Keeping the cracks in old walls

When we opened up the walls in an old stone house last year, we found three layers of history: limewash, a pale pink paint and the original clay. The builders wanted to skim it all smooth. We asked them to stop.

Decide what stays first

Before any drawing, we walk the rooms with the owners and mark what we want to keep: a worn floor, an old niche, a patch of wall. Those become the fixed points the new design works around.

Repair, do not restore

We fix what is failing and leave what is simply old. A crack that moves gets repaired. A crack that has been there for a century gets a coat of limewash and stays.

Let new things look new

Next to old walls we use simple, honest pieces: a solid wood side table, plain linen, a stone floor relaid with its original slabs. Nothing pretends to be older than it is.

Know when to stop

The hardest part of a renovation is the last ten percent. Often the best decision is to leave a wall exactly as you found it.