Victorian design: Fabrics and stencils. A dining room

I had a post a week or so ago on stencilling. http://victorianantiquitiesanddesign.blogspot.com/2009/08/restoration-stencils-in-victorian-era.html .Several of you emailed me and asked about this ceiling.

This is hand painted and stencilled ceiling I did for a home we owned a few years back. So today I thought I'd talk about how we put this look together and how you do things on a serious 'shoestring". That was definitely the case with this project, a formal dining room. We had just finished doing all the boring 'hidden stuff" furnaces, wiring and plumbing and we decided to do what else in an unfinished house? Have a Christmas party.

However we had an obstacle, our formal dining room which did not look very Formal. Plain white walls. We did install a new parquet floor and restored the Windows back to the bay window taken out years ago. But it was basically a plain white box. We were not ready to host 50 people at Christmas. My rule of thumb , Victorian house, you can't go wrong with a red dining room. However we wanted more than just paint we wanted DRAMA.

To create drama you have to add elements in a particular way. We enjoy Formal dinners with all the silver and candles so our goal was a room that "sparked" at night, was rich and luxurious, BUT didn't break the bank. Something mansion like but not at mansion cost.

So we first added crown moulding and we used a stock moulding found at Lowes, Total cost 175.00.

We then added a wallpaper frieze. 4 Rolls bought off Ebay 60.00. The damask red fabric which would have cost a mint if we bought it at a fabric store we actually bought at a discount store. These are Table cloths! The large banquet size. 3 of them 45.00! We bought an extra for the table.

The Walls were first lightly sprayed with a photo mounting adhesive then the fabric was placed on the wall stretched slightly and stapled. the staples were hidden by a hanging rail at the top and the chair rail at the bottom. Below the chair rail we used an embossed look wallpaper purchased at the home improvement store 3 rolls 60.00. We installed this per manufacturers instruction then 3 days later we painted it in the red we used for the crown and base for the ceiling. We purposely bought this red in a gloss as we wanted the room to sparkle at night but we knew we would be putting a matte glaze over parts of it which would tone it down somewhat. Paint 2 gallons 28.00 bucks each. Once the stenciling was dry we then applied the gold stars using a basic stencil we cut out of some stencil stock you can buy at your local hobby shop.

Then we come to the center of the ceiling. We wanted a stormy sky look and we hand painted the clouds At first some what brighter than we wanted in acrylic paint. Once the ceiling was done we then applied several coats of clear acrylic varnish each coat tined slightly with reds and blues until we got that "old world' look we a were after.

The ceiling medallion was a stock home improvement store piece in white 60.00 and we then painted it red and applied several coats of gold acrylic paint making sure not to cover completely the red under-painting. I have found a combination of bright gold and dark gold work best and give it that aged look you want.

The bowl light was the most expensive piece in the entire room at 225.00 purchased from Lowes. the ceiling was trimmed in a stock moulding also gold painted 4 pieces cost 38.00.

If you have been keeping track the total cost of the room makeover about 750.00 and about a week, working evenings. The party was success.

Victorian Society: The elusive green thumb

Victorians loved everything 'green'. The "Fern Craze" of the Victorian era is a good example. Ferns would be on display EVERYWHERE in the parlor. On tables, in elaborate Urns set on the floor, on Fern stands. Elaborate wooden stands with ornate incised carving. Ferns were a "status symbol" in the day and Victorian often coveted the exotic hard to grow varieties. Outside cool shade gardens filed with rocks and ferns provided a restful place on a warm day.

Victorians took their love of plants to another level with the Victorian terrariums. Elaborate "eco systems' in large glass jars or elaborate table top mini conservatories where Victorians not only grew ferns but also exotic plants.

Among the "upper crust of Victorian society, private greenhouses were all the rage. Perhaps the best known is the greenhouse at Biltmore shown in this photo I took a few falls ago. Biltmore was working farm and some plants were sold for market but a huge quantity was grown in order to provide year round fresh flowers for the Mansion.

Today, thanks to mass production it is possible to have your very own Victorian greenhouse in kit form. This very popular model is available through most online garden stores. Prices vary WIDELY for this same greenhouse. Best price I've found for the 8x10 foot model is around 3500 at Sam's club online. They also ofter a much simpler version of this with polycarb panels for around 650.00. I have built some of these for clients over the years and its a good do it yourself for an advanced ability homeowner. Personally I think these are best on a poured foundation. You can attach these to a house for a conservatory effect but you need special heating/cooling and humidity controls to make these work.

The ultimate in Victorian Luxury is the Conservatory which truly brought the outside world in year round. Conservatories were often off a main parlor and were the ultimate status symbol for the Victorian era home.

These are not "sun rooms' that we associate with modern day tract homes, but rooms for the serious garden enthusiast wishing to recreate the grandeur of the Victorian Era, Costs on these elaborate structures can start as low as 25,000 but can quickly exceed 500,000.00. If price is no object then this is the ultimate however for most of us it will be 'just a dream".

