Friday, November 26, 2021

Let there be light!

Finally got my fabulous J Getzan chandeliers installed and am admiring them! I had held off drilling the holes and am very glad I did. The location of the fireplaces determined that I not center the chandeliers in the room, but rather farther back so it centered on the fireplaces. This worked out really well, and the chandelier in the dining room is spot on and is centered on the table. 

I had a small amount of tape to put on and that went well. I hit upon an idea for threading the wires through the ceiling rose and ceiling. I had a large needle hanging around and used that. Wish I'd thought of that when I did the sconces. 







Thursday, November 25, 2021

Chateau doorcases

 I'm considering Sue Cooks's doorcases for this house. The ceilings are not as high as the French Country so I'm taking that into consideration. 

These would be on the first floor doorways, I would get 8 of them and most likely not use doors but leave them open like the French Country.

Which do you like better?





Chateau Living Room Crown

 I got more work than I bargained for with these old Falcon crown moldings. They were a bear to cut and tried different saws. The regular miter saw didn't work, or would take me forever. I got my cuts started with it and then switched to the coping saw or the miniature hack saw that I bought. these 2 went through them like butter.

I got smart and decided to blue the 3 fireplace pieces together, and then I painted all pieces. The living room is now glued in. Will probably go back in with a paint touchup. 








Friday, November 05, 2021

Chateau fireplaces and sconces

Last I left it, my fireplaces had just gotten gold paint applied on the raised portions. I was very pleased with the results and was now motivated to get sconces up, and then attach the fireplaces. 

I showed a couple of types of sconces I had, but I ended up getting plain candlestick sconces by Clare Bell Brass. I didn't want the sconces to take center stage and I really felt like both rooms should have the same ones. So I bit the bullet and got 2 pairs of sconces. 

I did some planning on my approach  - marking where I would place them on the fireplace, and then drilling through the chimney breasts. Of course, I also had to ensure the tapewire on the room behind the living room and dining room was placed to accommodate the short wires. Got all that done, tested and then put glue on the back and attached it. Went back and re-drilled, through the chimney breast and the wall, so it all lined up. Once that was done, it was time to glue the sconces on, and hard wire. I am very happy with the results, and I of course then wanted the embers/logs to be wired, so moved on to those - they are so wonderful - they flicker!

You will also notice the new living room furniture I got!

On to crown molding in these 2 rooms, which should prove a challenge as they are large and I will be navigating the chimney breast and the corners. The picture is at the bottom.






Workroom space and cabinets

 It occurred to me I haven't shown anyone my workspace. 

Years ago I took over one half of our finished basement and set up a hobby table and purchased a nice Effictiv Ikea cabinet. It has served me well over the years. The top is double doors and I have paints and stains on a shelf, tall spray paints, and glue bottles, sandpaper boxes in the top shelf. 

The bottom space in this top cabinet is set up with 2 plastic drawer units. Those drawers include 2 with lighting and electrical supplies, one or two that have architectural embellishments in them, one drawer with stain pens. 

The next section down is 3 drawers, with the top drawer being open divided boxes with clamps, one with tools, one with painting supplies- brushes, and spatulas. There is some open space for larger things. The middle drawer is wood strips and the bottom drawer is wallpaper. Yes, I have a stash of each and that has grown more than I will ever use, truth be told. 

The very bottom section of this cabinet is 2 short doors, and its mostly junk odds and ends  - wood parts, supplies that I didn't use from kits (stairs etc), and rags, as well as some plastic grocery bags that I use to line my garbage can. 

Last year I had more things and needed another cabinet. I wanted the same series, but Ikea no longer makes it. I went with Havsta - a light grey unit that is really 2 units. The lower half is deeper and has 2 doors, and the upper is taller but less deep, also 2 doors. I wanted to find drawer units that fit it as well, but I've had some trouble finding ones that are not too deep for the top cabinet. See how I put it together and how I've filled it...notice it just fits, about touches the ceiling!

I was so tickled when Sherrill posted recently about her Havsta build!