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Saturday, February 7, 2009

Master Bedroom Metamorphosis, Part One

(I am participating in Metamorphosis Monday with this post, even though it was written on Saturday! (Is that cheating?) Thanks to Cindy at Applestone Cottage for her encouragement! You can find other Monday Metamorphosis stories at
BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH: Welcome to the Fourth Metamorphosis Monday! Many thanks to Susan for hosting!)
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When you buy an old house, you usually buy a whole load of ... shall we say "unique" decorating? Take our Master Bedroom ("Please!" as Henny Youngman used to say).

Below, "before" and "after" pictures:
The stripey wallpaper in this bedroom made me dizzy, and since we'd chosen this room to be the master, that was not A Good Thing. I felt as if I were going to tip over when I looked at it. It was really the oddest effect. The vertigo-inducing stripes had to go.
Built-ins are lovely, but this one (above) was an exception. It was built across a door into a walk-in closet. To get to the closet, you had to go out into the hallway. Go figure.

A hundred years ago, that closet probably had a different function. It is large enough that it could have been a sewing room, a nursery, even a box room. (Houses should still have box rooms; how lovely to have a room piled with boxes, for which you needn't apologize!)
Work in progress. The painters have stripped off the wallpaper, bless their hearts, and I no longer get dizzy when I enter the room. However, removing the paper reveals some fairly funky areas of old plaster.

Again, painters to the rescue. They work on the walls -- a lot -- and then cover them in a tinted-to-match oil primer, and then, it's more work, and plaster repair. Gapping moldings are caulked, and the old, odd built-in cupboard is removed. We find out we can't use the old door as it won't fit properly in the opening, so there is no door on the closet. It is an old house; we are not surprised.
Interesting effect, no?
Ah, the light at the end of the tunnel (below). Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue (HC-144) covers walls, which have been restored but not made perfect; we don't want our walls looking new! Like us, they wear their years with pride. (Or so I tell myself.)
This room is directly above the dining room that's featured in previous blog posts; same triple windows, same bay.
Oh my, those windows are dirty! Oops. Look instead at the lovely blue walls and crisp white woodwork.
And there we have it, the metamorphosis of the master bedroom at That Old House, Part One. I have to start sewing for this room, too. I bought a wonderful Greef/Schumacher cotton and can't wait to make the curtains, and I think perhaps a dust ruffle for the bed.

For home dec fabrics, I heartily recommend www.fabricguru.com for their amazing selection, cheap shipping, and really really good prices. I love a bargain! I paid less than $4.00 a yard for the Greef cotton, a teeny fraction of its original price, and it is first quality.

Speaking of bargains, I found a rice carved mahogany 4-poster on Craigslist. Very cheap. I need a step stool to climb into it. I do love to recycle!

26 comments:

  1. Hi Cass,
    I love your master bedroom! That blue color with the white woodwork and bay windows is just outstanding. I love old homes, so much more character and my parents were always restoring old homes as I was growing up so I think it's in my blood. You should post this on Metamorphis Monday at betweennapsontheporch you would get a great response ! Cindy

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  2. Hi,

    I love the color you chose for the bedroom. I will soon be checking out the fabric guru, thanks for that tip.
    Teresa

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  3. Oh such a nice change. I love the molding!

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  4. Hi Cass and it's so nice to meet you! Oh, your bedroom looks so beautiful now! I love that color of blue on the walls and the white woodwork - can't get any better than that!
    Thanks for the visit and be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  5. I love what you have done with that room! You could hardly see the potential for the wallpaper and now it is gorgeous!! The wall color and the crisp white trim look fantastic...Debbie

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  6. I love your master so far. I may look into that color for my office. It is very soothing and so pretty with the white mouldings. Can't wait for more. Thanks for sharing, Maryrose
    PS thanks also for the tip on the fabric guru

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  7. Hi Cass,
    I'm so glad you posted this on Met Monday and thanks for your nice comments. Like I said, I love that blue and white. I can't wait to see more. Cindy

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  8. This is beautiful! Love the wall color with the crisp white woodwork, and those windows are wonderful. Lots and lots of work, but this really came out beautifully. And don't you just love Craigslist? Thanks for sharing this. Kathy

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  9. Your sure did bring that room up to snuff, I might say! Love the color and I will definitely check out your fabric source. Thanks!

