Wanna Meet My Parlor?
NOVEMBER 2014. Before the Parlor could be made pretty, it needed to be structurally fixed. I did a long post about this project.
In short, a new steel I-beam was inserted to keep the west facade from collapsing.
And when all was done there was nary a clue about the work. But still more work was required…
DECEMBER 2014.
December 2014. NE corner. The pockets doors open to the entry hall. Here, I am almost finished removed the 1950 wallpaper, and later papers. Note how damaged the original plaster ceiling is.
On the now bare plaster I found this inscription:
Phillips Paperhanger
1 – 31 – 07
Cold + Sleet on the ground
This is the day Lamberton
Moved into the house Cross built [Isaac and Hattie Lambert purchased the house from the Cross Estate].
DECEMBER 2014. Note new sheetrock ceiling. I did not remove the original plaster ceiling.
JANUARY 2015.
APRIL 2015. The parlor primed. In 1894, the walls would not have read so tall as a picture rail was installed about 20-inches below the ceiling. This was common for the era.
Here, I have drawn in the lost picture rail, confirmed by various physical clues.
DECEMBER 2015. Some chairs have arrived. The Parlor retained this minimalist look for several years. Some of y’all liked this look.
JANUARY 2016. A major, highly thrilling, discovery: the original Parlor wallpaper. Hidden behind a radiator. It remains in situ today.
Another major discovery was that house did not just have gas lighting originally, but it had newfangled gas/electric lighting, and was perhaps the first house in Emporia with electricity. I later discovered the locations of all the sconces in the house. The Parlor had sconces to each side of the mantel. This proved common throughout the house.
MARCH 2016. The Parlor has two set of double pocket doors. One pair opening to the entry hall; the other pair opening to the library. I had to do battle with each pair to open/close them, but then found Stephen Thorp online, and he proved invaluable in helping to end this ancient battle.
MARCH 2016. The problem proved to be with the ‘yokes’ and their corroded wheels.
APRIL 2016. Stephen, being a magician, milled me new Magnesite wheels. Who knew such a thing was even possible?
.DECEMBER 2016. I had the circa-1929 oak flooring sanded and refinished. In stripes. Which just about everybody hated.
But which I loved.
December, 2016. Squee!!!!!!!!
I purchased the period-correct and budget-correct gas/electric chandelier for the room.
FEBRUARY 2017. New picture rail arrives!!!!!!!!
FEBRUARY 2017. New stencils arrive! The damask pattern was chosen to complement the 1894 wallpaper.
APRIL 2017. And…drum roll, please…decorating begins! Three years after buying the Cross House I could have some fun! Original wallpaper, lower left.
APRIL 2017.
MAY 2017.
MAY 2017. The first iteration of the border; hand drawn. Note the picture rail. I did a post about picture rails, revealing a whole new world of information, thanks to Bo. Who knew that picture rails could be so interesting?
MAY 2017. Looking NE. This was my test corner. Note how the ceiling is untouched, as is the border left/right.
MAY 2017. The first iteration of the ceiling. The lines were hand drawn was kinda wavy.
June, 2017. Revised border and ceiling (now a very pale teal). The new ceiling lines are the result of tape and each length is straight although their widths change. Obviously, I had no master plan. Rather I just fumbled along until things ‘clicked’. Changing the border color to teal was a masterstroke.
JUNE 2017. After much ado. I was finished. Or, was I???????????
JUNE 2017. I call this Parlor 1.0.
FEBRUARY 2018. Months passed and I realized that I did not like what I had done on the walls. Too cartoony. After many fits and starts this is what developed. This is Parlor 2.0. Note zippier pillows.
February 2018.
The masterstroke was applying a molded leaf trim to a gold border. This made everything just “click.” I can’t explain how that happens. It is like magic.
March 2018. I wanted another rug so had a good time photoshopping in alternatives.
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I decided on this.
March 2018. Not photoshop.
SEPTEMBER 2019. The steel beam inserted in 2014 rested on double vertical 2x6s resting on the original foundation. This required a subtle change to the Parlor, creating two ‘bump-out’ to each side of the bay.
South side. They looked naked so Dr. Doug made 4 wood corner guards, matching other guards in the house. Thus, the bump-outs look like they have always been there.
One of the favorite things I have done was creating the “oculus”. The idea just popped into my head one morning while driving to the house. Later, I realized that it needed a border. Later, I realized the border needed an inscription. Later, after much thought, the perfect idea came to me while showering.
KLAATU BARADA NIKTO is from the 1951 movie classic The Day The Earth Stood Still. The phrase is just made up movie nonsense but, in the context of the movie, saying it out loud will save the earth.
