Victorian Revival and I Mean Revival Part II

As I have been browsing the photos of the Victorian, I am saddened that in 1991 camera and computer technology were not more advanced.  This is the master bedroom that is off the before mentioned master bath suite.  The walls in all are a sage green which looks a little minty in the photos.  All the walls were angled due to the placement of the fireplace flues which were in the center of the house out of necessity.    Across from the Eastlake bed was the fireplace with two mid-century chairs.  It was necessary to place the bed in front of one of the many windows as there were a set of double sliding doors to the dining room, a door to the entrance hall, a door to the master bath and three very large windows.  The doors and windows that were so necessary in the 1800's for light and ventilation,  presented quite a design challenge 100 years later.

The bed is made up with simple Indian coverlet as not to distract from the wood work and the drama of the high headboard.

This is a photo of the dining room china cabinet between two windows.  We opted to paint the trim in the living areas a darker shade to bring attention to it's beauty.  There are two sets of double sliding doors, a door to the outside porch, a door to the butler's pantry and kitchen  and a fireplace, so the wall space is limited.

I love the way we mixed antiques with flea market finds and new pieces in this house.  This elk added the needed drama the height of the ceilings demanded.  I later borrowed the elk for my Christmas decor.  Hope I can find a photo of that to share. 

This is the fireplace detail in the dining room.  Craftsmen of this era had a particular talent with fireplaces as they were necessary and provided one of the few opportunities for wall decor.  The angel above the mirror is a special piece imported from the South Sea Islands.

This photo of the dining room fireplace showcases the beautiful tile work.  None of the three fireplaces in the house were functional.  All were coal burners at one time.  The fireboxes  were much smaller than what one sees in houses built after coal was no longer used.  Unfortunately, I did not have the insight to make photos of the other two fireplaces.  The one in the living room had the most beautiful tortoise colored tile.

This is the area in front of the bay windows in the formal living room.  You can just see the edge of the antique wardrobe we used to house electronics.  With the advanced technology antique wardrobes have become virtually useless.  This is a good example of how we used the client's current furniture to create a personal and comfortable environment. 

Here is a photo of the sofa and lounge chair which completed the living room.  An antique tea table served as a coffee table.  Many hours were spent here watching the old VCR and playing games on an old Nintendo.  I am quite sure the grown children have flat screen tv's, DSI's and MAC computers to replace these relics from the 90's.

This house was one of my favorite projects.  Thank goodness this family had the forethought and energy to save this old beauty. They managed with the upstairs kitchen and basically no downstairs bathroom until those renovations were complete.   I loved that we were able to take a virtually useless house and bring it to a place where it was loved and used by this family. The family has moved on to more modern digs, but the friendship  we developed during this process remains.  I still cherish this project but I cherish more the lifetime relationship I develped with the whole family.