Progress Inside Southsea Villa

In June last year, I posted about my newly-acquired C E Turnbull house Southsea Villa which was in great need of restoration both inside and out.

Restoration of the outside progresses slowly but surely, however, inside I've recently made a lot more progress:

This was the inside when I got the house in June last year.

And this is the inside today.

In the kitchen, I papered the walls with lining paper and painted them with a Farrow & Ball emulsion called 'Cook's Blue'.

The Farrow and Ball description for this colour is as follows:

Cook's Blue was inspired by the rich and poignant finish in the cook's closet at Calke Abbey where the walls had been untouched for many decades. This bright and deeply pigmented colour is perfect for use both in kitchens and exterior eating areas, as this vibrant tone is said to deter flies!

The room has a very high ceiling so, to add some height to the furnishings, I installed some shelving. Above the shelves, I painted the walls with Farrow & Ball's 'Lime White' which is described as:

... an off-white named after the chalky pigments used in original distempers.

The flooring is a copy of an original old dolls' house flooring, kindly given to me by the fellow-collector from whom I bought the house.

I installed a chimney breast in the room and added a tin range.

The simple fire-surround was made using pieces of old moulding.

You can see in this photo that I aged the newly painted walls. I followed Celia Thomas' (of KT Miniatures) tip to apply a weak wash of burnt umber acrylic. They look more aged when viewed without the flash which bleaches the wash a bit, especially on the white parts.

I got the dresser very cheaply on eBay as it had cupboard doors on the bottom part which looked slightly incongruous. I took them off and discovered that they had been added to this nice old dresser at a later date. It's a great height for this very tall room.

Across the landing from the kitchen is the dining room.  'The owners' have gone for impact in this room with this bold vintage french wallpaper!

The gold border is metallic trim from an old ecclesiastical garment and I chose it to give the room a bit of a lift since the black background on the wallpaper and the deep burgundy flooring make it quite dark.  The gold is not quite as shiny and looks older when viewed without the camera flash.

The flooring is a relatively modern wallpaper but I think it works well and have used it in all three of the reception rooms.

I have also installed chimney breasts and fire surrounds like this one (again, made from old mouldings) in each of the reception rooms and have inserted three of these useful little cast iron fireplaces.

Above the dining room is the ladies' parlour.  There were no clues on this vintage wallpaper to say where it was made. The border is relatively modern but hopefully the simple pattern is fairly timeless and the roll was old enough (maybe about 20 years old?) not to look brand new.

I have used the same flooring as in the dining room and the Bargello/Florentine work rug is from a cushion I bought in an antique shop in Melrose last September and mentioned in a post back then - I knew it would find a good home.

Across the landing from the ladies parlour and directly above the kitchen is the gentleman's study or smoking room. The vintage wallpaper is french. I hope to happen across a suitable border for the room eventually.

The rug is from an old cushion I bought in an antique shop in York a couple of years ago and the flooring is the same one as I have used in the dining room and ladies' parlour.

Directly above the ladies parlour is a bedroom. Again, the wallpaper is vintage and french.

The rooms on this top floor have considerably lower ceilings so I might not bother with a border in here, although, if I see a nice antique lace I might be tempted.

I haven't found a suitable flooring for up here on the top floor yet.

Directly above the gentleman's study/smoking room is this room which might be or a bedroom or might be a nursery, I've haven't decided yet.

I have a vintage wallpaper on order for it but I am on the lookout out for a floor paper, which I will use for the whole of the top floor, i.e. for the two bedrooms and the landing. I envisage something along the lines of parquet.

In the central part of the house, I have yet to refurbish the staircases and I intend to put the same black and white tile down on the first floor landing as I used in the hallway.

So, while I plod on with the painstaking work on the outside of the house, at least now I can enjoy looking at the inside.  I will continue to put the finishing touches to the decor and of course, keep my eyes peeled for suitable furnishings!

