In the last part of the 19th century, Detroit was the hub of the American cookstove business. This industrial achievement was documented at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, where a Garland range made of oak loomed large.

A radiator once stood below the window in the kitchen—you can see the plywood covering the spot where we cut away water-damaged floorboards.

The floor of the kitchen was sheet vinyl. Not too old but old enough, it would be replaced, that much was certain. But with what?

As Home’s senior decorating editor, I spend many hours looking at furnishings, thinking about what goes well together, and selecting the best of the best for the magazine.