Oh, what a feeling!! Wallpaper on the ceiling!!Posted on | November 20, 2008 | No Comments From the informative and ever fascinating 1961 Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book, (loose leaf binder actually; sorry for the holes!) comes these bold treatments for ceilings…
Second, the ultimate 1960s saffron yellow bathroom, (a good remedy for those who frequently wake up on the wrong side of the bed). And if you look carefully, yes, those dots are carried up onto the ceiling as well! And here’s a tip: The big “dots” there could even be painted with stencils if someone were so inclined… And lastly, a warm traditional room finished out with a formal pattern between the ceiling beams. It’s important to note that these examples are all “lighter” in feel, better for lower ceilings especially. Ceilings decorated with wallpaper, painted ornament, wood, plaster work, etc. were a very common trend in homes for centuries, only falling out of fashion by the mid 1970s. Was it practical though? An embellished ceiling does have the advantages of little to no “wear and tear”, it floats largely above the eye level, and provides at least some color and pattern to what is usually the largest and yet most often ignored expanse in an interior. So keep looking up! Category: Atomic Age, Mod Generation
Tags: Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book > Ceilings > Hollywood Regency > Wallpapered Ceilings Set the Wayback Machine to 1958…Posted on | November 17, 2008 | No Comments Here is a very cool trip back to the future, when everything is chrome and we travel to the office in three-wheeled rocket cars (courtesy of Chevrolet)…Thanks to the folks at Lushpad for sharing this with us! The Wonders of Shellac!Posted on | November 17, 2008 | No Comments Being involved over the years on the restoration of several homes and public buildings, I have found an amazing product that seems to figure prominently in each one of them: shellac. It’s incredible stuff, but what surprises me is that so many old house owners are unfamiliar with its use and properties, (and the fact that they are probably walking on it).
It was used most frequently as a wood finish on floors, imparting a deep, warm, red-orange color to the wood, often without the use of stain. It was also used extensively on interior woodwork, giving it the same luster and warmth as the floor, (and often harmonizing the color of both). It was very commonly used on furniture for centuries as well, even well into the 1960s, (in fact, a walnut Danish Modern dining set we own by Lane is finished with shellac, not oil). I have worked with shellac for years and it is the most beautiful, resilient and forgiving finish I’ve used. And its probably the most “green” finish out there, being inexpensive, UV resistant, non-toxic and “made” by insects! It also looks natural and not “plasticky” as polyurethanes often do. For all the details on its incredible history and also the myths about it, I’ve attached a link to the site “Period American Furniture” for the reprint of Zinsser’s “Story of Shellac”. Its a very entertaining and informative read. As a disclaimer, Zinsser did not pay me for this effusive endorsement of shellac. There are other manufacturers of it, but this is the brand I am most familiar with… An Illustrated History of Bradbury & Bradbury EpiloguePosted on | November 12, 2008 | 3 Comments We hope you enjoyed this Bradbury & Bradbury retrospective. Thirty years later we are still a small company and happy to remain that way. Bruce’s vision was to build a craftsman’s shop, not a conglomerate, and I think that philosophy has served our company and our customers well. As I mentioned in the first post on this blog, we owe our existence as a company in part to all of you who have chosen to hang our wallpapers in your homes and we thank you profusely for that business and your encouragement over the years. We also want to thank the all of you out there who have shared your “wallpaper discoveries”, photos of your historic interiors, along with your restoration stories. We appreciate the time you have taken to send these on to us! As a conclusion, I would like to answer a couple of frequently asked questions… Why “Bradbury & Bradbury” when it was founded by (the singular) Bruce Bradbury? Who’s the other “Bradbury”? Bruce added that second “Bradbury” as a tribute to his family, due to their financial and moral support as he worked to get the company established. Many people assumed the company was one hundred years old and founded by two old-timers that looked like the pair on the “Smith Brothers Cough Drops” box! Where did the early design inspirations come from? While I mentioned Bruce’s frequent pilgrimages to photograph works in Britain, he also received a tremendous amount of inspiration here in the States, particularly from John & Judy Freeman at the American Life Foundation.
Through the courtesy of his early supporter Clem Labine, Bruce met the Freemans at their home in Watkins Glen, New York. There, John not only shared his vast historical knowledge with Bruce, but also his vast Victorian library. Due of the Freeman’s great generosity, Bradbury & Bradbury became the undeserving recipient of many of John’s rare chromolithographed folios, especially works by Christopher Dresser. Without these we may never have reproduced the many patterns in our collection by this remarkable and sometimes “futuristic” designer of the late 19th century! Certainly then to all the family, friends, fans and hardworking employees past and present, we continue to remain indebted… Thanks for being there these thirty years!!
Category: Events, Our History, Victorian
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Tags: Christopher Dresser > Clem Labine > John & Judy Freeman |
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