Don't Mess With Mr. In Between

In 1944 Johnny Mercer and  Harold Arlen published the song "Ac-Cent-tchu-ate the Positive". The lyrics, "You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, don't mess with mister in- between" was explained by the writers as the key to finding happiness. This is the approach we are taking to the house and we are happily on our way.

The cabinates are out and the wiring and switches repaired silencing the hissing.

The doors are beautiful and in good shape. The hardware is all original and in excellent condition.

                                   

The floors have been repaired and refinished. New Trim has been installed from the areas damaged from the cabinet removal. Here you can appreciate the previous owners the in paint selections relative to the white samples.

80 years of bad paint jobs have been taken off the steel casement windows and the old varnished moldings have been sanded down to be primed. We found these little bronze numbered plaques, each window has one and they correspond with the original screens and interior storm windows that came with the house. The seasonal change out is not easy but, it just got a lot easier now that the numbering system can be used again. The bronze hardware has had the paint removed and the windows now open and close with ease.

 What a radiator does to your walls after 80 years. Burn marks.

The entire house has hand troughed plaster walls and ceilings thing about these kind of walls is that bargin paint and dark colors can look dirty so after sixteen different white samples were put up. The final selection for the whites for this room are from C2 Paint in multiple finishes.

The walls egg shell finish. The picture molding satin impervo finish. Milk Mustache.

The ceiling flat finish. The base, window seat, window and door moldings satin impervo finish. Architectural White.

These chairs were bought at auction years ago and are finally out of storage. The frames are being tightened and a few of the seats are being re-caned. Hand caning, like most hand crafts, is a dying art. Hand as opposed to machine caning is sturdier so in spite of the time and expense to the hand caning is getting done.

A table from One Kings Lane fits the bill. It looks a little too new for my taste but I am sure that in no time the children will make sure it has the worn finish I am looking for.

Next week the fun stuff. Color, fabric, light!

Thank you Linda for getting so many inspiring and exciting people and places in one place.