Corto radiator

Corto radiator
Originally uploaded by cluttershop

This radiator catalog was a 2003 ebay purchase related to my bungalow fix-up project. That first summer of rehab work was directed by a new friend and old hand at house repair named Robert. He loved radiators and worked hard to convince me to paint my radiators bronze rather than cover them with those wood and metal radiator covers.

He won and my radiators looked quite stunning. The picture above is the first image in the catalog. I loved the stark simplicity of and respect for the humble radiator in this picture. A fitting tribute to my friend Robert who showed me the way.

Radiators in context - a couple of illustrations from the catalog.

Plumbing catalog

I picked up this small catalog of household plumbing fixtures in Fall 2003 shortly after I bought my 1918 fixer-upper bungalow.

The catalog represents a phase of my hunting old house parts catalogs -- partly looking for inspiration for my renovations and restoration. Mostly, I think I was just charmed by the illustrations of domestic bliss.

The catalog isn't dated, but it appears to be late 1920s or early 1930s from the looks of the fixtures featured inside. Too late and far too fancy for my modest little house, but still a great resource for early 20th century American bathroom design.

See more catalog pages on Flickr