When I give tours, I explain this to my visitors and ask that we all say it out loud upon the count of three. KLAATU BARADA NIKTO!
For, during perilous times every bit of help is needed.
The other favorite thing I have done regards all the art for the Parlor and Library. Each piece represents something utterly impossible in 1894. Even unimaginable. Here, is Hillary. A woman who ran for president. Remember, in 1894 women could not even vote.
The Rainbow White House. Marriage equality? Unimaginable in 1894.
A gay man running for president? Unimaginable in 1894.
In the adjacent library. A Black First Family? Oh, stop, stop. I must be making all this up.
These portraits thrill me because they show the incredible social evolution since 1894. Something the Cross House has been a witness to. While I applaud this progress, it is now clear though that tens of millions of my fellow citizens do not. When I talk with such people an explanation becomes obvious: They think if others gain something, they must lose something.
This is zero-sum thinking, something I have never understood.
And now the Cross House is witness to social evolution being reversed.
This is profoundly painful to me. Will these be the next portraits I hang?
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Washington DC?
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A summation:
JANUARY 2015. The south wall.
April 2020. I painted the Hillary frame wine to complement the sofa. Note the gas/electric sconces to each side of the mantel. In the original location. Thanks, Cody!
APRIL 2020. The tall upholstered chairs have been replaced with another pair of tall upholstered chairs. I liked the damask pattern. Note the antique rocker, a gift from Susana and Brad. It is fun having the Parlor evolve.
DECEMBER 2016.
DECEMBER 2023. Note how the striped floors largely recede. As intended. The NE corner, left, now looks like…
…this, after an incredible piano was gifted to the house by the descendants of Mary Cross, who lived in the house when she was a child. Mary was the granddaughter of Susan and Harrison Cross.
December 2014. The NE corner.
APRIL 2020. After the piano arrived, Pete was shifted to the NW corner.
The parlor was a steep learning curve: WHAT would work in an 1894 house and what would not? I had no idea when purchasing the house in March 2014.
My goal, from the beginning, was to have the finished room convey a youthful appearance while still being respectful to the 1894 character of the room. When the room was new, it had a patterned carpet, a patterned wallpaper, a patterned frieze paper, and a patterned ceiling paper. All this would have been designed to complement the stained-glass, and the mantel and trim. Rather than any one item standing out, an ensemble was desired. And recreating an ensemble effect was my goal in bringing the room back to life.
Doing a period-correct decor was never a goal. I wanted to show how old houses could be colorful and hip without painting all the trim white, the walls taupe, knocking down walls to create an open plan, and punching 528,958 can lights into the ceilings.
After the Parlor was finished, Travis and I were talking about the radiators. Travis is a big, burly guy who restored the radiator system. A guy kinda guy. Then, in mid-sentence, he suddenly stopped talking. I watched as his eyes scanned the parlor. WHAT is he looking at, I wondered? Then he said, in a hushed voice: “This room is incredibly beautiful. Are all the rooms going to be like this?”
My heart soared. For, I knew that, after much ado, I had done good.
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What a wonderful look back at the process that brought you to such an exquisite room
Glad you enjoyed it, Gramma.
I did one for the library and realized that the parlor was overdue for a pictorial review, too!
I love the final version of the parlor. I hope that the current admin is stopped before they bring us back to 1894!
Amen!
Your parlor, library, and love for the cross and carriage house bring so much joy in such an uncertain time!
I think the thing that makes it lovely is like you said, a ‘youthful’ appearance, while in many ways also actually following design trends that were very of the Victorian age- just with new materials, patterns, and sensibilities. You have a multipatterned floor with a stenciled damask wall deco, picture rail, multicolor paint scheme, et cetera! All old sensibilities but new and interesting styles and colors. I don’t see this all that often and it’s pretty wonderful. We will all be in awe as more and more rooms get the Ross finishing touch.
It really is a beautiful room. All the disparate elements, which I admittedly found a bit overwhelming separately back when you were actively working on the room, have come together perfectly. It’s both impressive and incredible how much work you’ve put into the Cross House.
I’ll admit, whenever I see klaatu barada nikto my first thought is instead of Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness, one of my favourite cult classics!
On a more serious note, as one of your neighbours to the north, we are all also really hoping your country gets its shit together. Preferably without invading us 😅
I agree with everything you said, Nicole — including the last bit. I wasn’t sure about some of the choices along the way for the room, but, as you said, it’s come together “perfectly.”
What a remarkable evolution!
I can’t believe that the mostly-finished parlor dates all the way back to 2017-18. It seems like just a few years ago!
And although it is SO not something I would have ever designed, it somehow works.