Wallpaper in your Closets

After moving in to my house I decided I wanted to use wallpaper to create the perfect mood in my guest room.  During my search, I came across several fantastic prints that I wished I could use "somewhere."  It was at that point I decided I might wallpaper the inside of every closet with a different pattern and then paint the floor in the closet to match.  What a pleasant surprise (or shock) it might be to a guest--or as someone commented, "a snooper"--who opens the closet to find a flowery, or bright or whimsical print inside.

  

Having wallpaper in your closets is like having a suit jacket that's lined with a loud or bright pattern.  No one can see your bright blue paisley lining but YOU know it's there and it puts a little spring in your step.  Makes you feel a little sassy, right?

So after the archeological dig through my closet wallpaper, I thought it would fun to match up some vintage wallpaper prints with some current rooms and see how the two paired.  Below are the results of my matchmaking.  These are mostly Ralph Lauren rooms and the wallpaper is 1940s and 1950s.  (Try to ignore the quarters in the wallpaper images.  They're there to show the scale of the wallpaper)

I think this is a perfect new pattern to add to the room.

I felt like this room needed something bold but feminine to center its masculine chi.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

Here I took inspiration from the linear coffee table and the botanical pressings.

Using the gold frames as color inspiration...

A combination inspired by the Chinese jar and the pink flowers.

A little hokey but fun.

This was a tough one.  The plaid is quintessential RL but the pattern in the maroon stripe echoes the zebra ottoman.

I love this combination.  I think I would wallpaper this whole room with this wallpaper.

Look how nicely this one goes with the aubusson carpet.

For the girly girl's closet.

I want that bed.

Just in case your potting shed has a closet...

And last but not least...

Isn't this one just perfect?  I LOVE this wallpaper!

But in case you prefer something a little more feminine,

here are two different options.

I had a lot of fun putting these together and I hope I've inspired you to replace a few skeletons in your closets with some exciting wallpaper.

Wallpaper Sources:  Hannah's Treasures, Rosie's Vintage Wallpapers and Second Hand Rose.

Cleaning Closets

I'm working on another project with a shop up in Maine which unfortunately I have to keep under wraps for now.  You see, this blogging thing is a dirty business. When scoop-crazed followers get wind of future plans, the Blogarazzi come out and I get sent fuzzy cell phone photos of my projects before I see them.  "I'm touching your table!" the last one said. 

I made a clandestine mid-week trip up to Maine the other day for a progress check on the new project so I thought I'd stop at Old House Parts to see if they had a four-panel door that was perfect to replace the nasty luan door on the closet.  I found the perfect one!  

Wanna see?

Ain't she sweet?

I've decided to move forward with my plan to convert the dining room into a dining/study.  I'm excited about the possibility of doing more with the room than vacuuming up the dust bunnies--more like kitty tumbleweeds--once a week.  So before Sam comes over to replace the door, I first needed to clean out the closet to ensure he isn't crushed by the avalanche of crap I needed to hide in here to take my stunning blog photos. 

This chore turned into a bigger project than I expected.

Try not to be jealous but this closet is wallpapered with this stunning wallpaper.  Now available in my etsy shop.  (Not really.)  As much as I hate to part with this beautiful pattern, it just doesn't set the proper mood for the room.  So I started pulling it down. 

This easily pulls off to reveal another layer.

Under the fantastic floral is this tan botanical print.  The metal to the left is the air return duct from the upstairs.  

Here's a close up of it.  Not so ugly, huh?

And this easily pulls off to reveal another layer.

Now, why didn't somebody stop after this was put in and leave well enough alone?

I kind of like this pattern and this is in the palette of my favorite colors.

 

Here's a closeup of it that's better lit.

Unfortunately, this is all that's left.

I would guess this is 1940s.  Maybe even earlier.

This really wasn't what I had in mind when I

decided to clean out the closet.

It's kind of crusty chic, right?

So now what do I do with it?

I have a few ideas.

