by Nigel Costolloe | Nov 15, 2022 | Brookline, Kitchens
The kitchen: for some, it is a place to calmly face a day with a cup of coffee and the day’s Spelling Bee; for others, it is a bustling and chaotic center of family life. Often dubbed “the heart of the home,” it is the place where conversations are enjoyed, meals are...
by Eileen Jones | May 13, 2020 | Blog, Brookline, Exterior Painting, Historic Restoration
Painting the exteriors of older homes throughout the Boston area for decades, we at Catchlight have been presented with everything from weather-worn siding to rotting window casements to the presence of lead. This stately Victorian home located in Brookline, MA had...
by Nigel Costolloe | Oct 10, 2018 | Back Bay, Brookline, Historic Restoration, History, Newton
Because we are a professional painting company, our customers assume we are familiar with, or expert in, color (color theory, color selection). This is far from true, but given our daily application of color to homes, inside and out, we do acquire a reasonable comfort...
by Nigel Costolloe | Jul 17, 2018 | Brookline, Historic Restoration
About eight years ago we had submitted a painting proposal to the National Park Service for the restoration of the Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site in Brookline, MA. We were not awarded the project, much to my disappointment. Fast forward to 2018 and we are working...
by Nigel Costolloe | Apr 27, 2014 | Brookline, Environmentally Friendly Paints, EPA-RPP, History, Interior Painting, Lead-Safe Certified, Residential Interior Painting, Safety
The EPA rolled out new regulations in 2010 designed to protect the occupants of homes where lead paint is being disturbed. Referred to as the RRP rule, or Renovate, Repair and Painting rule, these regulations affect any work performed in a house built before 1978...
by Nigel Costolloe | Jul 10, 2012 | Brookline, Exterior Painting, Historic Restoration
One of the earliest lessons I learned in painting was not to rush to apply the 2nd coat. Oil-primed exterior walls on a Brookline Victorian were taking forever to dry; the paint can label suggested 48 hours before recoating – I waited a full week then applied a...
