UTTER MADNESS…In The House
The really subtle wallpaper I selected for the Octagon Bedroom has arrived. It is placed 20-inches below the ceiling. The drapery hangs over the bed. The triangle night table almost vanishes (which is good).
The scale of the paper design surprised me. I had thought it MUCH larger.
You can see how well it complements the stained-glass.
The glass looks washed-out in the previous image. This is more accurate, although the salmon is actually mauve.
I am ridiculously excited about the wall paper. It will hang 20-inches below the ceiling, and a picture rail will separate it from the frieze above. The room lost its picture rail circa-1950. Few people put back picture rails but I think this piece of trim is vital for assuring the right scale of rooms from the era.
You can see in the parlor how important picture rail is in defining a room from the era:
Picture rail also offers the opportunity of, you know, hanging pictures from it, and not pounding holes in plaster walls!
I had been thinking of painting the frieze blue, but am now leaning towards a rich plum (there is no blue in the paper. I thought there was). I will use flat paint, and then apply gloss polyurethane to create like 6-inch-wide vertical stripes.
I have no idea about the ceiling yet, save that it will be a very pale lettuce color, and will have an octagon-shaped “oculus” in the center of the octagon.
Curiously, I have not spent a second in planning for the adjacent Sewing Room, so I will need to activate my brain about this. The rooms will not match.
While the wallpaper is over-the-top, it will be grounded by the elegant oak bedroom set, the plain drapery, and the overall elegance of the finished room. The paper though should offer the, ahh, verve to make the room feel alive. And verve is essential.
What I also like about the wall paper is that it is obviously not from the 1890s. It is obviously quite modern. And this is a theme I am showcasing throughout the house. For, while the Cross House was built in 1894, it has been witness to 126-years of history. And I want this history to be reflected in my choices while at the same time never losing sight of What The House Was in 1894, hence reinstating picture rail. To me, creating a delicate balance of What Was and What Has Been and What Is offers an exciting creative challenge.
Work on the room should begin in earnest come January, when the 2017 Heritage Grant work is all, at last, completed.
(And…the Octagon Suite is already booked for October 23.)
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Oh cool, I really enjoy your decorating. You go places I would never dare but it always end up amazing.
Annette, my current house is very plain. Most of the rooms are white. I actually like simplicity.
I know! You read that and thought: He’s mad! Mad!
But I’ve never owned anything like the Cross House. The large scale of the rooms, high ceilings, many many many stained-glass windows, elaborate mantels, a dramatic staircase, and on and on and on.
So, I’ve tried to adjust my aesthetic to the house. And it’s been great fun pushing myself outside my comfort zone. A little scary though!
The stained glass window is peaceful. The wallpaper is not. At all.
Mostly, the room does not seem like a bedroom. If it actually is a bedroom, scale of bed and proportions of the room appears more storage closet…it’s just a quick pic tho.
Plum color and curtains are solid. Blue in the wallpaper would’ve been gold, ya.
Mary, I have only shown a close-up image in this post.
The room easily accommodates the bed, matching dresser, and matching wash table. With room to spare!
It’s a wonderful room in person. I’m quite excited about how beautiful it will become in 2021!
Hi Ross, I hope you had a merriest of Christmases. Please accept my apologies for my daff neglect not to send blessed tidings on Christmas day.
It is going to be interesting to follow the refurbishing of this room. For me, !loving your color scheme boldness!, the look and feel is more of a gentlemans retire for a cognac and tobacco respite. Of course, without a fireplace nix that, yeah? 🙂
Loving your lucky life, I remain,
Sincerely,
-m
Looking good, Ross. Impressive how you can visualize all these even when the items (bed, tables, wallpaper, curtain, picture rail, paint on wall and ceiling).were not there yet. The talented architect in you shows. And a booking for the room… wheeeeee!
YES! I love, love, love that wallpaper. Choosing wallpaper is hard for me. So many choices. The only times I have ever thought I might lose my mind has been in a wallpaper store.
I love your choices. All the pieces look great together, and I’m glad the table sort of disappears, although I do think those tables were really a good choice, especially the triangle shape and their open middle.
I better start thinking about booking since it seems it will go fast!
Enjoy and congratulations Ross!
Karen, I can also get overwhelmed while looking at wall paper. My guide is to wait until a paper makes my heart sing.
Then stop looking!
Hi Ross, have you thought about doing an actual plaster oculus in a modern style to keep with your what was, what has been, and what is now theme?
Hi, Jim! Plaster ceiling medallions had kinda gone out of fashion by the time the Cross House was built in 1894.
What was…what is ….and evolved, projected in what will be to come….
Booking for 10/24? Remarkable!
Love the curtains! Love the idea of picture rail! That paper is bold, but it definitely coordinates with the window. I’m not usually a wallpaper person but I can’t wait to see what you do with this room. An octagon painted in the ceiling feels SO right. That will celebrate the shape of the room. I love what you did on the walls downstairs using stencils!!!
I just adore that wallpaper, it’s so lush. I can’t wait to see the room finished and although it deeply satisfies my sense of what is right and proper to see all the beautifully and completely done structural and exterior work, the decorating is like dessert to me, it’s that extra sweet moment of satisfaction.
I live in my parents’ 1892 house in western Washington state, and I have been trying to find blogs and other sites of historical houses (since I quit all social media, I can’t look at the ‘gram) and it is interesting to observe how various people deal with the question of historical accuracy in their decorating, particularly kitchens. I feel like every old house owner makes their own set of guidelines tailored to their personal taste, the condition and history of their house and their budget.
My unbreakable principle for this house is, if it hasn’t been changed since 1892, it won’t be changed by me! But, this house was made into a B&B and I like my seven bathrooms, so if a feature has already been changed, I figure that gives me free rein to fix it up to my own preferences, but always with respect to an antique aesthetic.
But yeah, I can’t wait to see what you do with the house when you are free from the constraints of the grants.
“While the wallpaper is over-the-top…” Over the top of what? It’s totally fitting in the overall scheme that appears to be developing.
I’m more of a Mission and Art Deco kind of person who dislikes wallpaper in general, but what you’ve done in the Cross House so totally fits that house, it’s mind-boggling. I’m sure the Cross family would be just as impressed as we are.
The wallpaper is wonderful and your idea to paint the frieze plum colored sounds great, especially with the green curtains. Carry on Ross.
Wow, I love where you’re going with this room! I can’t wait to make my own reservation, when the room is done and it’s safe to visit.
I can’t wait to see it all put together!
Also that photo of Pete is perfection!