Bob returns to Winterthur, industrialist Henry Francis du Pont's country estate, which is now a museum, in Delaware's Brandywine Valley. The museum's Port Royal Parlor display was originally part of a country home in Philadelphia slated for demolition in the 1920's. A collector of American antiques and architecture, du Pont bought the entire home and moved it to Winterthur. Pauline Eversmann, Winterthur's program director, joins Bob for a tour and recounts the parlor's history. The entryway opens onto the gardens, and in Colonial times, the doors would remain open to provide a view of the garden before guests proceeded to the parlor. As an area of the home intended for formal entertaining, du Pont wanted this room to be functional, so he expanded the parlor from its original size. Among the period antiques on display is an antique high chest that du Pont purchased for $44,000 in 1929, setting a long-standing price record for early American furniture.

Bob takes us on the first of many visits to the Winterthur Garden and Museum in Delaware's Brandywine Valley. Winterthur was the vision of Henry Francis DuPont, who researched and collected antiques and housed them here. Greg Landry, Director of Conservation for Winterthur, takes Bob to the Dominy Workshop, which once belonged to a family of carpenters and clock makers on Long Island. The workshop-turned-museum houses a multitude of Colonial-era tools, many of which are still in use today. Bob takes a turn on the great wheel lathe, which was used to mill large items like table tops as well as other decorative items. Landry also shows Bob some hand tools, including antique saws, planes, and drills.

Starting with the original interior cottage portion of the home, now a guest suite, Bob reviews the furnishing of the house. Borrowing a bit from Victorian ingenuity, the designer used decorative and furniture pieces from antique stores, salvage yards, second hand stores and even Bob�s attic. All of the colors in the den stem from Victorian styled wallpaper. The neutral yellows are carried out throughout the main level. Last stop in the cottage is the room expanded by a turret. The room�s ceilings were extended nine feet, to fourteen feet, giving the small room an airy feeling.

In the kitchen, a neutral paint palette allows for striking contrasts. Bob looks at the mix of stainless steel and black Kenmore Elite Energy Star appliances, the Wellborn cabinets, and Curtis' choice of decorative antiques. In the informal dining area, Vila and Curtis focus on a reproduction wicker table set based on a Haywood-Wakefield design. In the sunroom, the furniture is a Bar Harbor-style wicker, which was introduced in the early twentieth century in Bar Harbor, Maine. These pieces were custom made by Curtis Designs of Los Angeles and feature a French fabric design from the SPNEA collection.

…composite material used to create the mantels' ornamentation consisted of sawdust, hide glue and sometimes plaster. The mantel was originally attached with big cut nails and a wooden block. Since the first restoration though they are now attached to…

…up through the flue and attached at the top of the chimney stack. A chimney can be a fire waiting to happen. Hidden by the brick…
…liner that makes up the innermost membrane of the chimney and helps contain smoke, carbon monoxide, and burning…