2021: A Year in Review
It’s been quite a year…
2021 was a slow-but-steady year for progress on the Cherry St. house. In 2020, we focused on completing our upstairs living quarters: in 2021 we put finishing touches on the upstairs rooms and shifted our focus downstairs. Our approach was methodical and decisive compared with the year prior - no more fussing with impossibly fragile plaster walls or ceilings only to see them crack up again within months - this time we were realistic about what was worth saving and what needed a new start.
The First Floor Overhaul
On January first, we got our big start taking down the failed plaster ceilings and portions of the plaster walls in our front hall, and moved on from there to plaster take-down in the living room and dining room. We would ordinarily be advocates for saving and working with original plaster and lath as much as possible, but in our case, the plaster in our house was in many cases less than a quarter inch thick, and best described as dirt held-together with a paint veneer - sometimes best to recognize when something isn't worth saving to begin with.
In addition to redoing the walls and ceiling of the living room, we completely reassembled our fireplace, cleaning and improving the original painted slate mantel, and adding a marble surround, hearth, and gas fireplace insert. We also embarked on a major structural modification: opening up our living room wall to link the space together with the stair hall and using the opening to frame out a built-in-place bookshelf we’ll be completing in early 2022.
We Learned to Limewash
In our dining room, we highlighted the floor-to-ceiling windows and picture molding with a striking three-tone color scheme, including a lime-wash paint from Portola Paints for the ceiling and walls above the picture molding. We’d never tried applying a limewash before, and it was a real challenge -- on the plus side, the need to paint it all in one continuous run without stopping means it goes on fast - just keep in mind there’s only a slim margin for error and you’ve got to keep moving! Our big add for both the dining room and living room were a pair of 30” plaster ceiling medallions from Decorators Supply in Chicago.
“Of all the work we did, adding those turned out to be among the easiest upgrades!”
True to form for us, we didn’t consider any room finished until the hall, dining room and living room floors were properly repaired, sanded, and refinished, and we spent at least a couple of weeks on the job. This time around we were especially careful to maintain the character of our old yellow pine floors, using orbital palm sanders for the whole job, and only a light coating of shellac topped with a hard carnauba wax to keep the finish light and the floors looking fresh.
We finished things off in the dining room by adding a fun fan-shaped circular light fixture over our dining table, and in the living room, a Samsung Frame TV which we took special care to integrate with all cords and power supply concealed behind the wall.
While we didn't quite get around to putting the finishing touches on our living room and hall, within the next couple of months we’ll be completing our built-in bookshelf and re-installing the original 1910 gas/electric chandelier. We’ve also been helping out on a family conservation project -- conserving a ca. 1815 Mid-Atlantic Sheraton-style birdseye maple sideboard headed for our front hall.
It’s hard to believe an entire year went by and we still haven't even gotten around to the kitchen OR our planned rear-mudroom/bathroom addition… but that’s what 2022 is for!
