafts-era fireplaces.  

Green Motawi field tiles are combined with landscape and other decorative tiles in a seemingly random layout designed by Guild Member Michelle Nelson

"Fire fulfills a deep and primal role in the human psyche. Even today, when fires are no longer needed for heating or cooking, fireplaces are routinely installed in houses. In Arts & Crafts homes, the fireplace took on almost religious significance, and even bungalows in warm climates were built with one. Gustav Stickley was a big proponent, writing in The Craftsman, “The big hospitable fireplace is almost a necessity, for the hearthstone is always the center of true home life.”

Read the rest of the article at Old House Journal.

Jane Powell at "Bathonista"

A whole blog dedicated to bathrooms? why yes, it's iBath.com's aptly named Bathonista, where this month author and reigning guild president Jane Powell answers five questions about early 20th century bath design.


"This is absolutely the best time for restoring or reproducing a bungalow-style bathroom, as both vintage pieces and great reproductions are available for all the various bathroom parts."
- Jane Powell

Everything you need to know about bungalow bathrooms can be found in Jane Powell's book, Bungalow Bathrooms, which is due to be released in paperback this August.

Who's going to bail out craftspeople? You are.

Jane Powell makes a case for hiring local in the latest article for the San Francisco Chronicle.

"there will be no bailout for the many craftspeople, designers and suppliers who depend on construction, remodeling and design for their living. They need your kitchen remodel, landscape project, paint job or room addition in order to stay in business and pay their employees. You can't save the autoworkers in Detroit, but you can keep people working locally. In addition, most of the money you spend recirculates in the local economy - to suppliers, to subcontractors, even to the local sandwich shop where the workers buy lunch."

Stow-icism: The Legacy of Arts & Crafts Built-Ins

"Built-in furniture reached new creative heights during the Arts & Crafts movement. A study of its myriad forms will help yours to soar once again."


Read the latest article by Guild President Jane Powell in this month's Old House Journal.



photo courtesy The Craftsman Home.

Never Do Plumbing on Sundays

"... #1 rule of fixing: Never Do Plumbing On Sundays. Even if you think you won’t need some specialty part, I guarantee that you will...
A corollary to this rule is that any plumbing repair will require at least TWO (if not more) trips to the hardware store. "

you can read the rest of Jane Powell's advice for lovers of hardware in her latest article for the Berkeley Daily Planet: "A Rude Survey of Local Hardware Resources"

Bruce Aidell's Ultimate Craftsman

Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle Magazine features an article by Jane Powell about Bruce Aidell's Craftsman-style wine country home, designed in the manner of a Greene and Greene "ultimate bungalow" by Emeryville architect Greg Klein of John Malick and Associates.

Leaded Glass door detail, via www.jmalick.com

This marvelous house displays some amazing leaded glass work by current guild President Ted Ellison.
Bravo Mr. Aidell for this splendid effort, and to everyone who worked on this incredible house.

Read the article by Jane Powell here.
More about Charles Greene and Henry Greene here.

Friend or Faux? Examining the Origin of House Materials

May, 2008

"I don’t necessarily have a problem with fakeness as a concept. Faux finishing has a long and splendid history, and I like a linoleum oriental rug as much as the next person. Okay, more than the next person. But I despair for a world that so willingly sends real old growth timber to the landfill by demolishing old buildings, while building new ones using materials that are often synthetic or composite because that is more “green.” "

Read more of Jane Powell's article for the Berkeley Daily Planet

Understanding the Virtual World of Home Price Fluctuations

April, 2008

"If your house disappears from zillow.com, does that mean it no longer exists?"

find out more in this article by Jane Powell for the Berkeley Daily Planet

Green Envy by Jane Powell

May, 2007

"Green building is an oxymoron..." our own Jane Powell debunks the myth of green building. Read her article in the San Francisco Chronicle