Today, my telephone bench sits in my Victorian rowhome’s back “parlor” living room — a fancy way of saying the part of the living room that’s sectioned off with pocket doors.

The curtains, couch, and tablecloth in this late-1940s living room all boasted the same print. The living room was shot for House and Garden in 1949. Horst P.Horst/Conde Nast via Getty Images ...

Their 1940s house is not only gorgeous — with ample windows that drench the interior rooms in warm light, a lush backyard shaded by a 100-year-old walnut tree, and original details like hardwood ...