Waterloo

This house is asymmetrical. A design statement as part of the original build and on a macro level it makes the house a special wonky folly.  However on the subtle micro level (meaning only the installers and myself )it is arrgh!!

I thought I had certain layout lay ups  for the Entry Hall and Living Room. Get a center hall table. Centered on what? The arch in the hall nope,  that is not centered on the hall or the living room.  Centered on the length of the hall nope, too close to the door to  the kitchen door and the arch to the stairs.

Table Centered on Arch in Hall

Even at night it still looks bad.

Design decree... Big space create multiple seating areas. Yes and no. The dead center of the Living Room is not centered on the arch on one side or the steel casement doors on the other. Nor are the windows centered on the facing walls.

Table centered on Casement Door In Living Room.

 I am going to embrace asymmetry, throw rules out the window and it is going to be great! I stopped fighting against what I have and the spaces are coming together.

Case goods have been placed.

Gilt Iron Console

French 19th Century Commode

English Vitrine

We are so Continental. 

"The Continental" video link

The coffee table has been ordered and its predecessor is going to a new home across town. The rug is en route, art is being moved here and there and hopefully the upholstery will make it in time. 

These arches and asymmetry will not be my Waterloo!

If You Love It Let It Go

See the two ticking stripe chairs at the bottom of the picture? Those dressmaker details, lightly gathered skirts on the chair corners, the very narrow welting and the self binding applied on the bias on this pair of slipper chairs  in  a Miles Redd designed room confirmed the direction of the Living Room design. The simple fabric makes a great contrast to a very formal application.

House Beautiful- Miles Redd

The House with the Diamond Windows is a house built for formal living and staff. We are neither formal, nor do we have staff. The house is full of contrasts. Despite the scale and the architectural attention to detail the materials are  quite humble. The walls are troweled plaster, the moldings are restrained basic. The interiors decorations need to reflect the same high/ low mix. 

The longest lead time right now is the upholstery and it will be lucky if the pieces are back in time for the final showing of the One Room Challenge. Another deadline is looming in early December and the house buzzing with activity. 

The chaise has been painted white and is getting new casters. The chaise and the red sofa are both being reupholstered.

The sofa will be recovered with no seam in the back and one seat cushion.

In Kravet Fabrics Off White Woven.

This pair of French Chairs are bring reupholstered with two fabrics.

 

Blithfield "Parnham", Plum/ Moss/ Aqua on the outside.

Pindler "Velluto", Watermelon on the inside.

It is actually pink in real life.

The rug I am torn between "Senegal Natural"



and "Calypso" Natural



I go back and forth. I need to cover a lot of square footage. I just cant decide.
What I absolutely need to deal with and need help is the coffee table.... We bought this when I was having my Fifth Avenue Octogenarian  moment in our NYC apartment. Two very important points. The apartment was not on Fifth Avenue and I am not an Octogenarian but I do  have this table. 


It is a good table but, but, but, I think it needs to go. This I think needs to replace it and rather than prolong the agony I need to just do it and put the old table out to pasture. 


I still have case goods, curtains, art and stuff but, I think the reason this room has been such a sticky wicket is I need to let the old table go.
The Entry Hall Upholstery is a happy accident from the consignment store one town over.



To be covered in this vintage french fabric from the Textile Trunk.



I think I am most excited to see the bench with the new fabric.
I hope you are enjoying the other bloggers posts. So many of them have knocked me right off my feet.

Double Whammy- Entry Hall and Living Room

I will start by saying I love this house. I knew it the second I walked in that first rainy day but, figured it would never happen. It did and it has proved to be better then we ever imagined. Especially when this is what you are stating off with... These three images are virtually staged.

Entry Hall

Living Room

Family Room with Living Room through the arch.


The spaces are big the Entry Hall 28' L x 8' Wide. Not including the Entry Vestibule. The Living Room is 28' Long x 18' Wide. 

 The Living Room held our Christmas Tree for our First Christmas in the house. It was a weirdly depressing tree that listed terrible to the side and leaked all over the floor. Thankfully the floors were refinished after.

Living Room with Entry Hall through arch.

Held our Kitchen cabinets and appliances prior to their installation.

We expected these two be two of the least used spaces in the house because the spaces were very dark. However following the removal the the enclosed porch.

