Bookcase Preview

Thank you all for your suggestions about paint colors.  It seems that the majority thought a light warm gray would look nice.  I took it as a challenge that no one suggested a rich, dark color.  I've chosen to go very dramatic with Benjamin Moore Fairview Taupe, HC-85. 

I can almost hear the gasps.

My thinking was I would take the color scheme of the chairs and flip it.  A dark taupe background wth the shelves being the ivory piping.  I think the effect is elegant and moody (just like me) and makes the room feel very cozy.  The dark color is also a nice balance to the dark gray sofa that on the same wall of the adjacent living room.

There is a bigger plan that will bring in some accent colors but I like that I've kept it neutral.  This allows we to totally transform the room just by switching out some accessories.  I think the shelves would look gorgeous filled with blue and white Asian jars.  Something new to collect!




 

The shelves aren't even painted with the final coat but I can't resist the temptation to bring in a few things just to play a bit.  The painting is getting tiresome.

Most of my books are art books and cookbooks that are packed away.  It will be fun to see them again.

I'm really attracted the combination of wood, metal and white.  I know; not even a single book!  I love how strongly graphic the white objects are against the dark color.  And the metal pieces shine at night.

I could mess around with these arrangements for a long time.  And it will never be done...or perfect.  I love that. 

Study Construction Done

The construction portion of the dining room/study is done.  If it seemed like it went quickly, it's because the units were built in Sam's shop where they were sprayed with primer and then brought to the house,  Installation took two days.  

Sam made the frames slightly larger on the outside edges so they could be scribed to the walls.  This side has yet to be done.

The window casings were replaced with some of the trim that was left over from the living room windows.

And a crown molding was attached between the top of the bookcases and the ceiling.

Doing a project in an old house always includes the unexpected and it was the closet door that provided the headache on this one.  I never noticed it before but the door was attached to the casing because the door jamb wasn't deep enough to accommodate a normal door.   The door should be on the same plane as the wall, not the casing.

So the casings were ripped off, the entire jamb was removed (along with some plaster) and Sam made a new one in the shop to fit the door.  This required a little bit of plastering before the new casings and salvaged door were installed.

This door problem added $300 to the project but now it's done correctly.

I've been busy sanding the new plaster, caulking, spackling and priming all the new woodwork the past few days and testing out a few colors for the back of the bookshelves.

The green is Farrow & Ball's Arsenic.  It's a great color with a distinctively vintage feel but I don't think I want it in this room.  I'll consider it for one of the bathrooms...I think.   The other color is BM Whale Gray.   Don't like it either.  Too blue not warm enough.

So I've put the furniture back in place to contemplate the mood or feel I want the room to project.

The new-old door and casings are all primed and ready to be painted.  I'm also waiting for the new doorknob which will be bronze with a white porcelain knob.

Here's the trimmed edge of the seagrass rug.

And finally, here's the chaise pour le petit derriere.  I'm going to have a cushion made at some point but I kind of like having some plants here.

I'm really pleased with how this is looking so far.  I have a lot of work to do so I better get back to it.

Expectations (Again)

If you weren't following last summer, I was fantasizing relentlessly about how I was going to set up my future front porch.

And then I came home to find this....

I had looked at scores of Greek Revival porches and never really realized they were barely wide enough to put a chair on.

My expectations got in the way.

Well, that all worked out okay in the end.  

I love my skinny little porch.

And then just a week or two ago, I proclaimed I'd be installing some bookshelves and a window seat in between.

Well, ladies and gentleman of blogland, I bring you the latest design trend...

The window ledge!

The silver lining is I won't have a big pillow budget.

Wingback Chairs

Remember the wingback chairs I bought on ebay?  Since they're a smaller scale wingback, I thought they'd be perfect to use in the new dining room/study. 

This is their mugshot from the ebay listing.  Rosemary thought they looked like big-hipped, opinionated women that would walk around and peer into my drawers and cupboards when I'm not at home.

They went off to be recovered a few weeks ago and they've just come back.

And here they are now.

They look more pale in the photos but the fabric is another ebay purchase.  It's Kravet oatmeal linen that was $25 a yard.

I loved the lines of the chairs so I highlighted them by using a dark brown faux leather welting.  The welting material is called Mustang.

I also chose bronze upholstery tacks.

The chairs have a higher seat so they're the perfect double-duty solution for study or dining room.  They look at home in the room now.  I love how the legs of the chair and the table really complement each other.

I just need to finish clearing out the room so the project can get underway.

*No animals were harmed in the recovering of these chairs!