Channelling Nancy Reagan
In my previous post, Brian asked two questions: “Did the second floor stair hall have a picture rail? If so, how was the arch in the middle of that hallway treated?”
To answer the first question: Yes. The two-story stair hall had papered walls, a paper border (above the picture rail), and papered ceilings. Fragments of all three papers are extant, and I have detailed these previously.
To answer the second question:
In short, I had no answer!
All through the house are thin gray lines like this, about 20-inches below the ceiling. This, as I learned from Bo, is where a gap existed between the wall paper, and the border paper, a gap covered by picture rail. The gray line is simply dirt imbedded in the plaster.
The above picture IS from the second-flloor hall. But what happened at the arch in the hall? How, as Brian asked, did picture rail meet the arch?
A very good question!
Getting up on a ladder today with a spray bottle and scraper, I removed the post-1950 wallpapers. I did not find the expected thin gray line. Huh? While I could understand why it might not be on the wall of the arch itself, and for the same reasons I detailed in my previous post, surely the adjacent wall had picture rail? But…but…see the pale horizontal line on the arch wall? That is at the magical 20-inch mark. And see how the plaster was repaired (the small white spots)? Those small holes are indicative of picture rail nails.
After the plaster dried, I could see a pale thin gray line.
So, Brian, the answer to your second question is: Huh?
Yes, the arched wall had picture rail. But the rail would have just ended, weirdly, when it hit the curve of the arch. Huh?
That would not have looked right.
And thus, my brilliance is confirmed. For, I knew yesterday that having picture rail on the new wall in the bathroom was a bad idea for just this reason.
To channel Nancy Reagan: Just say no to picture rail ignominiously crashing into graceful arches.
THE BIG QUESTION
In restoring the upper hall, eventually, what will I do about the arch and its anti-Nancy rail?
I have no idea.
OH, AND…
This is the entrance hall. Above the overmantel you can see a thin gray line, a little below center (click image to enlarge). If you follow that line to the left, you will note that the picture rail would have died into the edge of the arch. But THIS arch, like the niche arch, has some trim at its outer edge, giving the picture something to die into. Unlike the upper hall arch.
I do not think reinstating the picture rail on the first-floor hall will, thus, look bad as the arch itself will not be sliced in two by picture rail.
But Nancy was right about the upper hall arch rail.
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I wonder if it just had a return in the picture rail? That’s the most common way to end woodwork that ends in “open air.” that’s at least how I would do it, and I think it would work and look just fine!
Amy!
Yes, the picture rail might have just ‘returned’ into the wall, just shy of the arch. And I might have to do just that in the upper hall.
Ross, your house, your taste. But consider this. As shown by the plaster, the rail DID run into plain arches in the house. You might be considering that the rail was merely for the pictures, but it was a decorative element also…as you know. If you do not put up the rail, then the effect would be that the line around the top of the wall would be broken much more in the “lines” of the room. The eye sees and adjusts, but the esthetic would be broken and the brain knows it. The arch just protrudes through the line and that is pleasing to the eye…much more than would not including it.
Dear Ross, you may be happy to know that I have no opinion on this. Whatever you do will surprise and delight me. Rock on!
Dear Ross, I am a UK teacher currently stuck at home, not due to, you know, but to almost flying down my daughter’s narrow tread staircase as I was there to do DIY. Having used my right leg as a brake I am nursing a pretty serious set of sprains from ankle to groin; well the ankle is the worst and I have just had to take it easy and rest. So I discovered you through your radio interview on Youtube and came to find out about your blog.
That was a week ago. I had a lot of time and some sleepless moments and yes, I have read every post (even the political ones), and every Squee has been enjoyed and celebrated. Every discovery about the door handles, thin grey lines on your walls etc etc etc (such beautiful etc) followed avidly. I am not a commentator and felt I was also a bit late to the party to comment, but I often so wanted to congratulate you as you went along and applaud YOUR bold, stylish design choices.
Now I have caught up and come to a no next post button…how had this happened?!…well I am up to date. Seven years covered in 7 days!
I have to thank you for your wonderful wit, your dedication and drive to see to it that this amazing home comes back to life. I have so been there, up a ladder, sanding miniscule imperfections that no-one could possibly see (great tips about scaffolding but I’ll stick to indoors and my ladder: I hate heights and would not have ventured out as you have done! ; )
I watched the video last week and thought ‘blog?’ why this guy should use youtube…after 2 posts though I was hooked and all thoughts of that medium dismissed. I could read at my pace, follow the story from your superb photographs, and read your witty, delicious prose.
