Restore|House

new acquisitions

New projects going on around here...

A couple weeks ago I went to an auction with Princess and picked up some old floor lamps. I got 2 for $1. They were covered in purple paint and had cloth covered cords coming out of them.
Rewiring them was supposed to be a "bonding" activity with my father, but for some reason, he finds football more enticing. So last weekend, my mother and I decided to tackle it, and when we got stuck on some parts, we waited for commercials to ask him  what to do. In the meantime, while he was immersed in football, we secretly grabbed one of his roaster pans and took the lamps apart and boiled the paint off.

Anyways, the point of all this is that I now have 2 beautiful old lamps that have safe wiring. I've never had floor lamps before, so I had no idea where to put them....so they may be moving in the near future.
The pic above is in my back parlor. The lampshade may not be permanent. This style of lamp is known as a bridge lamp and I guess if I want it to look right, I need to invest in, or make, a crazy ornate shade like these . On the wall is a signature quilt I picked up this weekend from an estate sale of an old friend.
Better view of signature quilt I have no idea what's going on with the borders...they are not bound, and it seems they were cut on the bias, so they are all stretched out...I may have to intervene in the near future if it continues to drive me crazy.

Bridge or "arm" of the lamp. Very deco.

Base of lamp. Not so deco.

Here is the second lamp. Different style, with a finial on top. I have no idea what type of shade to put on this one....or where it will "live" eventually.

Base of lamp #2.

Also, at the estate sale this weekend, I picked up this beautiful little Weller vase. It is badly damaged around the rim, but since it's sitting on top of my piano, no one can tell. :) All of my "art pottery" is damaged...it's the only way *I* can afford/justify it, but it is no less valuable to me than if I had pieces in mint condition. To me, the fact that these things have been used, and had a life, adds incredible intrinsic value and makes them even more fascinating.

back parlor, finished

I was *finally* able to get photos of the back parlor, without the colors being distorted into something awful. Every time I took photos, I would download them off my camera, and look at them and think, oh, god, it's not that bad in person......is it?

The parlor, as you may recall, was hot pink for 3.5 years. I tried in vain to find a hue of paint that matched the tiles around the fireplace...which seemed impossible. I ended up going with a light pale blue, reminiscent of Tiffany's  signature color...not that I own anything from Tiffiany's..nor probably ever will...but I like the color.

Even though it's impossible to try to capture the color correctly on a camera.

This quilt will probably not be up much longer. I need something with more  contrast.

And I'm happy that my Arts + Crafts style sofa, with purple silk upholstery, is finally out from underneath its white slipcovers. I heart you, purple silk.

recover the davenport?

The davenport looks a little sad....it has it's original upholstery, and I just can't seem to get it sparkly and bright [clean-looking] ...I've tried everything!

I have an embarrassing amount of green velvet that I was going to make curtains out of for my bedroom...do you think it would look nice on the couch?

 
The organ is still searching for a home. Until then, it's gathering more stuff on it all the time.
[Including dust. I hate dusting it.]