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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

miscellaneous purchases

Here are some purchases we've been acquiring over the last couple of months for the house...



Vintage Czechoslovakia chandelier for the master bath. It has really sweet scale; it's not too large and not too small, and is more wide than tall, so it really fits the room well. I fell hard for this little charmer- I love the glass arms and the sweet floral rosettes on the arms. I might take the bobeches off, I'm not sure yet.




This light will hang in the pantry. You'll be able to see the light through the transom while standing in the kitchen, so I wanted it to be pretty. The chain is new, so we'll replace that.




This three-arm light will go in the walk way between the kitchen and the Barn room. I will use different glass shades for this fixture, but I will use two of the glass shades in the photo for a sconce that goes over the guest bath sink.




This is the mantel for the new master bedroom fireplace. We were thrilled to find it! We had specfic size requirements since it is going around a direct vent gas fireplace and we needed certain combustible clearances. Most Victorian mantles are on the smaller side, so our search was proving difficult. We found it in Portland, Maine, five minutes before Portland Architectural Salvage closed. I knew it was the "one" the minute I saw it because it looked like a cousin to the living room and the dining room mantels! Here it is the night we bought it placed next to the living room mantle. The mantel is less ornate which seems appropriate since it is going upstairs and the formal, or public mantels would have been more ornate.




Here it is primed and ready to be painted. The original back board was long gone when we found the mantel, so I've had the carpenter add one. The rounded corners will have details that match the detail in the next photo. Besides the 'cousin' factor I also knew it was perfect because in all honesty, if I were to pick my perfect mantel I would have chosen a different one... but this isn't about me, it's about the house and this mantel was a perfect fit for the house.




Victorian Eastlake detailing. The grouping of the three 'dots' inside the cut lines will be the details I will copy to the back board.




These antique holophane shades will hang over the island in the kitchen. They are approximately 11" tall and 12" wide. They are being made into pendants at a fabulous lamp shop in Cape Neddick, Maine called Cranberry Hill. As you know, Dan usually makes all our lamps, chandeliers, and fixtures, but all of his lamp making parts are packed away...



This is the wonderful shop where the shades came from. Smith-Zukas Antiques in Wells, Maine.



Some other things: Notice the wood casing going in between the entry and living room. It just looked too contemporary having only a plastered edge. The newel post in the photo is primed ready to be painted black... it's our ode to those gorgeous antique front doors (that we love) that you see all over France done in a high gloss finish.

We drove by this house in Brattleboro, Vermont last weekend. We had gone to Vermont to antique for the day and stopped in Brattleboro for dinner.

Imagine how long it took to gather, sort, and stone this house?! Each row is a different size. Love the attention to detail. Wouldn't you love to know the story of who went to such lengths to achieve this perfection?!

11 comments:

  1. Looks like you've made some amazing finds! I can't wait to see how it all turns out. That stone house is to die for!!! I think you have a wonderful blog.

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  2. Gorgeous purchases Joan! I love your stairs too!
    A-M xx

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  3. I just love these shopping excursions and seeing what wonderful finds you bring home. Things are really progressing and you must be very close to move in time. I so enjoy coming to see the progress made on this lovely home.

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  4. Fun shopping trip. I have a similar chandelier in my master bath and I love it. Also, great idea on the black newel post.

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  5. Joan,
    I found my chandelier when I went to donate some things to the thrift shop. It was in the window and priced at $35. I tried to be very casual and not hyperventilate as I went to the counter and asked them to box it up. It was one of those thrilling finds.

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  6. that VT house is amazing! wow. dear husband jokes that story of "the three little pigs" really affected me because i have a strong penchant for stone and brick houses!

    your progress continues to impress. i love all your detailed choices. the mantle is perfect for the house- i can't wait to see it finished with the backboard.

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  7. Joan,I am sitting here in Texas on a perfectly beautiful morning, GREEN with envy! What a fun day antiquing in Maine! Love the fixture going in your master bath - all of your lighting is just great and I am crazy about the stone work on that house! Have a good weekend!

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  8. That stone house is truly a throw-back. I love it--not to mention the salvage yard!

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  9. Still making my way through your old posts instead of working. I love Smith-Zukas in Wells, Maine. I got some really nice pieces from there. There's another amazing place just down the road and across the street from there that's also amazing.

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  10. my wonderful interior designers introduced me to your blog (altho I still don't know what a blog is) and I will spend hours looking at the pics of the coming together of your NH farmhouse. I lived in Maine for half my life and my Florida house still has much of Maine within its walls. Your "things" are interesting and beautiful! Diana

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  11. I love the light fixtures you have found for your house- in particular the pendants above the island. They are wonderful! I really enjoyed looking at your interiors. The stone house is also wonderful-- they are much more common in upstate New York where they are known as cobblestone buildings. They would gather the stones from around the great lakes regions to build homes and businesses. How wonderful to have one nearby!

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Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive and read it. joan