I look forward to the rest of this adventure of yours and hope you get to move in soon as that will be the right reward for all of your hard work. The kitties will have a ball there!!
Gabrielle! What a delight to meet you!
Your post was great fun to read! Thank you! I’m so sad though that we met due to a terrible interaction with a staircase.
Did you find this section of my blog:
https://restoringross.com/category/other-cool-things/?order=ASC
BIG hug from across the pond. Ross
Thanks for your concern. Having got up to date on Cross house, my next move is looking at your other posts, I’ll certainly chek out that link!
I, too, have no opinion, but as usual, “your brilliance is confirmed”! I don’t know anyone who would care as much as you do, and that is why we all follow you! 🙂
I just could not picture your plan for the picture rail and the arches. I know this is not quite the same, but it gave me an idea how the picture raid would break at the arch when there is woodwork.
See here.
Without woodwork, I still can’t picture it.
But I am confident in your design expertise and look forward to seeing the outcome!
Thank you, Wenda!
Yes, that link shows how the picture rail at the two first-floor arches would have looked in my house.
But the second-floor arch had no such ‘woodwork’, so the original picture-rail would have just ended, uncomfortably, at the edge of the arch.
Are you sure there wasn’t a narrow wood trim that capped the corner of the arch both underneath and around the opening? Something about 1-2 inches? Narrow and simple rather than the wide decorative one of the first floor.
Well, look at that. My simple question spawned its own investigative post! My original point was that it seems like the picture rail treatment of the hallway arch and the new bathroom arch ought to match, given their proximity. My first instinct is to agree with the so-called Nancy Reagan approach, but I’m beginning to think that it might not look so bad with the picture rail and the border paper after all. Without a doubt, though, I agree it would look better on an arch with trim, as on the first floor.
Good morning, Ross (and everyone else). I’ve been away during the holiday week with family I have not seen for more than a year and got behind on your posts. I have an early 1930s Tudor that has bare untrimmed arches that caused a quandary with wallpaper also —— not quite the grandness of yours —- but still a challenge.
Firstly, if I imagine myself standing slightly away from either the bathroom or hallway arch it appears to me that with a border paper above, the top of the picture rail and the bottom of the arch will read close to a continuous line. I think your eye will understand and be comfortable with the continuity and not see it as out of place. Maybe try running an experiment using some of the leftover gorgeous picture rail from your parlor and some inexpensive patterned gift wrapping paper (from the craft or drug store) taped to the wall above and below —- and see if your eye is comfortable with the line.
Secondly, we faced the same issue with what to do with the inside of the arch when all surrounding walls are papered with the same patterned wallpaper. This is an archway in a bedroom for a bench alcove —- no picture rail but a chair rail that is continuous throughout the room. We papered (who am I kidding there was no “we”, we paid a professional to do this work) the vertical inside of the arch right up to the point the curve started. A small piece of 3/4” trim with rounded edges was placed where the paper ends on the inside of the arch for the break between the paper and bottom painted portion of the arch. The bottom of the arch is painted a dark creamy white to match the background of the paper, and the trim piece is painted to match the rest of the woodwork in the room. There was no logical way to pattern match the paper on the inside top curve to match the papered walls.
How fabulous is that bathroom wallpaper you chose! Your eye (and brain) for color and pattern is outstanding —- I live vicariously through your choices and shake my head in awe and admiration. Maybe you can use the dark shade of your paper to paint the underside of the arch (cannot tell if it is dark charcoal or black because the internet does strange things to colors) —- or possibly a slightly lighter shade if it makes the arch appear heavy. Although tricky with the angles, I think you should apply the picture rail in a continuous path on the underside of the arch and paper the vertical surface up to the trim providing the break between the painted and papered surfaces. Maybe run multiple experiments with the leftover picture rail and wrapping paper taped to the wall (with a vertical papered arch interior, with/without a continuous picture rail, no paper in the arch interior, some sort of faux transition between the paper and the paint, etc). Just my opinion.
Good luck with what you ultimately choose to do —- I am sure it will be perfect.
Ross, where you be? Long time no posts.
Hoping all is good with you and the kitties.
Hugs!
As a janitor and not in possession of fabulous height, I would, while dusting with a dampened rag, reach above my head to wipe just suchs ledges as a chair rail. If I wasn’t careful, the damp rag then left a slightly dirty line on the wall or, ESPECIALLY wallpaper or exposed plaster. My lines were about the thickness of your lines, just above the ledge! I recognized your thin grey line for what it was! Or did I?? lol
Hi, Dave!
The thin gray line is caused by the space between the wall paper, and the frieze paper, getting dirty over time. Even though the two papers had a picture rail between them.