While some might be fearful of purchasing an older home on the market, historic properties often possess undeniable character that their newer counterparts lack. The classic architecture, distinctive molding, traditional fireplaces and other quirky yet charming features are what make them so appealing. Yet without the proper touch, these properties don’t always feel like home.

Faced with the difficulty of highlighting the old while simultaneously embracing the new, interior designer Diane Rath, principal designer and owner of The Rath Project, took on a 1920’s classic colonial recently purchased by young homeowners. After moving to Connecticut from New York City with their toddler, this growing family of three felt their home needed the new life and energy they radiated.

Collaborating with her clients, Rath searched for the perfect color palette and furnishings to reflect their youthful energy and style. The main challenge? To revive a home that still had life to live. “We didn’t want to take out any of the original character,” says Rath. “Instead, we wanted to highlight it.”

Den & Office

Relying on the patterned rug and antique art she sourced, Rath added a splash of the couple’s youthful personality to the den without taking away from the colonial feel of the space. “We’re still giving tribute to the past and the oldness of the home, but they’re that new generation,” says Rath. The art she and the homeowners chose embodies that new life.

Because the den connects to a narrow office space, Rath coordinated the rugs in both rooms. “That pop of color that runs down the center of that space really helps elongate it and make it feel bigger than it actually is,” explains Rath.

Kitchen

After remodeling the space to improve functionality, Rath helped the couple refresh their kitchen, again drawing inspiration from what was already there.

“We reworked the space a bit, but picked up that green from the original countertops and brought it throughout. We decided to highlight the color with the green pendant and Cole & Son wallpaper. So really that marble was the jumping off point for all of the other green touches we added,” says Rath.

Living Area

After deciding that this room was going to be the hangout spot for everyone – their friends, kids and kids’ friends included – the homeowners wanted it to be sophisticated and colorful, and they had one specific shade of blue in mind: New York State of Mind by Benjamin Moore. Considering her clients’ wishes, Rath incorporated the color and painted the bookshelf in two different finishes: she went glossy on the shelves themselves and matte on the drywall above the fireplace.

In the corner of that room, Rath kept a round table that was left from the previous owners. “We had someone repaint it and bring that back to life as well. We found some vintage chairs from a local thrift shop and then had them recovered in a really cool plaid fabric,” says Rath.

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Dining Room

Then, Rath tackled the dining room. “That wallpaper, if you look closely, it’s little tiny martini glasses, and I fell in love with that. It felt old; it had this Art Deco vibe,” says Rath. “It felt so elegant, but also whimsical at the same time.”

Even though it’s one of the more formal, traditional spaces in the house, the dining room still has elements of young, fresh energy — not only with the wallpaper choice, but also when it comes to the seating. If you take a closer look, the back side of the chairs is upholstered in a unique velvet jungle print, adding new life to otherwise antique pieces of furniture.

Primary Bedroom

Less feminine than some of the other rooms, the primary bedroom was designed with a blue bed, walnut end tables and black accents throughout. “The blue bed was always something we had in mind in a velvet material. It’s handsome, but it’s luxurious,” says Rath.

Girl’s Bedroom

Using ornate carved wood she found at a local antique center, Rath helped construct a princess bed for the couple’s first daughter. In the other corner of the room, she installed a charming wallpaper.

“It was one of the first things I pulled for the design of the project. Before any of the main spaces, I found this wallpaper. It’s a Schumacher paper and just felt so fun and playful. And they immediately were like, ‘Yes.’ So that paper was the jumping off point for all of the other little elements that came together in that room,” says Rath.

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Gender-Neutral Bedroom

With a baby on the way, Rath’s clients wanted more of a gender-neutral space where they could comfortably grow their family. Through the pop art and colorful carpet, Rath worked to create a playful yet functional bedroom with both a crib for the couple’s soon-to-be child and daybed for an accompanying adult.

Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC’s TODAY.com where she covered everything from entertainment news to product reviews to pop culture updates.

Associated Press

Connecticut Sun (19-6, 10-4 Eastern Conference) at Atlanta Dream (8-17, 3-10 Eastern Conference)

College Park, Georgia; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta Dream hosts the Connecticut Sun after Rhyne Howard scored 30 points in the Atlanta Dream’s 83-81 victory over the Seattle Storm.

The Dream are 3-10 in Eastern Conference games. Atlanta is third in the Eastern Conference in team defense, giving up 81.2 points while holding opponents to 42.6% shooting.

