Tuesday, January 09, 2007

History of a House

As I begin the labor-intensive phase of renovating Ms. 1890, I'm consistently surprised at how these seemingly simple actions, requiring little more than brute strength, actually engage all of my senses. 116 years of history surfaces in the layers of color, the smell of water damage, the texture of worn wood, the taste of lead paint, the rhythmic sound of metal scraping off time.


What was the rest of the house like when the the downstairs bathroom was dark chocolate, shiny teal, sand, or tutu pink?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating. Now I really want to come and help you. Maybe the cat hair wouldn't be that bad if all of the floors are hardwood, not carpeted. I'll toss in a foot massage for Wifey if that wouldn't weird her out.

Anonymous said...

cool photo - when I first glanced at it, I thought it was a quick oil study for a beach-scape by one of those cool 19th century painters like William Merritt Chase. I think I'm delirious from not eating enough carbs.

Dorothy said...

Some people's taste is a little uh, interesting isn't it.

Linda said...

Your archeological dig is fascinating! Ms. 1890 has been through a lot, hasan't she? How many years had the previous owners lived under her roof?

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

What the question now is ... What color are YOU going to paint it? Restore to original? Or natural wood? Or new paint? It's interesting to see what is popular thru the years tho hey?

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jecca said...

It was so very nice to meet you the other day. I am still full from sushi.

Hannah said...

Could you knit a fair isle with these colors?