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.

Do it again, do it right – Around the country with Renoveringsraseriet by authors Gustav Bergström and Alfred Skogberg.

Over the past decades, we have seen container after container filled with our common building heritage. Beautiful 1950s kitchens are worn out and replaced by mass-produced ones, mouth-blown window glass ends up in landfills, and cheap, unmaintainable materials replace old and solid ones.

Since its inception in 2020, Renovation Fury has criticized careless renovations on their popular Facebook and Instagram accounts of the same name.

In this book, we follow the founders, Gustav Bergström and Alfred Skogberg, on a journey to twelve Swedish cities; from Kiruna in the north to Sölvesborg in the south. They talk to architects, urban planners and experts and point out both good examples and pure disasters.

Do it again, do it right is both a portrait of the times and a cry for help. Caring and preserving is not just about nostalgia, it’s a must if we want to achieve our climate goals. It’s high time we started to see the value of craftsmanship and quality, and realize that new is not always better!

The Painting Workshop works on renovating old paintings, repainting using old techniques and developing new products inspired by the traditional painting of the Hälsingland farms. The Painting Workshop holds lectures and workshops on painting at the World Heritage Farms in Hälsingland.

Anna-Carin Åsbrink has been working with old painting techniques for over 40 years and shares here the many skills in stencil painting she has accumulated over the years.

The 24-page booklet describes stenciling on walls, borders and blinds. Includes tips on tools, techniques and color mixing of egg oil tempera. It also describes paintings from Hälsingland, which at the same time is universal for all stencil painting.

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