Shortly after buying the Cross House, I lucked out on acquiring a very large George III-style dining table by Baker. The rooms in the house are huge, and normal-scaled furniture looks silly. After picking up the table, I placed it in the dining room; it was perfect. Shortly thereafter, I found a pair of George…

  Yesterday I: Painted the background of one tower swag in color #5. Ditto for the scroll backgrounds on the brooch (the triple upper windows). Painted black the arched trim above the triple widows. This helps to break up all the green. Painted a black pinstripe just below the scrollwork under the dining room windows….

    Yesterday, the newly painted scroll panels under the windows looked a bit adrift. Today though, the green trim at the bottom, and the subtle black pinstripe, added visual gravitas. And I do love gravitas.    

  So…Ross wanted to paint the background of the five rectangles surrounding the swags on the tower. Ross wanted to paint the background in color #5, as suggest by Zac. Ross liked what Zac had photo-shopped. Ross then asked Justin and Scott to help him erect a mini-scaffolding. Ross thought, too, that a ladder atop…

  I had been thrilled with the coloring on the house. Then, after finishing most of the north front, too, the “canvas” was suddenly large enough to step back and really see the overall effect. And my heart sank a bit. The color scheme was lacking…vivacity. I poured over the 1895 black/white image and realized…

Since buying the Cross House 3-1/2-years ago, I have been eager to complete a particular project. Eager. Breathless with anticipation. Impatient! And today…today…victory! Wanna see? Scroll way down…                                                      …

    The column capitals on the Cross House were custom-designed by architect Charles Squires, and hand-carved. Each is unique. The capitals are wonderfully eccentric, and oh how I would have loved to have been in the drafting room of Squires as he, certainly, smiled in satisfaction at the finished design. The Cross House capitals…

  The newly painted column capitals have been bothering me. While I like them better in color #5, the light color does not offer enough shadow, so the wonderful details are lost. Also, and quite unnervingly, the capitals now appear to made of plastic. Oh, the horror. The column capitals are one of my favorite…

    So, the battered wood bits had to go, and I needed something that would effortlessly round the corners. My solution? A black garden hose! I know! Friggin’ brilliant! Zac had suggested also painting black the bit of trim above the pinstripe but I may leave it alone. It’s upper edge is irregular and…

    I will be finished with the above this week!!!!!!!!    

  Well, today I painted one downspout…green (the one in the middle of the above picture). How does it look? Like why-did-I-spend-so-much-time-even-pondering-this-issue perfect. (NOTE: The downspout in question is short because it is a weird diameter and I have been unable to find the bit more required to bring it down to the ground.) When…

The summer sun beats the Cross House. It scares me how hot some rooms get. So, I have been pondering an old-fashioned option, but one wholly correct for my 1894 house: canvas window awnings. Such awnings were ubiquitous before WWII but are rarely seen today.           I have been doing a…

    …the stained-glass windows. They were MUCH more vivid. Huh? It took me a minute. Oh! The new coral porch ceiling! The light bouncing off it has hugely enhanced the colors in the stained-glass. An unintended but delightful surprise.