Crowning Glory!

Ooooh, I'm so excited.

Friends who joined me for the guest room makeover in February, will recall how much I wanted to remove the huge white ceiling fan/globe light hanging in the center of this small room above the bed. The French inspired redo just cried out for an elegant, romantic, vintage chandelier to finish off the room and make it comfortable for guests............and me when sitting at the secretary of course! It was a bit of a battle with dh. He was concerned the loss of a fan would make the room too hot in Summer ~ we do have central a/c ~ and that an old fixture could be a fire hazard. Well we've overcome the negative and here to accentuate the positive is my beautiful chandelier ~ just hung today thanks to my daughter's boyfriend who is an electrician.

My great gals at SuzAnna's found this vintage chandelier for me and allowed me to bring it home to try. Being as our ceilings are low it was hard finding a fixture shallow enough, however this one with several links removed from the chain was perfect. The five lights are sufficient and by installing the dimmer switch at the wall it can be adjusted which is nice for a bedroom. I decided to buy it, took it to a lighting shop, had it rewired to be sure it was safe, and they also secured all the crystals. They told me it a was a great piece with nice details on the cast brass, very good crystals, and candle holders (cream touched with gold edges) in perfect condition.

I also bought a medallion for the ceiling which I painted pale cream to match the candle holders - it was stark white and looked far too new on the ceiling.

Just discovered it's really difficult to photograph lighted chandeliers ~ glare on the ceiling casts strange shadows ~ but I think you can get an idea as to the effect this little beauty has on this room. I am so thrilled ~ thanks dh, you're the best! If it's too hot in Summer I see they have the neatest looking table top fans now, quite elegant, I even spied a very French looking one at Homegoods last week!



Before I leave you to go sit under my chandelier..............perhaps even sleep in the guest room tonight just to get the feel and pretend I'm back in France.............

................one more project I've just finished, the little toile pillow with the gorgeous looped ribbon trim that picks up the colors of the shutters.

I think I can now say the guest room makeover is completed.................and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Thanks for your patience and interest over the past 2 months ~ funny how these projects start out with a small idea such as "let's repaint the walls", and then just seem to grow ~ such fun.

Presenting - My Secretary

I've discovered that my newly acquired secretary traveled all the way to North Carolina from Staten Island, New York. After buying her and showing her off on my blog, the gals at SuzAnna's Antiques heard from a gentleman who informed them that the secretary had belonged to his wife's Uncle Neil, and that she will be pleased it found a good home down South - how sweet is that?

So far I've done nothing to change her painted finish. English brother in Southwest France, who has a new second career painting furniture in his village, thinks perhaps I need to "shabby 'er up a bit more Sis". While I ponder reaching for a sanding block, and wait for dh to heal his very painful back strain from lugging her up the stairs, she remains elegantly in place in all her loveliness.

I'm really pleased with the way the padded pin boards for the doors came out. It was an easy no sew project. I cut foamcore board to fit and covered with quilt batting using a heavy duty stapler. Then did the same with the toile fabric, using a different scene for each door to make it more interesting. Crisscrossed the grosgrain ribbon, stapling in back and used bronze upholstery tacks on the front. Attached finished panels to the doors with Velcro tape, dh's great idea as we didn't want to pound nails! I lined the three lower drawers with pretty scented paper.

This is one of my painted and decoupaged boxes utilized as a bookend. I made several on returning from Tuscany. I had lots of wonderful souvenir paper ephemera I wanted to display to remind me of my ten most fabulous days ever!

Florentine portfolio ~ French jars from Michael's, I added dried lavender ~ magnifying glass with silver handle.

The drop down desk is so sturdy - arms automatically come out to support the writing table and it is perfectly level. The little cubbies are home to my many writing papers, envelopes and blank journals, purchased usually when traveling ~ beautiful ones from Florence, Paris and England. I have always enjoyed writing and receiving handwritten letters and notes. The first 30-something years I lived in the USA I wrote home to my Mother in England at least once a week. She in turn wrote to me and I still have many of her letters packed away in a pretty box. In the '60's and '70's a 3 minute phone call across the pond cost $25! We didn't call much until the later years when international long distance became much cheaper.

This sweet piece of handpainted Japanese china with a bluebird was my maternal Grandmother's hatpin container. I have such vivid childhood memories of it standing on her dressing table. It makes a perfect pen holder.

The encre (ink), pen, sealing wax and fleur-de-lys seal came as a set in a J. Herbin box from France. This company has been producing inks and wax since 1670!

