Last Days of Summer

An Old English Farmhouse Restoration update:

After 14 years restoring this old Elizabethan house (dating from around the early 1500's) it is so exciting to see the rooms finally coming together! At times the work has been an 'uphill' struggle, but after all the long hours of toil, this 500 year old house is suddenly ready for the finishing touches that will make a home.  It is a complete joy to see fresh flowers, treasured photo's and possessions filling each room.  Here are a few pictures of one of the finished guest bedrooms and bathroom.

One of the newly restored bedrooms:

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom: The fireplace has an original Georgian hob grate of cast iron with decorative mouldings of sea creatures and lion's heads (sorry for my bad photography which may not show it!) I cleaned away layers of paint with a wire brush before polishing with black shoe polish and a toothbrush! Quite a few hours of hard work but we're really pleased with the results. The woodwork is painted in Laura Ashley 'Ivory' eggshell with the walls in 'Antique White' emulsion from B & Q The grey willow wreath on the fireplace was from Heals

 Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom: my Husband made the cabinet which is painted in Laura Ashley 'Ivory' eggshell  glass door knobs also from Laura Ashley the wall mirror is vintage. I had intended to shorten the curtains (made from unbleached loomstate cotton) but I loved the puddled drape! 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom

The Bathroom

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: we tiled the  bathroom with plain white gloss ceramic tiles on the walls with a white rustic, tumbled travertine marble floor and co-ordinating white tumbled travertine mosaic tiles on the plinth(which hides the plumbing!) The vintage glass pot contains white stones fragranced with The White Company's 'Seychelles' oil which is one of my favourites! The porcelain rose also holds the fragrance oil. I'm pleased to say that the woodworm in the oak beam is now treated and gone!!!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the tongue and grove panelling on the bath is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' shade 211 with the bench painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 The floors on this level are made from limecrete (a 1500's version of concrete) making it impossible to conceal any pipework. In the bathroom the pipes and waste for the bath, basin and toilet are concealed within the wood panelling.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the tongue and grove bench is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: we tiled the  walls with plain white gloss ceramic tile and white rustic, tumbled travertine marble on the floor with underfloor heating for the chillier months! The tongue and grove bench (which also conceals the pipework for the bath and shower) is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the bathroom accessories are from Samuel Heath ('Curzon' Collection)

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: I filled a tall florists glass cylinder vase with seashells. The floors are white rustic, tumbled travertine marble and the skirting board is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 eggshell. We tiled the bathroom ourselves to preserve the uneven floor and walls that we love so much! It took me quite a few hours to do the grouting and although it may not be perfect I do now appreciate the back braking work that professional tilers go through!

  Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the waffle shower curtain is held back with grey tassel. We painted the tongue and grove storage cupboard and skirting in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 eggshell with crackle glazed porcelain knobs on the cupboard doors

With warmest wishes

An old farmhouse in the morning sun

With a glorious morning here in England and the restoration of our old farmhouse(built in the early to mid 1500's)coming on in leaps and bounds it seemed an ideal time for a few quick photographs! I am thrilled to say that we have finished the first floor and attic bedrooms and the new carpets have been laid and we are enjoying 'paddling' around in bare feet! The trials and hard work of the last few years have been soothed by the comforts of freshly painted rooms and furniture free from layers of inch thick dust. We have a little way to go with the soft furnishing but here are a few photo's of our old farmhouse in her new Spring look!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - an occasional table in the smallest bedroom showing one of the wall beams that we uncovered under layers of wallpaper. The lamp is from Laura Ashley the white box picture frame from Homebase (rose from the garden - a climbing rose named Iceberg) 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the vintage wrought iron daybed is French and can be turned into a child's cot.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the antique corner cupboard was from a Victorian kitchen and we have left it unpainted inside with the warm colour of the old pine giving a lovely contrast.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - this shows the wobbly ceilings we have throughout the house (the floors are the same) and the depth of the window ledge shows the thickness of the old wattle and daub walls.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the sunlight shows the texture of the original lime plaster and the rather quirky uneven height windows. If you crawl on the windowsill on the left it takes you behind the wall on to the staircase(see below)!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the landing on the first staircase - the windowsill that leads through to the smallest bedroom! It also makes a great spot to sit and read. The windows are painted in Farrow and Ball Green Stone, sadly no longer available.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the 'secret' windowsill passage that leads through to the staircase (shown above). The Rococo style mirror is a new find (see below). The curtains are made from a gorgeously thick slub cotton fabric bought at The Conran Shop around 20 years ago, over the years I have re-made the curtains to suit various windows.   

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - I couldn't resist this mirror which is a soft chalky taupe shade (my photography is awful!)

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the second staircase - this leads up to the attic bedrooms. If you crawl along the windowsill it takes you behind the wall on the right into the smallest bedroom shown above!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - down the second staircase from the attic bedrooms to the first floor landing. The balustrades are the original old oak

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the first floor landing - this also shows the white travertine marble floor in our bathroom and the wobbly floors, walls, etc! Walls painted in 'Chalk' by Zoffany

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - one of the first floor bedrooms (more photographs to follow at a later date) my Husband made the cupboard which is painted in Laura Ashley 'Ivory'

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the view from our bedroom across the landing to the smallest bedroom 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - our bedroom - the curved structure on the left of the cupboard is the chimney from the room below. The dark furry blob on the settee is Fingle our cat! The cupboard in painted in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' no.211

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - our bedroom - the newly restored fireplace (more photo's to follow at a later date)

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - our backdoor (painted in Farrow and Ball Card room green no.79) with grapevine above. The lead pots are actually fibreclay reproductions.  

As the we are now in full flourish finishing the restoration work on our house I will be posting once a month to allow time for both! 

Update: this was our home until November 2012, we would like to wish the new owners every happiness in their new home!

With warmest wishes