Sunday 20 July 2014


Fox Manor


The First Floor - The Gent's Bedroom

Hi everyone, thank you to all for your kind comments on my blog, I really do appreciate each and every one and a big welcome to my new followers!

The Gent's Bedroom is situated directly above the dining room.  This room was just not big enough for me, lol what's new!  I initially wanted a washing area as well as an arch through to a dressing room.  But this is what I ended up with...



I ended up putting in an en suite into the bedroom area, and made a false door to go into my gent's dressing room......ok then, my imaginary dressing room lol.  The door to the right leads to the hall at the back of the study, as described in my Gent's Study last time.

I know I wanted to squeeze a lot in here, but you have to draw a line.  Too much looks wrong and cluttered, and too little can look boxy and plain.  I hope I have struck the right balance.



I painted the ceiling and back wall in Aubusson Blue an Annie Sloan Chalk paint.  It was an absolute nightmare to work with - a gorgeous shade (just what I wanted), but a nightmare none the less.  Maybe it's just me, I don't know.  When I finally got the finish just perfect, I installed the ceiling piece for the three rooms, then started to seal my MDF.  I know, I know, I should have done that first...lesson learnt!  It japped, and I didn't notice until the next day when I was sitting at my work table, a huge cluster of splatter dots across my lovely ceiling.  I could have cried.  The patch job is passable, but I'm so disappointed in it.  I'm hoping it'll be mostly hidden behind the wall....:(

I made the floor in the little en suite from cardboard tiled with the 'marble' tiles, just as I did in the halls previously.  I have used black/grey with white/black/blue.  They look lovely against the blue of the paint.  I also glued a white ceiling in here made from thick cardboard, the same size as the floor, so the walls will have a 'square' guide to help keep it glued in place.


I glued down my toilet and papered the back wall with St. George by Brodnax.  Even though you won't even see the toilet, I know it's there :)  I also papered both sides of the arched wall, again I want any reflection from the mirror to be true; and I lined the raw edges of the arch with plain paper and painted it with the dreaded blue...

I fitted the walls around the en suite and papered the rest of the room in Irise by Brodnax.  The colours are the same as the St. George in the en suite.  You can see the little plug hanging on the door - this was put into the skirting board behind the bedside locker so I can put a little lamp there.


I made the flooring.  I had black walnut plank flooring I had bought on ebay some time ago, and, true to form, there wasn't quite enough to do the room, so I edged the floor in walnut parquet squares and then I had to glue the plank flooring to paper to raise it up to match the border edging.  With that all glued down and waxed, I put the back door in place. 

I painted the back door, mouldings, ceiling rose and skirting board in a slight cream white for the Gent's Bedroom.  I didn't want stark white in here, I wanted a gentler tone.  Sounds a bit of a contradiction for a man's room, but there you go :)


The door was going to be on the plain painted wall, so I papered it with the same paper as the en suite. 




 
Now I was into unchartered territory - what's new there lol :)  I wanted to make a curtain to drape over the en suite arch.  I firstly made a pelmet from mountboard, glued on a couple of brass stampings and painted it the dreaded blue...I'm a glutton for punishment, I know :)  I wanted the look of wooden mouldings on the pelmet.  But when I made the curtain, it didn't feel right, (plain curtain, plain pelmet) so I sanded back the painted stampings a little and highlighted them in old gold paint.  Yes, out came my lovely gold paint again....:)


The curtain is made from silk muslin.  Boy, the trouble I had trying to use my pretty pleater (for the first time, I might add).  The fabric just keep jumping out of it, it was dreadful, so I resorted to pinning down a piece of squared paper to foamboard and pinning the fabric to it.  Not an easy task.  Maybe it gets easier with the more curtains you make?  Eventually, I got the soft draping look I was after and sprayed the fabric with my Moroccan Oil hairspray.  I have the loveliest smelling curtain in the country lol :)  Being my first curtain, I'm so glad I opted for one and not a pair!

I made the tieback for here as well.  I chose a deep red colour.  There is a hint of red in the wallpaper.  This was fun.

I scrapped this idea for the tieback loops....I couldn't get this cord I made through the hole in the beads :(




 Once I settled on the little beads etc that I wanted to use, I cut a length of silk embroidery thread and folded it about five times or so and then took a separate piece and tied it together in the centre.


I made a little wire loop to help pull the cord through the beads I glued together.
 


I threaded that up through the bead and glued it in place.  I made the top of the tie back by looping it up and through the other bead.  The pictures are better at describing what I did than me :)
 


 Pulled through and trimmed..
 
 

Looping the cord back on itself to form the two holders. 


I put a little hairspray on the loops to keep them in place.


 
I glued the tieback in place....this baby is going nowhere :)


 
 
The lights in the en suite are casting a lovely diffused light in here.
I installed the fireplace and put the light for it under the skirting board.


I love the way I have the curtain draping softly.



