Preservation Celebration Tablescape

I finally got my Easter decorations put up and my house always seems a little bare without holiday decorations. Now, bare is not a word most folks would use for my Victorian decorating style, but I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder!

Preservation NC had asked a while back if we would open our house during their Preservation Celebration in our town and we are always glad to help them out! They showcased both commercial and residential properties, some restored and some in need of restoration. Of course, I set my table in the Dining Room for the tour. Here are some shots of my Dining Room and table with no theme or holiday - a rarity for me!

I used a burgundy tablecloth, gold chargers, Spode Pink Tower dishes with various stemware, gold napkins with dark red napkin rings and gold edged stainless flatware.

I used my cream soups for this table. I really love cream soup bowls!

Red and white azaleas in a silver wine cooler make up my centerpiece. I added ivory tapers to my silver candleabras to complete the table. I also used red and white azaleas on the mantle.

This room is very hard for me to photograph because of the light, but here is a shot looking into the room from the foyer.

Here is a view of the room looking toward the door that leads to the Butler's Pantry.

Here is a view of the room looking toward the foyer.

My house was built in 1883 and we restored it to try to resemble a dining room in the 1880's. Our wallpapers are by Bradbury & Bradbury and a reproductions of actual historic wallpapers.

A few more shots from the tour - this is my Foyer. Magenta and White Formosa Azaleas in my epergne and more Bradbury and Bradbury wallpapers.

 I will be sharing this with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Metamorphosis Monday - Younger Daughter's Bedroom

For Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH.


This metamorphosis is my younger daughter's bedroom. You may remember that I shared my older daughter's bedroom HERE.

This bedroom started out with 2 layers of wallpaper on it, both off white. One was vinyl and easy to remove and the other was really old and paper and Stuck!!!!
Here are some before pictures.
This wallpaper came off easily.

This wallpaper did NOT!

Notice the little chandelier.

In the previous picture is the bed my younger daughter had picked out. She wanted to use my old childhood French Provincial furniture. I offered to strip and paint it, but she loved it with the gold trim and all. She said it was very "Audrey Hepburn."
She wanted a really bright room to wake up all the Victorian influence in this old house, so here it is!!!

Quite a change, right?!
My old furniture needed some touching up. The vanity had several nail polish remover rings on it and the vanity seat had broken and been thrown away. I finally found a paint to match the vanity - it was actually a green shade!!! We also found this stool at Target and just painted the trim with a gold paint pen.

Here is the mantle.

And another view/

I can't believe I don't have a picture which shows the new ceiling fan/light fixture. So much more light and the fan is nice in the summer.
Here bedding was from Target. We tore up all the old carpeting and the floors were in great shape. I will share her bathroom on another Metamorphosis Monday! Now visit Susan and see all the great changes! :D Jewel

Metamorphosis Monday- Study

For Metamorphosis Monday sponsored by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH . Make sure to visit her blog and see all the wonderful transformations!



This is the only before picture I could find of the study. The previous owner (heir to the family who built the house) had used this as a music room, but we thought with the built in book shelves that it would be a good study.



It looked a bit better after we moved our furniture and books in.





When we wallpapered the rest of the downstairs, we couldn't decide on what to do in this room. It is the smallest public room downstairs and the bookshelves take up most of the wall space, so it seemed a waste to use expensive wall paper only to cover them up with shelves. We finally decided to paint the walls a red, so what shows has a lot of impact. As you can see, this is my husband's room primarily. He was a history major in college, has developed a local battlefield and is a re-enactor. I made the uniform on the valet in the picture above. As you can see, these are pictures from Christmas. We decorate this room with a Nutcracker theme since the nutcrackers are soldiers.