Until next time,
Zoe

Framed

I pushed the boat out and bought a special picture frame for the fab miniature painting I was given by my friend Rosemary last week:

Nothing else I saw looked as elegant as this frame from Tarbena Reflections.

Unfortunately, I haven't made a great job of the mounting board but I hope that won't be too noticeable from a distance.

The reverse - complete with auction-house labels!

And here she is in situ and looking just perfect in Agar Hall.

Until next time,
Zoe

Mad Mother and the Mouse House

If I have ever wondered if I might be ever-so-slightly bonkers, I think I need look no further than my own dear mother for a place to lay the blame!

I celebrated my 51st birthday last week and on Sunday I received a very surprising gift from said mother:

She'd made me a mouse house!

This is not just any mouse house either...

It's a mouse house made from a Jean Greenhowe pattern that she pulled out of her Woman's Weekly magazine over 40 years ago with a view to making it for me as a present!

Well better late than never I guess!

Do come in and have a look around.

It's a cosy house of two halves.

The living room...

...and the bedroom.

It's home to a family of dormice and this is father who has just made breakfast and is about to throw another log on the fire.

Mother is in the bedroom straightening the lovely patchwork quilt on her bed...

...and waking baby.

She's up.

Dad's got a roaring fire going now...

you can see the smoke billowing from the chimney outside.

And inside, there's sunlight streaming in thought the skylights.

So, there it is. I was NOT expecting that!

I would have loved it as a little girl but I will forgive my mother for the slight delay, after all, she was a very busy working mum of three. Thank you Mad Mother! xx

Until next time,
Zoe

Posh Dogs, Fabulous Artwork and Perfect Fireplaces

Just a little blog to cover three things I'm particularly pleased with this week.

Firstly, posh dogs:

Honestly, how could I resist these two pedigree pipe pooches?  They're clearly top-class Standard Poodles and blimey don't they know it!

They're called Portia (blue collar) and Perdita (red collar).

Portia was missing her collar when she arrived so I made her one to match Perdita's with a little bit of royal blue suede and some tiny beads.

I think I know just the snooty Grecon owner for them, but that's a tale for another day and my Grecondale blog.

Next up is fabulous artwork:

My talented friend Rosemary painted this gorgeous miniature, 'Lady with a Little Dog', for me and it arrived in the post today. It measures just 4.5 x 7.5 cms (1 3/4" x 3") and is beautifully detailed.

Cavalier King Charles spaniels are my favourite dogs (albeit of the rescue variety these days) and I have a not-long-ago arrived Blenheim just like the one resting happily on the lady's lap (as they do!)

I'll be on the lookout for a suitable frame for it and can't wait to see it hanging on the wall of one of my dolls' houses soon. What a special and unexpected gift.

And finally, Perfect Fireplaces:

I bought this Triang Jacobean fireplace this week and it arrived in the post today too.

The gentlemen's smoking and games room in the attic of my Triang No.81 (Agar Hall) needed something on the back wall to brighten up the dark wallpaper. This is perfect for it.

Now I need to gather a few twigs and some red foil to get a fire going and I think a few knick-knacks are required for the mantlepiece and cushions for settles.

And, probably the most important thing of all, it will need some sort of drinks cabinet. If not an actual bar!

Until next time,
Zoe

Ready-Made: My Favourite Type of Curtain!

Because I hate sewing, several of my houses have been waiting an obscene length of time for curtains. The Chalet was one of those houses.

But not any more since I 'won' these vintage net curtains on eBay for £6!

I thought of The Chalet as soon as I saw them and am please as punch with how they fit and look

AND it was brilliant not to have to sew a single stitch (or more like glue a single seam if I'm honest!)

Houses always look so much more lived in once the curtains are up. The resident family agrees.

There was even a spare one which has been hung at the window on the landing in the Princess 2 - only the living room needing curtains in that house now.

Back in The Chalet, I think Ludwig's getting it in the neck again from Gloria about the pet sheep he's kept since he hand-fed it as an orphaned lamb. It's never been quite as house-trained as she'd like.........

Until next time,
Zoe