The Floor, original to the house, had been sanded many times in the years before my feet walked on it. Will have to be replaced next time as this floor will most likely be too thin to take another sanding. In all honesty it would have been cheaper to have the floor ripped up and replaced new than to restore it. I just didnt have the heart to do it, Churchill himself walked on that floor. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the floor - quater sawn flooring, very good because its resistant to moisture and shrinkage not 100% but still. Plus the decorative effect is absolutely gorgeous - really lights up when the sun reflects from it. The option was there to obtain quater sawn for the extension side from a guy at Brook Brothers timber but the cost was prohibitive. I lacquered it with BonaKemi and then a few coats of traffic. Looks beautiful. 
This is almost the exact pattern on the ceiling as it was before i ripped it out the original. I didnt take a picture before i ripped the ceiling out so i had to recreate it from memory. Regency plastercraft supplied the mouldings, the circles were the priciest part as new moulds have to be made up. The ceiling rose is original. The mouldings are stuck to the ceilings using normal white tile adhesive and screws, the plaster is scored for better adhesion. I avoided problems by ensuring that the plasterboard ceiling that we put in was level. Beautiful ceiling and easy to do
Stunning egg and dart recessed niches detailed in the right hand side of this picture. They were originally made to order which says something about the previous owners. I remember having a conversation with Stevensons of Norwich, a company with plastercraft experts - they didn't believe it was an egg and dart recessed niche until i sent them a picture. I had these niches restored by using a hourly paid Polish guy. I could not get this quality by using anyone other than an hourly paid guy. I added the egg n dart mouldings to the wall. I reproduced the whole look of the adams style fireplace with the egg and dart recessed niches either side in the extension later. People tend to have really high skirting these days in this kind of property but i am not a fan. Have to mention the stunning Farrow and Ball paint, looked like velvet on the walls but was very chalky.
Love this arch, restored it to its former glory, just got the Polish guy to sand it down and restore it using tetrion filler. You can just about see the stunning leadlights. I used Tenby and Penny of Walthamstow to make some great reproductions for the extension, he still thinks he over charged me but what he doesn't know is that his products are world class. There is a lesson, you have to be able to recognise talent. Prices have been known to double if your in the wrong postcode. That bay window is so gorgeous, someone suggested i take it out to create a bigger space but would have been disastrous, the bay window is the beauty of the room and is a feature, i built the extension round it. In a room of that size its ludicrous to want to increase the size. Nevermind, later on ill do a blog on space planning, using light and a few other tricks.
This picture gives you more of an idea of the effect of this room. Winston Churchill sat in that corner back in the day at a few conservative party meetings. I don't agree with his policies but it's a selling point. I am trying actually to get the property as locally listed - which is a fairly big deal, it will help when it comes to valuations.I should put a note in about the coving, all original to the property and was a pain to have restored around that fireplace. I will do a full blog on the coving in this property, absolutely gorgeous and says so much about the political and cultural climate at the time.
Hello
ReplyDeleteNice house, like the wooden floor! Have you considered painting it with some nice cream floor paint? Can lend you.
C