Each bedroom in Salem House got a name of a famous place in historical Salem Mass. The larger upstairs room is called "Seven Gables" . It doesn't have 7 gables, but it does have a lot of angles and slopes!
I will show just a few "Before" pictures.
The room has sloped ceilings and knee walls with built-in drawers into one wall and a large closet opposite. At the back is a nook area formed by the closet and HVAC.
The floors are wood, but soft pine with lots of pet stains and deep gouges and grooves.
A set of double windows let in light.
The previous owners decorated with white-ish walls, black accent trim and one scarlet wall- not unusual this close to a University with a scarlet and gray color scheme. Not a friendly, or inviting room currently, but with potential!
I kept the room structurally the same. Someone had previously placed a heavy window unit air conditioner in the window and did a lot of damage to the plaster under the windows. After repairing the plaster, it was a guess as to how many coats of "Paint with Primer" it would take to tame the red wall. It turned out to be 4. The rest of the room whitened and brightened more easily.
January 2014. This became......
January 2015...This!
The hall is Bedford Gray and white, and the floors of Seven Gables are 2x2 squares of white and dove gray.
I repeat a favorite from Alexandra Stoddard and paint the ceiling cheery sky blue- actually the same color used in the kitchen, living room and hallway on the main floor. It's a Lowe's color called "La Fonda Mirage".
This....
First of all, this Blogger program is not always user friendly. There is no gap between the pictures on my work screen but when I preview the product there is a gulf. Can't fix.
The closet doors closed the room up and made it feel smaller, so they were removed in favor of sheer cotton panels that add texture and interest, veiling the clothes in the closet. The panels were longer than the closet opening, so, they are folded over, leaving the crenellated pattern of a castle wall. The pennant banner made with antique music lengthens the wall visually.
The bed frame is an antique brass bed with a peeling blue paint. One of the problems with antique frames is they are often not the size of currently manufactured mattresses. There are options- so don't pass a beauty like this one by! One option is to have a custom mattress and box spring made by a mattress manufacturer. I have a family heirloom rope bed that has a custom mattress. It wasn't as expensive as I had expected. Another option? Make it work. This twin bed was way too narrow for the frame, which left an opportunity. The kid loves books. So, I just shelved out the extra on the side and- instant book shelf!
Still a lot of Salem House to see! I'll get back there with a camera again soon.
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