A lovely space I think :)

Some of the border in the floor seems very light...but it's not, it must be my dire photography..again!
 


You can see the hall door from here, and walk through to the Games Room from here too.....very important!






This room has quite dark furnishings....in fact this whole floor; the Games Room, the Gent's Study and the Gent's Bedroom I have now called the Gentleman's Floor; and has a quite subdued and, I hope, moody and masculine feel to it.

Again, I have a few more nik naks to gather for in here, but I'll get there in the end :)
 
Well folks, I hope you enjoyed the making of my Gent's Bedroom.  I am thoroughly enjoying all the challenges I set myself for each room.  I do try to stretch my abilities into trying something different.

All the best and take care for now.

Vivian

PS I forgot to mention that the bed has still to be dressed!  I'm thinking maybe a deep red silk eiderdown type of bedding, well see.....





10 comments:

  1. Hi Vivian! Your Gent's Bedroom IS a cosy, masculine room and I love the way how you explained to us how you have worked on this room ;o!
    I love the idea of the en suite behind that awesome draped curtain, I agree with you that the lights shine a lovely diffused light in there. But I can't believe it is your first time you did draped a curtain....;)
    Thank you for showing us how you made the tie back. This room is (again) beautifully done, my sincere compliments :)!
    I wish you a nice evening and week. Hugs, Ilona

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  2. Un trabajo fenomenal. Me encanta como queda la cortina y y la zona del baño. Muy bonitos los colores, oscuros, pero esos toques blancos quedan genial.

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  3. Hi Vivian, sorry I'm late.
    You have worked you magic on this room too, I love how you squeeze the most out of the space. Your curtains came out really well, I've never tackled a pretty pleater but I found a tutorial on you tube once and the lady said you needed to use skewers or card to hold the pleats in places, more than the on piece you get with the rubber base. I'm so worried about it I haven't done anything about curtains yet. I have a tiny piece of Susan Bembridge fabric, just enough for the windows in my green room. I'm worried to death I'll mess it up!! Your tassel looks great too, you are so clever.
    Thanks for another packed full post, I always look forward to them.
    Have a good week
    Si xx

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  4. Hello Vivan,
    Terrific work. the rooms gorgeous. I cannot see any of the splatter on the pictures so it cannot be bad at all. I love the blue you chose and happy you put it on the sealing. It creates a very masculine and dramatic effect. the curtains is also beautiful and a great touch. I love the way it hangs. It is a very well put together room, both finish wise and furniture wise. You always pack a lot of great detail, but it is never too much., Bravo my friend! I love it!
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  5. Hello Vivian!
    Another lovely room! You wallpaper is one of my favorites and I love the dark blue ceiling. Your idea to do the "glimpse" into the en suite is great! I love how it makes you want to look to see what is inside there. Tassel......beautiful. You did indeed achieve a masculine feeling room. I'm looking forward seeing the next space!
    Warm regards,
    Ray

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  6. Just found your blog via Simon's and I've been reading all your posts. Si wasn't kidding when he said your were working at a terrific pace! I'm still working on my first house, which I built in 1992 ! Your colour combis are great and the en suite with the curtain is so lovely I'd like it in my RL house and I do agree that although you may not be able to see it, you know it's there!
    Idske

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  8. I too have arrived here via Simon's blog and had to go back to the beginning - what a great read. I have enjoyed following your progress with each room so far and am very inspired by your hand made lights - I must give that a go! You're really motoring with this project. I've had my big house for five years and am still in the Basement!

    A little tip for using the Pretty Pleater - I assume it's the rubber one. If you run it under the tap and shake off the excess, the fabric sticks a bit better in the grooves. It works for me.

    Looking forward to more updates now that I've found you and have started to "follow". Irene

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  9. Hello Vivian!
    I do not remember how I found your blog, definitely drawn to some of your comments in other blogs, or from some other bloggers blogroll. I signed up before Simon did mention about your work, definitely.
    Thank you also for joining my blog. Also I have a house of DHE, and, more specifically, a Fairbanks. Should I turn it into a home-study of two pre-Raphaelite artists. Unfortunately I bought it second hand, already built, so it is not easy to make all the changes I want. Already the Fairbanks seems huge, so I guess your than it really is.
    I do not have the courage to continue after the first difficulty, so I'm impressed by your work pace, in part, perhaps, facilitated by the fact that you had already bought a lot of things that could serve you. I, unfortunately, do not have big economic possibilities and I buy almost everything online. I read your post and watched with interest and I love the irony with which you write your adventures, but for a beginner like me, you're really good!

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  10. Hi V aka Mummy!
    I have watched you for months working on Fox Manor and you have the most natural flair for creating things that a lot of people wish they could. I'm sure a lot of you out there are just waiting for mummy to show you her next creation/room. I'm extremely proud of you mum with what you have done in such a short space of time! #superprouddaughter

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