I'm sure you can tell I'm pleased with my secretary. I think she really adds a bit of pizazz to this room. The makeover is still in progress ~ more to come later.

A Clean Slate

Several friends have requested a step by step of the guest room makeover ~ on a shoestring of course ~ so I'm posting these pics showing the room, now a clean slate, and the rest is up to me ~ yes moi!!!! The job of turning this space into something really more elegant, but cozy, is now my baby!

Hang on a moment please............."bye dh"...................he's just leaving for the NCSU/Wake Forest basketball game, guess seeing desecration of his adored wood is making him run off and leave me to it, brave guy!

OK, before, shown below, there was just too much stained wood ~ or as I've heard recently named 'MANwood'. What a great description! Why do men love this wood treatment so much more than painted finishes? Actually I'm lucky that my wood is really nice for '80's construction, the builder didn't skimp on solid 6-panel doors, baseboards, crown moldings etc. Even the painter said what nice wood and stain was used. But these closet bi-fold doors, and the door to an attic storage space, was driving me nuts and had to go in order to create a more elegant boudoir and make the room look brighter.

So here are the doors now in a rich stone semi-gloss finish ~ the darkest color on the color card below. The walls are the lightest shade, and the medium sandstone color was used in the stairwell and on the landing leading to this room. Love how the doors look and have a plan in the back of my mind to do even more with them later perhaps!

Below is the door into the attic storage space ~ which at this point is crammed with the stuff from the room ~ a real mess. Again, the painted finish has made the door less conspicuous ~ percentage of MANwood dropping at long last!

Below, during Superman Bruce's ceiling makeover ! removing the 'cottage cheese' texture.

Now, the great smooooooooooth and clean ceiling, and freshly painted walls in this warm cream.The dangling things are of course the other 'man thing' in the room ~ the BIG WHITE ceiling fan/light fixture! This room, when finished, cannot have something so modern and ugly ~ it will be screaming for a romantic crystal chandelier. Tell him dear friends, tell him how beautiful it will look ~ never mind possible higher a/c bills in the Summer ~ or having to run a little portable fan if someone sleeping in there is too warm. Life is short, especially when as old as me! I want pretty and romantic, and I want it NOW!!!

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This armoire goes behind the door to the room ~ such a tight fit and so hard to move in or out ~ and is only really seen if one is in the room with the door closed. It's on my list to paint ~ have decided not to tackle this right now as I needed to get it back into it's space so I have more room to lay out the queen headboard and footboard which definitely will be painted. What's stuck on the door? Another idea I'm playing with involving damask patterned wallpaper and French writing perhaps!!!!

I'm off now ~ primer has dried on the mirror frame I'm refurbishing so on with the paint. Probably won't bore you with more on this room makeover until it's truly made over.

Must plan supper and get a great red breathing and ready to sip....................hope dh's team (NC State Wolfpack) wins. Hope he returns in a good mood and I can win him over on the thought of dangling crystals replacing fan paddles....and romance!

P.S. Anyone else having a problem with 'check spelling' when posting? Mine has stopped working so apologies for any mistakes.

Edit: Just checked with Blogger and see there is a problem and they are working on it, great!

Edit 2: The Wolfpack won - will I get a chandelier????????

Edit 3: Oh no, he wants the Patriots to win the Super Bowl too - the odds are still stacked against me!

Defining a Style

Below is my guest room which eventually will be turned from a rather plain bedroom into something more elegant and romantic. I only thought to take these pictures after I had started clearing out the room. Painter Bruce is working his magic ~ I'm reserving my energy for painting furniture when he's finished.

Beautiful padded headboard with romantic French writing ~ I would love a bed like this.This room below I love ~ it has some of that old European look with shutters and tiles. Painting my walls a similar neutral linen shade which I think looks good with the stained wood trim. I may hang a pair of old washed shutters each side of my window.Can I work some magic on my little chair? It has good bones. Needs the seat recovered, perhaps a linen cushion. A little more antiquing and distressing to knock down the white to get the look of a French chair.

And then there's the armoire. Useful they are, but their bulk needs more than a tassel to turn them into a thing of beauty.....................................

.................the doors painted like this perhaps, with delicate faded script ~ love letters?

I'm thumbing through those magazines and decorating books ~ ideas for accessories galore ~ will take time to hunt and gather from flea markets, antiques and vintage shops, perhaps Spring yard sales. A crystal chandelier ~ wall sconces ~ the right window treatment. It will be a challenge but eventually I'll get there, and I'll keep you posted.

Old French dresser drawer - Suzanna's Antiques, Raleigh, NC