Update on the hotel

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Update on the hotel Current mood: productive The floors have all been sanded (they were all from an old teardown we did of an old school) and will be a natural light maple syrup color, with a satin finish (not matte but not high gloss either). We painted the master bedroom a rich, gorgeous hot fudge brown..which we loved but was just too darn dark. So back to the drawing board for that. We're thinking again back to periwinkle, with the closet and office in a darker periwinkle and the bathroom in a lighter periwinkle with ivory clouds scrumbled on it. The bathroom has wide shelves for potted orchids and pretty containers for bubble baths, bath salts and the like. The kitchen..oh, the kitchen!! We did a teardown and got literally a ton of embossed tin ceiling, so I think we are going to use that here in the kitchen as ceiling and backsplash. My big extavagance will be the faucets in there...something really over the top...which are still to be purchased. The counters are black granite...black black black. The walls are the color of baked cornbread. The sink (on sale for $10) is one of those really heavy cast iron ones in a sage green. I think it was supposed to be avocado, but the color was off. I had my reservations but it looks great. The cupboards are Victorian style, with beadboard insets and will be painted a dark ivory with a brown glaze wiped on and off. Over the island is a pot rack, made of an old gate. There is room on top of the cabinets for my chicken collection. I think I will get a leaded glass piece to hang in front of the kitchen window (the view is the roof next door), just so that the light will be rainbowed by the bevels. The laundry room will have one wall of pantry..again, stuff we got from a teardown. Painted ivory, it has lots of drawers and doors for storage. The washer/dryer is a stackable (there is a drycleaner downstairs and I'm trading services for parking), with an old fashioned laundry tub that has been in the back yard for about 10 years. I have one of those old fashioned drying racks that fasten on the wall over the sink. All of this stuff is going to be hidden by folding, Victorian screen doors, with a pretty inset of fabric shirred on rods. The library...crime scene red walls. 18 by 16 foot bookcases that have been faux finshed to look like oak. We haven't decided on the color for the inside of the bookcases..I'm leaning toward crime scene red, but darling thinks maybe an old gold color. Both sets of bookshelves have copper rails for the rolling ladders. (I bought the rolling ladders for $100/each about 20 years ago and have dragged them around ever since.) I have an old round couch that will be upholstered in an olive/sage chenille, with sort of a raised pattern. We have two antique barber chairs that will be re-nickeled and..hold on to your hats...upholstered in burgandy=brown ALLIGATOR. Two other easy chairs will be on the other side of the room, upholstered in a tapestry called "Magellean's Quest" The front bedroom is painted in that same cornbread color and I found a pretty plaid in the same color for the duvet (I'll do the sewing). Still looking for fabric for the curtains. Right now, we are searching for light fixures but I have found a wonderful lampshade maker/lighting fixture hunter online. The formula for light fixtures is the length and width of a room. For example and 18 by 18 room would need a 36" light fixture. I think all the lace curtains will be the same pattern, which I have in my head but have not found online yet! I'm looking for something that is craftsman/art deco-y in ivory...and I am sure I will make the translation from my head to reality pretty soon. The shades will be either ivory or old gold, with a scalloped edge, trimmed with fringe. The stairs will have the brass treads re-brassed but not hammered out, because I love the look of the worn treads. I'm on the lookout for an oriental runner for the stairs. I have the little brass rods and little triangle corder dealys for dust in the corners...I just have to wait until we areat that point. I have current photos I will post..the early morning light looks beautiful! This is probably the most fun I have ever had getting a place together.