Enclosed Porch Interior

Enclosed Porch Exterior

                             

Porch without Enclosure. Living Room is on the other side of the French door.

The rooms are actually very bright much to everyone's surprise but, with the exception of paint and the floors being refinished they remain annoyingly empty and unused.

The Back Patio- I should have known...

The back patio "leads" to the in ground pool.



The pool is at the bottom of a decaying set of blue stone stairs with a railing that has rotted out at the bottom.



Nicely painted with safety stripes. Missing a step is the least of your problems.  Cartoon characters have accidents like this not  humans...grab the railing to save yourself from falling down the faulty step the railing gives way. During your decent you will roll through poison ivy, then hit a chain link fence topped with barb wire. Men with combat training have been felled by this.



 Bucolic Jersey. The house is up the hill behind the trees. If you look closely you can see the clothes lines that were also located at the pool. Who did the laundry here contestants on Survivor?



Yes, it could all be fixed but it is far from the house and would require the demolition of the existing shed and a  new pool house to be built. The pool is 1' thick  concrete reinforced with 2" thick re-bar. The pool will be broken into 3" pieces have all the re bar pulled out them dumped back in and leveled.

The back patio is close to the house, has views of the city in the winter and is large. Larger than I thought when I started 30' x 22'.  Previously it was covered in chicken wire to keep the turkeys out of the basement, tree stumps, and embedded metal rods to line dry clothing, the house had no dryer. No dryer but, a heated pool. Everyone's priorities are different....

 Everything is conspiring against me. The weather, bad math, supply issues and no motivation. I should have known it was going to be a long haul following the bonding agent episode. Old concrete sucks the bonding agent up, the roller sucks the bonding agent up. One gallon appears  to cover one square foot. Grimy, sticky and annoyed I  grabbed the container and dumped it and walked off. If the stuff actually helps only time will tell. I can say for sure the stuff is sticky and impossible to get off skin. 

All that will get us to where we are going.

Here is the inspiration.











The paint selection.

Monitors show different colors. These are actually soothing shades of green not muddy beige.

Field Color

Bher Garden Lattice

Stencil Color

Bher Terrace View

The stencil

Palette Paint

The current status.

Tons of pollen. Three weeks left to get it done. It is go time.

"A dieu for now"

Calling it Home's  One Room Challenge was a great incentive to just get this room done and here is The Breakfast Room Week 6. Week 1 to refresh your memory. 

Everything is bright and fun. 

Custom braided trim from Theo. Merwitz Textiles. Hot pink French piping from Samuel and Sons.

All of the soft goods were fabricated by La Mel Designs. Big Momma's needlework seasoning guide was given new life.

Rather then have everything new I wanted the room to look as though it had evolved over time.

I wanted pieces that had a  history and showed some age and if something did not have a story the fact that "I like it" is enough.

The vase is inspired by the book and made by the author and illustrator of  The Dot, Peter Reynolds

The place mats are by Deborah Rhodes. The glasses are a One Kings Lane score.



I will take any monogram any day. The set of 12 luncheon napkins with the hand work were a double score. My initial and a large set from the local antiques mall.

The silver, we use it everyday and yes it goes in the dishwasher, is my grandparents wedding silver. Every day is precious there fore nothing is too precious to not use every day.

The chairs have all the knocks and dings of life.

Chair detail.

Seat pad ties lace around the legs.

The bulletin board is from LG Custom Accessories. Only flattering pictures are allowed.

 Original art birthday wishes from the talented and oh so clever Leo H.

The house has the best doors and the best dinner bell.

The forged bronze hardware through out remains in tact and functioning. Hinges, strike sets and keys.

Split set hardware. The kitchen side of the door is milk glass and chrome. The brass base metal is showing where the chrome plating has worn off.

A French 19th century iron door bell from Great House by Bonny Neiman is our dinner bell and good luck charm.

The seed catalog prints along with a rotation of photographs and children's art work lines another wall.

We bid you "a dieu" from the house that was once covered in vines.

A patio, side porch and birthday party all need attention, my own foolishly self imposed timed challenge. I hope you will come visit. I finally got the bonding agent off my hands to type.

 Wondering where the baby sits? One of the best bits of baby gear ever. Phil and Ted's "Lobster" clamp that baby right on to the table.