Master Bath

I've been working with The Architects again to finalize the plans for the new bathrooms and kitchen.  It made me realize that I've never shown this room.  So here it is.

The master bath is at the very back of the house.  Actually calling it the "master bath" is generous.  It's more of a museum devoted to design of the 1940s.

This is what it looked like when I bought the house.  It had the same color scheme as the master bedroom.

The Mastrullo's daughter said her father added these bathrooms when he bought the house in 1940.  Notice the plumbing is exposed.  Also notice that the sink has no trap in the drain pipe.  I hope you don't need  blow dryer because there's no outlet.

I gave this room a quick facelift until I could establish my overall plans for the house and save enough money to tackle these major projects.

You can't go wrong with a few coats of white paint.  

The clawfoot tub is painted BM Iron Gate which is a dark grayish brown and I love how it draws attention to the tub.

Just inside the door, a pair of vintage shoe lasts have been repurposed as clothes hooks.  The pink and orange flowered wallpaper has been replaced with a simple wide gray and white striped wallpaper.

The white is Decorator's White which seemed to match the white in the wallpaper quite well.

The tub must have been seldom used.  It's in pristine condition.

I added a white canvas roman blind and topped the window with a whimsical wooden valance I found in an antique shop.  Since I typically give up this bedroom and bathroom for guests, a vintage coffee pot holds items a guest may have forgotten.  New toothbrushes and trial sized toothpaste, floss, deodorant and moisturizers.   

The valance reminds me of water droplets but the bottom shapes also remind me of shoes which gave me the idea for the shoe forms on the other end of the room.

The valance was originally green.  I just gave it a few coats of brown and white paint and distressed it to make it fit in.

A small shelf holds a few decorative items.  An old mirror, a sea sponge, some bottles with coral and sea shells.  Above the mirror is an abacus.  I don't know why.  I like  the colors and pattern it provides but the beads are almost like puka shells.  Remember those?

The bottles were made by Artie of Color Outside the Lines.  If you don't know Artie or his blog, you should check it out.  Aren't these bottles great?  I love the marriage of the old glass and the coral and shells.  It seems like something that could occur naturally in the sea.    

My original plan for the bathroom was to expand into the closet to the left to create a large shower.  A new wider door would be moved to the center of this wall where a new sink would be centered on the back wall where the tub is.  And the toilet would stay where it is to the right.  A new closet was going to be carved out of the adjacent middle bedroom.

I've since come to the conclusion that I can't give up closets and I need to stay within the boundaries of the present bathroom.  The door will still be moved to the right to create room for the 4-foot by 3-foot shower.  Not grand but good enough.  If I put in some nice finishes, I think it will look great.

Dining Room

My new dining room table is done so I've been busy moving things around and seeing how they look.

I love the pedestal of the table.  It's almost a like a tree stump.

And the top has been covered in zinc.  I love the reflection of the light from the windows and from the chandelier but it's a little too shiny.  It will oxidize and mellow with use or you can speed up the process with bleach.  I might just get some Clorox wipes and wipe it down a few times a week.  

I als0 had two zinc covered leaves made for the table so it will extend up to six feet long so I can have up to eight for dinner.

Here's a little look around the room.  This is one of the smallest rooms in the house.  9-1/2 feet by 11-1/2 feet.  It needs a paint job for sure.  This closet is the only closet other than the kitchen pantry on the first floor.  I definitely want to replace the door with an old four-panel door.

The chandelier was never really centered over the large rectangular table but it really wasn't noticeable.  Now that this smaller round table is directly under the light, it's obvious that it's not centered. I'm considering a long window seat or book cases on this back wall in front of the window.  Not only will it center the table in the room, either would provide much needed storage.

The green antique chest is about the right depth to correct the asymmetry but I don't think it has a place in my new vision for the room.

I've you've been following me since the beginning, you may remember this photo.

I was considering turning the dining room into a study with a center pedestal table that could be used for dinner guests.

I'm envisioning cabinets flanking the window with a window seat between and bookcases or shelves that go up to the ceiling on each side of the window.  I could also bring my wingbacks into the room and make the study that I've long dreamed of.

