Paint Colors - Part Deux

After more thinking, lots of suggestions from helpful blog and QA readers, and some serendipity, I've come up with a solution! My first brilliant idea was to add trim to the inside opening. All of the doors and windows have that fingerboard trim with the bullseye corners. The opening from the hallway into the office doesn't have a door or any trim. If I put trim on the inside (office side) of the opening, I've automatically created a separation from the taupe wall/burgandy paper that's enough to say "hey! the hallway is over! this is a new room here!"

Having decided to do that, I feel much more adventurous again. So I headed to my fabric stash. What better way to experiment with big swatches of color than to hang a half-yard of this or a yard of that on the wall?! Thanks to Judy Robertson and ArtFabrik I have lots of hand-dyes to experiment with, and I think I've found something that I'm happy with and doesn't cause too much heartburn - chartreuse! I first found the shade in some Treenway Silk (Walker Hook Waltz from the Salt Spring Island Series for inquiring minds), and then replicated it in a piece from Judy. Having hung the fabric in various sightlines I'm happy. Now I just need to head on over to Home Depot, find the right paint chip and be on my way!

Choosing Paint Colors

A few years ago, I never would've dreamed of painting walls burnt orange, lime green, or bright blue. Now, that's all I can think of. Yet, I find myself with a dilemma. Here we are with our beautiful new (old) house. It's a Victorian - built as a summer cottage; not a heavy, formal type of Victorian. I love the taupe walls with burgandy paper that goes through all three floors.

And that's the problem. Here's the 3rd floor hallway.

The colors are off of course - the front part of the hallway looks as if it's a different paint color than the area closer to the stairs. Trust me - they're the same. The "problem" is that there isn't a door on the office, just an opening. So you can see the office from the hallway and the hallway from the office. That means that I'm having real problems figuring out how to paint the walls in shades of orange or lime green.

Here's the view peeking into the office from the hallway (top of stairs at the left).

And here's the view peeking from the office out into the hallway.

I could just go with a yellow-y white and then hang lots of brightly-colored stuff (quilts!) on the walls, but that just sounds like the "safe" thing to do. It's my office - I spend a *lot* of time here, and I'd like it to be bright and cheery and conducive to creativity.

I'm open to just about any and all suggestions, except a) change the hallway color scheme/paper, or b) put a door on the office.

HELP!

The Bethlehem Shrine

The area known as Lloyd's Hills, NH was incorporated as the town of Bethlehem on December 27, 1799. The name was selected on the last Christmas Day of the century. We were, therefore, not surprised to see a small shrine on the edge of Maplewood Village with a statue of Mary.


That shrine is almost next door to our new house; it's actually adjacent to our next door neighbor's property. This morning I decided to take a walk and check it out. As I approached I realized that there were two benches and a couple of signs - I had missed these while driving by.

The signpost was not what I expected: Lady of the Fairways Caddy Memorial.



According to this placard, hundreds of boys from Boston were brought to Bethlehem to work as caddies at the Maplewood and Mount Washington Hotel golf courses. They stayed at what was known as the Maplewood Caddy Camp - first in tents, and then in cabins. Over 2,000 young men learned about golf under the camp's director - Norman Franzeim. The shrine was dedicated in 1998 to all of the former caddies who apparently remain in touch to this day.



Why a Catholic symbol? I doubt most (if any) of the guests to the grand hotels were Catholic. From what I have discovered, the Caddy Camps were run by the North Bennett Street School which opened its doors in 1885 as a trade school. It is now world-renowned, offering programs in violin making, bookbinding, furniture/cabinet making, piano tuning, and the like.

The engraving on the statue actually says: "Guide Us on our Daily Journey". And below, "In Memory of fellow Caddies and Campers C.C.A"

Another interesting tidbit about Bethlehem is that a huge number of Hasidic Jews make this their summer home.

Moving Day

I suppose I could've taken pictures of all seven mover-guys and their three trucks, but it was too damn cold outside to even think about it! Steve was being very sweet and trying to keep the guys from filling up both garage bays with stuff from storage but it just wasn't meant to be. Of course I had no such hopes and was very surprised when he came and told me how sorry he was! He earned mega brownie points :-)

We left all of Heather's stuff in storage - good thing; it would've ended up in the apartment otherwise. This way she has plenty of room to sort her stuff out before moving in.

So, how'd we do? Here's the scoop, floor by floor.

Kitchen: dining room table and 4 chairs. We now have 2 microwaves in the kitchen, and have managed to find dishes, mugs, silverware, assorted pots and pans. Still have about 8 boxes to go.

The Big Game Room: Elephant rug is in place, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pool table next week. Steve's grandfather's lawyer bookcase also ready to begin the unpacking of the 400+ elephants.

TV Room: The old couch (which Heather had taken but decided she doesn't want in the apartment), Steve's big green leather chair and ottoman (yes, they're missing it at the restaurant!), the treadmill, the TV, and Steve's computer monitor. A massive oak chest - not sure where it came from. And his water nymph painting.

Hallway: Cherry/painted sideboard and wall display unit for more elephants.

2nd Floor:
Living Room: My wonderful "shabby chic" couch - boy, did I miss my couch! It's soooooo comfy. One of Steve's grandmother's chairs, and another chair from our previous living room set that has to go. And a cherry bookcase.

Master Bedroom: Our bed - well, mattress/box spring and metal frame. The real bed won't be here for weeks. Steve's grandfather's navy chest - oak, with a brass nameplate. Full of memorabilia.

Hallway: Antique table with two drop leaves, each board a solid piece of pine about 18" wide.

3rd Floor:
Studio/Guest Bedroom: Two doll rocking chairs, one antique. Haven't found the dolls yet. My mom's mahogany hope chest filled with memorabilia. One of our oak dressers that we decided to put up in the guest rooms rather than our bedroom.

Guest Bedroom: Heather's twin mattress (she doesn't want that anymore, either), Steve's mother's hope chest filled with memorabilia.

My office: An old built-in cabinet that was taken from a house in Boston that was being demolished. It makes a wonderful fabric cabinet. A few boxes, and my laptop along with all the necessary electronic gear.

Hallway: Steve's grandmother's Governor Winthrop desk.

I'm really thrilled that we piled most of the boxes in the garage - this way they're not cluttering up the house and we don't have to feel guilty that they're either not unpacked or that we really don't want the stuf that's in them any longer. That'll be a chore for warmer weather.