Our house started off as a hot 70’s mess and then became a shell of its former self. Mr. N breathed a sigh of relief when the house got put back together because for a while there, it was just really expensive rubble. At one point, we had no back wall, floors or roof. I thought the Dissolution monastery look was cool but could see his point that it wasn’t exactly homely.
The front door is Farrow and Ball All White because I couldn’t decide on a colour. It was painted Farrow and Ball Downpipe but since the front faces north, the colour came across as very gloomy and muddied the brilliance of the colours in the Victorian stained glass. I’m still mulling over my colour choices.
The railings/gate are in Farrow and Ball Railings. It’s a gorgeous blue-black colour which is apparently very popular for (you guessed it!) railings. We put in a encaustic tiled pathway from London Mosaic in honour of the one which would have been there originally. I had planters custom-made and painted in Downpipe to go around the bay windows. These planters add to our privacy while at the same time keeping pesky tree and plant roots away from our house foundations.
The entrance hallway wallpaper is from Designers Guild. The paint colour is Lead 2 from Paint and Paper Library. The original cornice work has been repaired and restored. Although the lantern lighting is a traditional feature for an entrance, the fixture looks modern because it is oversized and made of chrome.
The entire house has engineered wood flooring in black stained and antiqued oak. Although there is underfloor heating, we also have traditional chunky radiators. I like my houses toasty (and pretend I’m living somewhere tropical).
What would like to change? I’d like to have the large mirror foxed because it looks just too shiny and new for my tastes. (In case you don’t know, foxing is when the silver in mirrors goes misty and spotty). Here’s a great tutorial on Apartment Therapy on how to antique a mirror but I need to practice on something small before I try it on the big Kahuna. I also think I’m ready for a darker hallway – colour to be decided!