Restoration: Stencils in the Victorian era

I have had a couple of inquires recently about stencils and their use in the Victorian era so I thought I might expand on some answers as well as provide some additional info that might help you "do it yourselfers" out there.

Stencilling and mural work was the preferred method of decoration throughout history. Wallpapers were introduced which were essentially stencilled designs on paper. This opened up decorative art to the masses although wallcovering were rather expensive and purchased mostly by the middle and upper classes of Victorian society.

Stenciling was popular at both financial ends of the Victorian spectrum. Those without means used stencils as a way to decorate their walls and ceilings and "keep up with the Joneses". Stencils were sold in some of the local emporiums and by use of tinted milk paints could create attractive designs.

We also saw stencilling at the very "high end" of Victoriana. The wealthy did not want to decorate with 'common wallpaper' and heaven forbid a neighbor down the street would have the same wallpaper. Instead they employed artisans, many of whom travelled the country. Even Tiffany, perhaps best known for stained glass work did stencilling. Perhaps their best known commission was for Sam Clements (Mark Twain) Twain paid the princely sum of 5000.00 to have Tiffany studios stencil and fauxgrain his home in Hartford Connecticut.

Stencils are today a viable option for those that are uncomfortable with hanging wallpaper or whom perhaps had original stencilling and want to recreate a room based on an original design. Stencilling a room is a time consuming task but the job is made easier by today's stencils which are far superior in quality and durability than stencils of old. Stencil Planet has a wide variety of Victorian Stencils such as the design shown here. More designs at their website: http://www.stencilplanet.com/index.aspx

Epoche designs is also another fine stencil manufacturer and they offer some more complex designs including entire room sets. http://www.epochdesigns.com/

I should also mention our own company Victorian Antiquities and Design can create or recreate custom stencils for your project and from time to time hold workshops on stenciling. We will also be releasing anew line of stencils based on historic designs next year. Keep tuned for details. We also do custom mural work and stencil combinations like this ceiling shown here. This room required the addition of a ceiling medallion which we also custom painted and gold leafed wood trimwork between the mural work and the red ceining with its gold starred stencil design. We also did the fabric walls, embossed painted wallaper below the chair rail and installed the wallapaper fiexe at the top of the wall. Feel free to contact us to see what we can do for you.

Restoration Resources: Wallpapers

Though it seems like its a long way off on my own house restoration and usually one of the very last things you do, quality "document wallpaper' is perhaps the crowning touch to a room restoration. Although it seems far off I will likely be ordering wallpapers soon to have them on hand for that step. Many are fearful of wallpaper, worried about actually Pasting and hanging. We do it everyday, it just requires patience and attention to detail.

There are several companies out there that you have likely heard about who do period wallpapers. Bradbury is possibly the best known. However there are many other options out there and one of them is this "Alhambra" wallpaper from Burt Wallpapers http://www.burtwallpapers.com/pat.alhambra.html this paper comes in a 18 inch wide roll and has a 15 1/2 repeat and sells for 82.00 per roll. It is based on a late 1880's period original wallpaper.

Not inexpensive but certainly one of the highest quality papers out there and maybe the crowning touch for a formal parlor or hallway. Burt wallpapers offers several designs based on period original from the 1840's through the 1930's and the company can recreate and reproduce wallpaper from historic fabrics, essential if you have an original fragment of paper and want to do a true authentic period restoration.

National Night Out Parties held

Neighborhood organizations , community groups, and block clubs from across the country got together last night for National Night Out Block Parties.

The party brings neighbors out to get to know each other better and to meet members of local law enforcement. These parties are part of community Crime Watch programs.

After really bad weather earlier in the day in Indianapolis, the skies cleared and the 400 block of N Arsenal got together for their annual block party.

The street were closed off, The grill was fired up, and neighbors turned on their front porch lights and partied until well past dark.

Storms, Trees and my neighbors Mercedes

Indianapolis had quite a few storms blow through this morning. In fact I had to cancel a client consult today because of the bad weather.

We had about 1 1/2 inches of rain blow through in less than 15 minutes along with very strong winds. Fortunately for us no huge trees around us and I purposely selected willows around the property because of their flexibility.

So the storm blows through and I walk around checking out the house up here, making sure everything was OK. So I am looking out the second story window and I realize I seem to have better view of my neighbors house across and down the street. It took some time to realize that one of the several trees around the house was not standing but in fact sitting on the roof of my neighbors Mercedes! He hasn't had this one for very long and it replaced an older 500 SEL he had. I can't imagine how he feels right now.

On other news we have received very good feedback on our house up here from our most recent viewing, I hope they come back for a second look. I am so ready to be in Cincinnati full time.

Tonight, if the storms finish going through, is our annual National Night Out Block party for our crime watch program. Lots of food and fun, IF, this rain ever stops.