A Little Red for Valentine's Day

I'm not making very much progress on anything.  This happens to me every winter at this time of year.  It's (self-diagnosed) Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I always feel better when the days get longer and the weather starts to warm.   One thing in particular that's holding me up is making a decision on fabric for the Louis chairs.  I've been looking for ways to bring some more color into my house and finding an accent color that works has been a really tough.

If you remember, my living room is all neutrals.  It's a look I'm drawn to in photographs online and in magazines but I always end up longing for more color.  I typically gravitate toward blue and green--my favorite colors--but when I've tried adding them into this room, they always seem out of place. 

This morning as I was doing my Sunday chores, I pulled the rug from the foyer into the living room so I could wash the floor and it all suddenly seemed "right."  So I pulled together a few more accessories with reds to see how they looked.  A wool throw in a plaid of browns, tans and reds, a paisley fabric wrapped around a pillow and a wooden bowl filled with pomegranates quickly came together to create an entirely new look.  I like it.  I really like it.  I think it's a great look for winter at least.  You'll also notice I hung some new drapes (Pottery Barn Peyton drapes in oatmeal).  They're a little out of control having just come out of the package but I thought I would hang them for a little while before I press them and train them. 

This makes me feel a little more comfortable bringing some of the same colors to the dining room.  So the search goes on for the right fabrics.

* * * * *

And speaking of accessories, Janet (everyone's favorite stylish vegan) from The Gardener's Cottage asked for photos of people's favorite accessories so she could post them; in fact, she sent me a personal plea.  Good Do-Bee that I am, I sent Janet a photo of my favorite accessory which, it should come as no surprise, is a piece that has a history.

This vintage Hamilton automatic watch was given to my grandfather as an anniversary gift from my grandmother in 1962.  It's a very humble piece of jewelry but it's one of my most prized possessions.   (I think the band is one of the most handsome watchbands I've ever seen.  It still seems modern.)  This was my grandmother's second husband and they married in 1960 so this was their second anniversary.  At the time of this gift, I'm certain they were sweethearts.

I hope you enjoy your day with your sweetheart.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Louis XVI Chairs: Strip Search

Today was a snow day.  I don't want to talk about it.   Every time I do, people leave me comments about how it's 70 degrees here, 85 degrees there or that they're sitting on the beach; they're picking their first crop of snowdrops or planting their sweet peas.  So I'm just going to sit here in my igloo and be happy.

I wanted a diversion from shoveling and painting windows so I decided to strip the Louis XVI chairs I bought on ebay and search for some inspiration for their makeover.  The welting must have been glued on with gorilla glue and there must have been a thousand staples  in the upholstery.  It took me a few hours with a screwdriver and pliers to get the job done.

And here he is stripped down.  Isn't it a huge improvement?  They remind me...

...of the Louis XVI chair from Wisteria found here.

I tend to want to change paint colors, drapes, duvet covers, pillows, etc., every few years so I'd like to keep them fairly neutral.

via houzz.com

I'm thinking that a medium gray with a neutral linen would look great with the new wood and zinc pedestal table.  But I'd love to put some pattern on that opening on the back.

via houzz.com 

I've been thinking that I'd like to use a light with a more contemporary drum shade over the table.  Except for the table, I really love this room.  I love the light, the bookcases, the window seat and I even find the lucite chairs with grain sack cushions an interesting juxtaposition.  I really don't dislike the table, but it might be nicer for my imaginary summer home in Spruce Head, Maine.

via houzz.com

The metallic finish is interesting and I love the combination of gray and brown (in the floor).

The boys love them too!  

I think I'll go get some paint this weekend if I can get out of my igloo.  A few light glazes might be all they need.

Any suggestions?

(To Mommy of 3:  Thank you for all your great comments!  You don't have an e-mail address attached to your profile so I have no way to respond to you.  If you'll leave me a comment with your e-mail, or send me an e-mail to urbancottageblog@gmail.com I'll be happy to get back to you.)