The Sun have gone 10-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. Connecticut is the best team in the Eastern Conference allowing only 73.6 points per game while holding opponents to 43.7% shooting.

Atlanta is shooting 41.4% from the field this season, 2.3 percentage points lower than the 43.7% Connecticut allows to opponents. Connecticut averages 81.0 points per game, 0.2 fewer than the 81.2 Atlanta gives up to opponents.

The teams play for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on July 7 the Sun won 80-67 led by 23 points from DeWanna Bonner, while Allisha Gray scored 19 points for the Dream.

TOP PERFORMERS: Gray is averaging 15.6 points for the Dream.

Bonner is averaging 17.2 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Sun.

LAST 10 GAMES: Dream: 2-8, averaging 75.0 points, 35.9 rebounds, 18.5 assists, 6.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.5 points per game.

Sun: 6-4, averaging 81.7 points, 33.8 rebounds, 20.5 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.6 points.

INJURIES: Dream: Aerial Powers: out (calf ), Jordin Canada: out (finger), Lorela Cubaj: out (personal).

Sun: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Though our current calendar reads 2024, it’s 1968 that’s on the minds of many at this year’s Democratic National Convention.

That’s even true for people who weren’t alive in 1968, like Connecticut State Rep. Corey Paris, a 33-year old who represents District 145 in Stamford. He’s one of the Connecticut delegates attending the convention in Chicago.

“I just want to dispel the 1968 comparisons,” Paris said.

Parallels between 2024 and 1968

Some of the parallels between then and now are more circumstantial, like the Chicago location and the fact that both sitting Presidents (Lyndon Johnson in 1968, Joe Biden in 2024) declined to run for re-election and ceded the top of the ticket to their vice presidents. But there is one potentially incendiary parallel.

In 1968, the DNC took place at the same time as the Vietnam War. A large swath of American teens and young adults took to the campuses and to the streets to voice their vehement opposition to the war. Many of those protesters showed up outside the convention in Chicago to protest. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sent in a large police presence to aggressively confront the protesters. Many historians believe the nationally televised violence between police and protesters contributed to the GOP winning the White House that year.

Now, in 2024, the American government’s support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas war — as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza continues to climb — have also sparked protests from coast to coast. Anti-war protesters have pledged to show up in large numbers outside of the DNC in Chicago.

Paris says that’s OK.

“Look, this is part of the democratic process for these young students to be able to exercise their constitutional right by voicing their right to protest in Chicago, and we’re not going to take that away from them,” Paris said. “And I don’t want anyone to think that’s going to create a bad look or a dark cloud over our convention. There’s still going to be a lot of joy inside and on the way to 270 [electoral votes] come November.”

Democrats excited

This will be the third Democratic convention for Paris, and his second as a delegate.

“I’m really excited to be able to be in Chicago as we get ready to nominate and remain energized to elect our 47th president,” Paris said. “The energy and the enthusiasm is going to be absolutely wild, certainly because of [presidential and vice presidential nominees] Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who has, I think, stormed onto the scene and is now a new, beloved figure. I mean, you just can’t help but love the guy!”

Harris’ impact on Connecticut races

Paris said the enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket promises to be a tide that will lift the boats of many Connecticut Democrats in November’s election.

“I think what she’s been able to do is one help down ballot ticket races here in the state,” Paris said. “I also know that there are a lot of state legislative seats and a few municipal seats that probably, for the most part, will be safely in the hands of Democrats, whereas before, it could have been a little shaky due to the top of the ticket.”

Connecticut speakers

Before the DNC, Paris thought it very likely that U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, who represents Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, would be one of the speakers. She’s in a closely-contested rematch in November against Republican George Logan.

“Hayes has a very close relationship with the vice president, so I imagine that she will be a speaker,” Paris said. “I know that Sens. [Chris] Murphy and [Richard] Blumenthal have both been outspoken critics of the Republican Party, but also outspoken proponents of President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ message and also their agenda and their successes. And so I imagine that they will be speaking as well.”

Paris said he expects one key difference between the speeches made at the DNC compared with those made at the Republican National Convention earlier in the summer.

“I think that most of what they [the Democratic speakers] will say will be factual, and I think there will be less fact checkers at the Democratic convention than there were at the Republican convention,” he said. “I’m excited to see what those speakers will be able to bring and how they’ll be able to certainly lend a voice to our already extensive work.”