The Piano is here
Before Christmas, the piano came. It’s a Steinway Model L and it is beautiful.
We had professional piano movers move it from Stefan’s Parent’s house to our Piano room.
They unloaded it from the truck:
Carried it up the porch steps:
Finagled it into the Piano room:
and set it up.
All while I was taking pics on my phone and sending them to a very nervous Stefan who was at work anxiously awaiting word of his piano.
The piano looks beautiful in the space and we have started a wonderful evening tradition of Stefan playing the piano while I read. Vector gets in on the action too generally begging for attention and being cute.
It’s so nice to have a place for us to relax and have some music in our lives. Now I just need some more furniture, a decent paint color on the walls, and to gather up all of Vector’s toys and that room will be complete!
Sarah
Vintage Chandeliers are up!
We have light!!!!
It’s amazing how much you under-appreciate overhead light until you don’t have it anymore. I can’t even imagine pre-electricity. How annoying would that be!!
It was the day of the big Christmas Party, the weekend before Christmas. Sarah was cleaning all morning and then baking…lots and lots of baking. Those are perhaps normal things you would do before a party – clean and bake. But what about Stefan, surely he was helping? Nope..Stefan had an even more important job to do – finish the electric so we don’t freak people out with our exposed wiring. Yes, it is the day of the party and Stefan is re-wiring switch boxes, running around putting switch covers and outlet covers up, and oh yeah, hanging lights so that, you know, people can see each other!
We sure know how to kick ourselves into gear.
Just the week before, I purchased this chandelier at a Salvation Army for $7.99. I figured for $8 we could use it as a temporary light in the piano room but after we got it installed, I have to say I like it!
It would have originally called for hurricanes and bowl shades something like this one:
But Stefan had the great idea to pop some 4″ globe bulbs into it since we didn’t have the shades and I Love the look. The 4″ bulbs only come in 60 Watts which is a bit bright for an exposed bulb but we installed a dimmer and it looks great.
Adding 4″ bulbs to a vintage fixture is my new go-to way to modernize. I’m a big fan. The only downside is that they don’t come in CFL or LED so they are power sucking monsters but I’m hoping that in time I’ll be able to find them.
In the dining room, we installed a typical colonial style chandelier. It’s a 12 light with the little candles.
It was left in the house by our neighbors when they thought they were buying the house. Long story but we basically acquired this beautiful brass chandelier and it looks great in the room.
It was missing all the sleeves that go over the electric candle part and I found them to be cheapest at Lowes but once we put them up, they were a little transparent. I just cut some paper to size, formed it into a tube and slid it inside the covers before putting them up and that did the trick.
Some candelabra bulbs, a wipe down with a swiffer, and she was good to go. I’m hoping to add a dimmer to this switch as well. 12 bulbs is a bit bright!
Now we just need to install the fixture we’ve picked out for the front entry and we’ll be good to go on the first floor!
Sarah
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Filling up the China Built-in
After the Christmas decorating rush, I took some time to go through some more of the many many bins in the basement. Most were filled with china of one variety or another. I’ve unpacked most of it and have started arranging it in my china cabinet built-in in the dining room.
This set of China I purchased for myself as a wedding present of sorts. It’s Homer Laughlin and not super rare or valuable but I love the scalloped plates, the cream background, and the gold trim. Very sweet and girly.
I got a service for 12 give or take with many fewer cups and saucers which is really a blessing in disguise. I’ve also got a toureen with a broken handle, a gravy boat, cream and sugar, soup bowls, dessert bowls, dessert plates, salad plates, and dinner plates. It’s a huge set and I’m so glad I picked it up when I did.
I’ve got the plates propped up on a cake stand which is a great trick for filling up a china cabinet. It gave me more room on the shelf for the little stuff.
The other set of china that I’m super proud of is my pink ruffle. I picked up my first set of 4 at a local antique place. I fell in love and couldn’t leave without it thought I believe it was super cheap – like $12 for a service for 4. The bowls had been stolen so she had it discounted. I bought the second set in Houston somewhere and when I saw it, I again wasn’t leaving without it. I’ll be collecting pink ruffles forever I’m sure and I’ve picked up a few single pieces here and there when I see them. It’s just so striking and adorable. I love it! It’s not marked but the research I’ve done indicates it is from the 1940s.
The display still has a ways to go but talking about the display cabinet wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the milk glass snack sets.
Yes, that is a lot of snack sets and no, that isn’t all of them… They were my grandmothers. I have 40 something sets. They have been moved across the country and back several times and whenever I see them I just think to myself that I am just as crazy as Gram was and I couldn’t be prouder. When she died and we were cleaning out her stuff, it was like Mary Poppin’s carpet bag. You just couldn’t understand how so much stuff came from such a small place! The same is true with me I think. I’m really good at storing my things and knowing where I’ve stashed them.
The top shelf in my china cabinet is currently filled with pink depression glass. I’ve got a small collection going but it isn’t displaying as well as I would like. I need to work on it some more and see what I can do.
The only bins filled with breakable things left in the basement are filled with “Koala and Nonny Figurines” (Nonny was my great-grandmother) and my punch bowl and cups. Just a bit more unpacking to go and then we’re going to need to figure out what to do with my book collection….
Sarah
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Are the walls in your dining room painted a light green? The back of your china built in needs a color. You might think about painting it that light green or even another color. Your china will look so much better.
I’m so happy for you. Can’t wait to see it. Enjoy!
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Agreed. I used up all the green paint for the dining room so I need to get another can before I can paint the china cabinet. I half considered covering some posterboard with fabric and sticking them in. Maybe a nice stripe? Then again, I have so much china it may just be too much.
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Lighting and Hardware of NYC
After getting such a great response from my DC post about lighting and door hardware, I figured I’d keep going. I can’t be the only person who takes pictures of all the cool hardware at these places but I seem to have found an interesting and unique way to categorize my travels.
Lets start with the Rockets at Radio City Music Hall. It’s gotta be over the top..It’s gotta be christmassy..It’s gotta be Art Deco Fabulous and it did not dissapoint.
Giant Christmas Tree Chandelier –
AND all the normal art-deco lights!
I mentioned Lillies in my previous post on NYC but here it is again. Every Chandelier was different and all were awesome.
and then there were the Bat sconces…love it!
Cool light I saw somewhere –
The Museum of Natural History has lots of cool lights too –
They couldn’t compete with the lights at the Museums in DC but they made up for it with Dinosaur topiaries!
I found this light down towards Wall Street –
And these two beauties were at the Met –
but they were part of a display so it’s kinda cheating.
Next time we’re in the city I’d like to take a peek at the Library and some of the cool old hotels and see what other neat lighting we can find.
Happy New Year!
Sarah
Orchid
1/10/2014 | 11:31 pm Permalink
Sarah that piano is beautiful! Actually, that entire room is beautiful! I pretty much love your entire house haha.
sarahmzim
3/14/2014 | 9:19 am Permalink
That just means you should come visit!