Be sure and visit Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH for more great before and afters! :D Jewel

Metamorphosis Monday- Foyer

I just found a wonderful new blog Hooked On Houses and they are having a block party this Friday! Be sure and visit to see all the great posts! :D Jewel

Happy Metamorphosis Monday sponsered by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH.
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/





When we bought our house 8 years ago, this is what the foyer looked like. The wallpaper was from the 1930's and had ghostmarks of old pictures and was very soiled around the light switches. We wanted to take the house back to the 1880's, so we knew we wanted dark trim and Bradbury & Bradbury wallpapers.
Front view

Rear view

Notice the colonial light fixture - we knew that had to go.
The hall was also dark, so I wanted to add sconces. We were doing a tax credit renovation, so the NC Dept of Cultural Resources had to approve each change. They said they would allow the sconces, but didn't recommend it since we had no proof there had every been sconces in the first place.

Here are some more before photos. It looked a bit better when we took up the old carpet and added our rugs and furniture.



When ordered reproduction lighting fixtures from Victorian Lighting Works and were really pleased. We had to install the sconces after the wallpaper was stripped and before the new paper was hung. Imagine my vindication when we found patched plaster holes right where the sconces were going to be installed and the gas pipe behind the plaster! I knew there were supposed to be sconces in that dark hall!

The newel post we stripped to show the burled walnut panels, but the rest of the woodwork my husband faux grained. The wainscoting was evidently installed when they had everything painted white, because it is pine. The doors and door and window casing are oak. So even if we stripped all the wood and stained it, it wouldn't make. The faux graining gives us a uniform look throughout.


Here is the renovated foyer.Notice the new hall light and sconces. I think they make a huge difference! We painted the coffered ceiling a light green which went with the paper.


In the rear, under the stair well, we made a Turkish corner, which was popular in the 1880's.


Here is a close-up of the foyer wall paper which is a Dresser design from the 1880's.
I don't have a close-up of the border, but it was also designed by Dresser.


Hope you enjoyed this Metamorphosis! Be sure to visit Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

for many more wonderful before and afters! :D Jewel

Metamorphosis Monday

For Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!


Here is what my house looked like in 1887



Here is what it looked shortly after we bought it in 2001



We had to cut down lots of volunteer hedges full of wisteria (see my last Outdoor Wednesday post!!!). We researched and determined the original colors of the house and found that Sherwin Williams is still making the same colors.

Here is what it looked like after the last massive hedge removal in 2006. The grass has grown in now!!!



Mint Juleps on the Porch anyone? How about some lemonade?



Be sure an see all the other Met Monday posts at Between Naps on the Porch!

Metamorphosis Monday

For Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/


Here is my Parlor before renovation:






As you can see, the walls were papered in a dark green and the woodwork was all painted an antique white. We knew the woodwork was originally stained, but some wainscotting in our foyer was added around 1900 and they used pine instead of the oak everywhere else in the house. So, even if we stripped all the woodwork in the house, it would not match. So my handy husband taught himself how to faux grain. Here is the door leading into the parlor grained and the portieres I stitched up. (Yes, they look like Scarlett's!)



One plus was that the floors in this room were in good shape and have extra special inlay.



The Bradbury & Bradbury paper we chose for this room is in an Italiante style of the 1870's. Our house was built in 1883, but still has some Italianate influences. Tastes changed slower in small Southern towns.

Here is the Dado (under the chair rail:



Here is a corner block in the ceiling paper:



Here is a lamp we hung. It was a kerosene burning lamp that had been electrified:



Here is the "finished" room - the quotes are because I don't ever feel finished. I still want to add some window treatments, but don't want to cut out any of the natural light or hide the gorgeous wide window frames and the mantle is still not stripped. But patience is a virtue!!!





Thanks for stopping by and Thanks to Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH!

Metamorphosis Monday

For Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan (Between Naps on the Porch)
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH: WELCOME TO THE VERY FIRST METAMORPHOSIS MONDAY!

Here is a before picture of a room in our house back when we bought it. My house was built in 1883 and we are renovating it using the US Dept of Interiors guidelines.



After we ripped up the carpet, this is what the floors looked like.



We used Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper which is authentic to the era of our house.
Detail of the border:

Detail of a ceiling corner block:


Here is what the room looks like today!
Our Billiards Room