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  10. What a transformation, Cass! I love that particular shade of color...so refreshing! I can't wait to see how you decorate this beautiful room!

    I've bookmarked the fabric site you posted. Thank you for the recommendation!

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  11. Lovely room... and the new blue walls are a HUGE improvement over the vertigo-inducing wallpaper!!

    Looking forward to seeing more of your bedroom metamorphosis :-)

    Kelly (one half of DesignTies)

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  12. Wow! What a difference. I can't wait to see it whn it's completed.

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  13. the finished master is divine! i like blue in the bedroom... and your white wordwork pops now! the best thing... you've rejuvinated the old house without taking away it's beauty and charm.

    thanks for visiting French Lique earalier. hope you'll come again!

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  14. Cass, I totally love this makeover! AWESOME and I love the shade of blue! ~CC Catherine

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  15. So you really did not like the old wall paper? ha ha. Not a room you would want to be sick in. Change looks much better. The bay windows area is great. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Steve -French Cupboard

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  16. That is a beautiful blue. The pictures of the wallpaper made me dizzy. I can't imagine looking at it IRL. Hey, I have a box room! It' supposed to be our guest/school room, but somehow it's just a box room. Sigh. I guess it's just fodder for another Meta Monday.

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  17. Hi Cass,
    Wow, what a wonderful job in your master bedroom. Just lovely. I'm actually here from The French Cupboard because your compassionate comment brought tears to my eyes and I thought I'd better see who this big hearted person is in blog land. Glad to have found you.
    ~Tracie

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  18. Your makeover looks like a lot of work, but will be so worth it. Nice! I would love to see your "old house". They are always so charming.

    Your blog looks like it has lots of goodies for me to explore. Thanks for the fabric website and THANK YOU for stopping by my blog and for your very kind words. :)

    Donna

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  19. Wow!!! I LOVE that wall color, it looks fabulous with the woodwork. I'm looking for fabric for my room, so I'll check that web site, thanks!

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  20. BEAUTIFUL! and I have always said I don't like blue! I could live with that color. I have gone back and read your older post on your blog and I am so glad I have found you! Your house is just amazing. I love old houses! Our house is only 82 just a fraction of yours, but we love her. You are so right you have to let an old house talk to you and mine has talked me into quite a few things over the years! Ha! Keep up the great work. Mary Ann

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  21. You are killing me with these deals! How come I NEVER find deals like that!!! I love your new walls...they look amazing and I love that blue color! Love your hardwoods, too! You are living my dream...I love old houses! Thanks for a great Met Monday! :-)
    Susan

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  22. What a great start;) So glad that dizzy paper is gone too;) French

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  23. Dear Cass,

    I wrote you a short note last night. I returned today to take a closer look at your home. Are you sure you have only been there a year? We have been in our "old house" over 20 years and there is still so much to do. I love the shade of blue you painted your room! Just lovely!

    I was born and raised in California and spent several years in Virginia while my husband was in graduate school. I loved all the history and interesting old buildings on the East coast.

    We returned to California and shortly thereafter purchased a home built in 1873--old by California standards. Our house is known to everyone in the area too (from the outside the style is very much like yours). A few years ago we were preparing to repaint. The house is referred to by everyone as the old yellow house. My husband asked is it possible to paint the old yellow house another color? We did paint it yellow again but I found an old picture of it painted brown.

    I sew and have made most of my curtains. I will have to check out fabricguru! Thanks for the tip and thanks for the peek into our beautiful home!

    Love,
    Paula

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  24. oh my gosh i love this room, as they say if a room looks this pretty with no furniture, you have a fabulous room, i also love the color.
    hugs
    janet

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  25. It's beautiful! I love that Palladian Blue color you used in the room. I just jotted it down for future reference. I've been looking for a good blue to paint my study. Thanks! :-)

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  26. I had a box room in my dorm apartment senior year! At the end of the hallway with the bedrooms was a HUGE closet (like, other people put a cot or air matress in theirs for when friends came. No window, but hey, it's college. If you're staying over, you're probably too drunk to care) but my room used it for all the boxes and suitcases and suchlike which were left over after we moved in. Voila, a real life modern day boxroom.

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