Fox Manor

Ground Floor - The Sitting Room

Hello everyone, thank you for your lovely and kind comments on my Dining Room and Chandelier.  I was very flattered and humbled, thank you again.  I'd now like to welcome my nine new followers since my last post. Welcome along everybody and thank you to all for taking the time to read my blog, it's truly appreciated :)  I can't believe I have 16 followers to my wee blog...thank you...  If I am not following you, please let me know.  I am new to blogger and am finding it difficult at times to track down the blogs other people have. :(

On with the show!!  The Sitting Room is situated to the right of the Entrance Hall, and where the Lady of the house and her female friends like to retire to after dinner in the evening.  I wanted an oriental feel to this room.  I had originally bought the red Sue Cook fireplace and mirror for a bedroom, but I changed my mind and decided I'd rather have the oriental feel to the Sitting Room....yes, I am a fickle woman, and yes, I told you before. lol

 

In my previous blogs I had said that I had to prepare the three ceilings on each floor together before inserting the full piece into the house.

I painted the ceiling here a soft yellow, Jasper Cane by Craig & Rose 1829, and added a ceiling rose and four little corner plaster shapes - I'm sure there's a proper technical term for them, but it eludes me at the moment (and they may not even be for a ceiling at all, but I like them).  I just painted these plain white as the rest of the room was going to be very 'busy' and was going to make up for that!  Again, I had to make a new centre for the hole for the light fitting.

 I made the flooring as before, this was a plain parquet in walnut.  There's something very satisfying about laying down all those little pieces. 'Tis a sad life I lead... :)

Look at the difference a little plain beeswax does to the floor! Amazing colour, isn't it?

 

I papered the room with China Palace Lemon from Les Chinoiseries, but painted the chimney breast in the same colour as the ceiling, just to break up the intensity of the wallpaper.  Again, I used Sue Cook plaster cornicing here.  I just painted it white, as there's definitely enough going on in here!!

I couldn't decide on the wall lighting.  I wanted something that would blend with the oriental look, but didn't want to have to buy anything - and if I'm honest, I really didn't know what I wanted.

After a good rummage around in my 'lights' box, yes, sad, I know - I found these.  I hated them when I bought them, as the shades were very 'plastic'.  But I decided to try a makeover on them, and if it didn't work, well, it didn't work!  But.....
 



I stuck the shades onto Q Tips (cotton wool buds), and that kept them very steady indeed, then I stuck them into the blu tac to dry.  Now this was a eureka moment for me when I was thinking about how I was going to paint these wee boys.  I'm sure the seasoned miniaturist knows all these tricks of the trade, but I considered myself a very smart wee cookie indeed to think of this :)  Firstly, I tried enamel paint here, it was dreadful, then, as it happened, the red paint used for the dining room came in very handy, it took very well to the plastic and looked grand on the shades.  When I applied the second coat I used a rougher brush that left little streaks.  I kept them all going in a downward direction, and when I put on the lights, you'd think they were covered with pleated fabric.  They turned out very well indeed!

 

 

 

 

My very technical spacer for the gap between the fireplace and overmantle....a jumbo lollypop stick (popsicle stick??)  My fireplace and overmantle looked lovely, until I dropped the mirror and chipped the corner :(  It was touched up with, you've guessed it, old faithful, the gold paint!

 

I was fiddling around, and made these little ornaments for my sitting room.  I have found that when I do something to my house, and I have to have 'waiting' time - say for glue to dry...I end up making little things :)

 

I couldn't resist these little foxes on the fireplace....Fox Manor, Vivian Fox.....I'm sure you get it lol!

 

I'll need a lot of ornaments to fill this cabinet too!

 

 I made the central light for here...it's something different, and I'm not entirely sure if anything like that would ever have graced a sitting room....but it does now lol ! 

I also made the bell pull from gluing a piece of Les Chinoiseries silk in 'Kang' to a piece of light card and painted the back of the card the red from the dining room (also on the lights).  I put a green Swarovski cube crystal on the end to tie in with the one on the light fitting.

 

 The lovely peacock painting was bought from Jim Coates.  This is a nod to my daughter Siobhan who loves the elegance of a peacock.

 

 I'm not sure if you noticed, but the two rooms on the ground floor, namely the Dining Room and the Sitting Room have red in them.  Call it design symmetry, a fluke or happy coincidence, I think it suits my house.

 

A couple more pictures....
 

 

 

 

 

 I eventually got myself THE book.  Magnificent Miniatures by Kevin Mulvany and Susan Rogers.  I had it read in one sitting...... absolutely food for the soul.  Wonderful.  I will have to go now and re-read it all again, and this time savour each and every picture.  If you can get a hold of this book, it is just awe-inspiring.

All the best for now, until my next post...it will be The Games Room....or The Gent's Bedroom....... or the First Floor Hall/Gent's Study.....we'll see how it goes :)

 

All the best,

Vivian