Life at no. 42, month 16. The good and the not quite
So it’s been sixteen months. I’ve more or less lost my sense of time. Some days I feel like I’ve been here forever, others I wake up and still expect to see the purple hibiscus I had outside my bedroom window at Villa l’Africaine. We still don’t have a normal routine as we did in Spain. That’s very much to do with the work at the apartments. At this point I really want that to be over so we can get back to work here on the house- and also back to a more pleasant and organised schedule.
The good and the not quite: I’m happy with the William & Mary chest we got for the entrance hall. The Milet/Sevres porcelain goes well with it. The mirror is unfortunately too small for that space. I can’t make my mind up on whether I want a rug there or not.
Work on the dining room has been completely paralyzed because the kitchens for the apartments are in there. It’s also where I’m restoring a mirror. It’s an absolute mess. The kitchen on the other hand is fully functional. I like it. It was a complicated room to work with, three doors and a large window to work around.
A bit more counter space would’ve been nice, but there was just no way to make that happen. There is the counter in the scullery which will be helpful once that’s done. The biggest success thus far is still the grey salon. I love it, and everyone who’s come through seems to like it as well.
The green room is a close second. Restoration of the Zuber wallpaper in there has also taken a back seat to more urgent things. But I did get another pair of (late 19th century) Nankin porcelain vases for the mantle.
…and now back to work in the garden 😀
My Mazamet 
It all looks rather posh. I just want to play chess in the entrance hall!
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I should actually gt a couple of giant chess pieces just for fun 😀
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I think that is a marvelous idea!
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If #42 ever blows up, archaeologists are going to have a life’s worth of work trying to identify and classify all the pottery shards!
My immediate feeling is against any rug that will interfere with the floor pattern (and ease of cleaning, too).
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Ha! A lifetime indeed 😀 And if you factor in the utilitarian stuff (various sets of china, serving platters, bowls tureens etc.) it would probably take two lifetimes 😀
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It does look so…classy (but then again, I grew up in a house where my mother bragged about having a “genuine imitation Chinese vase” & my sister and I used to laugh at how she bought that ridiculous painting after a total stranger told her it “has no character” & the flowers out front have been dyed a lovely shade of ‘prostitutes panties’ purple). The grey salon looks gorgeous. The kitchen has neither a crabby older Italian-American woman not a microwave in it, so I love it.
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There IS a microwave 😀 It’s just very well hidden.
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Ahhhh
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I love the William and Mary sideboard, the moment I saw that first photo I was smitten! I love solid oak and the plain simplicity of many English antiques. I wonder if that’s because I am British! Personally I would not put a rug in the hall, but that’s just my own opinion!
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You’d never guess where we got it. Burgundy!!! It was incredibly mis-catalogued at an auction as a 19th century French piece. Unbelievable. 17th century English mistaken for 19th century French doesn’t say much of their specialist.
If you’re into the style, it’s buying time. Amazing bargains at Christie’s. 20 years ago this sort of thing sold for 40 to 50k. Now you can get a super lovely piece for under 10.
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Love the kitchen, PInky. You’ve created three functional islands that still work well with each other and the room. I’m assuming you get over the lack of counter space by using that lovely table? And, imho, no rug in the hallway. 🙂
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The table definitely helps. No rug seems to be unanimous 😀
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-grin- There ya go mate. 😀
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I’m going for no rug too, because I love those tiles. As for the rest, damn … it’s so lovely. You’re creating a world – and a world like none I’ve ever known. Just let me know if you ever need to rent some sleep-deprived sticky toddlers 😉
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I don’t enjoy the actual world very much- so I sort of have to create my own. One where I get to control every last detail and where everything is pretty 😉
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Oh wow that kitchen was quite the challenge. It isn’t until it is completely done that we see the constraints you were under. Looks great. Came out great.
I have always liked that wallpaper in the green salon.
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It wasn’t easy!!! The most difficult part is transforming rooms that were designed to be used only by staff into rooms that are actually pleasant to be in.
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I am on the ‘no rug’ side too, it would be a shame to even partially cover those beautiful tiles. I love the simplicity of your kitchen too.
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How have you been? Let me guess… travelling?
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If you call a week in Oxfordshire last week travelling! I’ve been in a Very gloomy Place for a while (bad bout of depression again), but am improving slowly thanks to my ‘pills of joy’ as I call them.
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Oh no!!!! Worse thing you can do is cut yourself off. Next time you must write to me. Those of us who deal with these same things are in a position where we not only understand, but we can actually help each other.
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