You may recall my earlier post about the Japanese chest.
It has now been up-cycled by my friend Claire and it looks fabulous!
I always thought you could do something with it but I didn’t have the time or skill-set. I’m tempted to buy it. I need something to store the Christmas tree in…
Today we had the last of the carpet installed on the stairs, hallways and landings.
And also in the creepy top floor cupboard. View 1, before.
And View 2.
This is why it’s known as the creepy top floor cupboard. Remember how it looked a couple of years ago? Complete with the old header tank, lead pipes, gas light fitting, woodworm, cobwebs, 1920s newspapers, collapsing ceiling and that little hole into the roof I lost the cats in?
Just look at it now! It could almost be another bedroom, or a least a box room (as tiny bedrooms are called in this country) for our steam trunks, portmanteaux and the like. We use it for general storage, which actually does include our suitcases.
It was a bit dark when I took these but you get the idea.
Top floor landing, View 1.
After.
Top floor landing, View 2.
After.
Reading corner on the landing.
Heading down the top flight of stairs.
You get the idea.
Looking back up again.
First floor landing and hallway looking in the direction of the servants landing and maid’s bedroom beyond.
And now.
View from the servants landing.
Back towards the main staircase.
View from Bedroom 1.
The closest I got to a matching picture.
View from my study.
You may recall that I painted this flight of stairs last year.
It was always going to be a temporary measure but I had planned to have a runner fitted to this flight so that all my efforts painting the stairs wouldn’t go to waste.
A word of advice though, don’t plan to fit a carpet runner on stairs that go around corners.
It is possible but the geometry of it was doing the fitters’ heads in. Mine too. It was impossible to get the runner looking even, particularly when there are also asymmetrical sides to the staircase (in this case the wall on one side and the newel post on the other).
Looks great though, even without the runner.
Inspection crew. It is no coincidence that the carpet is the same colour as the cats’ fur – the lighter carpet in the bedroom tends to get a “grey sheen” on it when it’s time to vacuum…
Pile depth tester.
Heading up.
Oliver not quite sure.
And so on.
Ruby checking her lookout isn’t osbcured, in fact she should be half an inch higher now.
All we need now are some blinds for the dining room and the entire interior will be complete!
Recently a new visitor to the Edwardian House Renovation (hi Edd!) asked about what the door fastenings for the built-in wardrobes look like. I have taken some photos and will try to explain. This wardrobe has two doors, the ‘first closing door’ (right) and the ‘second closing’ door (left).
Inside the first closing door is this little vertical latch bolt.
When you close the first door the bolt slides up and into a notch that has been cut into the internal shelf. Also at the top of the picture above you can also see a spring catch which was designed to hold a little counterpiece attached to the second door. Ours doesn’t work as the doors don’t close as neatly as they used to, due to the countless layers of old paint preventing the doors from pushing completely closed.
On the second closing door is a simple knob that has a latch attached to the back
Back view.
You push the door closed and turn the knob to catch the latch behind the leaf of the first door. And that’s it.
Hope that helps you Edd – I must say that the modern magnetic latches you say you have on your doors might actually work a bit better than these!
A reassuring red light sentinel flashes on the new external siren box. The ‘first fix’ wiring was done for the alarm sytem about two years ago but it has taken us this long to get around to having the system actually fitted. The company has been so patient with us, giving us a courtesy call every six months or so. It’s one of those jobs that has to be done when everything else is complete – in particular all the decorating. For a look at what was happening back then look here.
Alarm system brains and communication centre.
Downstairs keypad.
Upstairs keypad.
Internal siren.
Passive infra red movement detectors (pet friendly).
Door contacts.
Shock and vibration detectors on windows and doors. It might all seem a bit much but we were burgled once in our old house so we are keen for it not to happen again.
Another job complete!
Edwardian House Renovation 