In November I will have owned my mini medieval manor for a couple years. And by that milestone, I am determined one room will be ‘done’ in the scheme of my restoration work. It’s good to have goals. So the focus is my kitchen, though my mind and time does get pulled towards planning and instigating works for the other rooms.
Luckily as part of my guiding work, I have to drive a lot. Why would driving a lot be lucky? Because it gives me time to think and plan. And realise something. When it comes to decorating, there’s a lot of unrealised pressure out there to conform to what other people like, to not showcase your own personality, to stay within a certain stylised box. And I have come to understand, for me, it’s more fun to let my house inspire me when it comes to designing my home.
The Realisation
I first noticed my restoration home had plans for me when I decided to paint my kitchen ceiling as a moody cloud scene. The inspiration came partially from laziness, part inspiration. The ceiling was grey with sooty grime and required washing. Queue scaffolding and tired arms. And even so, age had made the ceiling a mottled off white with grey tints. Like most people, I think, my first thought was to paint it white. It’s what we do with most ceilings.
But as work pulled me away consistently, somewhere along the way my thoughts centred on that the ceiling reminded me of a moody sky. And then the concept – why not paint it as a moody sky? It was strange, once the thought took hold, part of me wanted to chuck the idea and go with white. Which made me curious as to why. It would be far more fun to learn to paint stormy clouds. And worse case scenario, if it didn’t work, I could paint over as white. An out if you will.
Learning Something New
Now I have always wished to learn to paint, properly. And some painting holidays in France are definitely on the horizon, but in the meantime I was just going to have to wing it. In other words, simply try. So I duly studied videos on how to paint a moody sky. Then started in one corner. Too dark, too moody, way too stormy. So back to the videos to learn how to bring light to clouds. (Note, it’s totally opposite to what I thought I should do. Turns out you don’t paint the cloud, you paint the light reflecting around the cloud.)
I was very nicely surprised with the results. It came out better than I thought it would whilst painting it (view here). I showed a few friends and generally put it out there, resulting in varying feedback. Mostly positive, but still… there was definitely a ‘why’ vibe. Why would I paint my ceiling as a moody sky? In other words, why would I do something (weirdly) different, and certainly not everyone’s cup of tea.
Industrial Vibe
I had had a similar feeling when I chose to use copper pipes in my kitchen as my electrical wire conduits. My choice was actually a practical one, as well as aesthetic one. I needed electricity in my eventual kitchen (surprise, surprise). But with walls that are 1 meter/3 feet thick and made of stone, digging in to them to run cabling wasn’t really an option. Or rather it was a costly option, and quite honestly I could think of better things to spend my money on given the amount of restoration work to be done.
The previous owner had old wiring in wooden raised channels travelling about the walls. Something I personally am not a fan of. But, then I realised it wasn’t the exterior channeling I minded, it was the type of channel. Now, let’s add in that I like to have my kitchen tools to hand, not tucked away, and the idea that I could double my copper pipes as hanging rails became an idea.
Industrial Style
My personal style preference, particularly for a kitchen, is industrial. And maybe the room dictated this design idea with its terracotta floor tiles, stone walls and now moody ceiling. So copper pipes on show came to mind, as I love the patina and colour and they fit with the industrial vibe.
I had great fun explaining this concept to my electrician. And learned a whole new set of French vocabulary in the process. Finally, I found some pictures giving an idea of what I was looking for and he agreed to do it.
Time to Think
Like the moody ceiling, I had various reactions to what I had chosen to do. Mostly supportive, some curiosity, definitely some questioning, and a few outright didn’t like it. And this had me wondering, is this why so many houses look the same? Do other people’s opinions matter so much to us that we, possibly even unknowingly, do what every one else does? This concept of what is normal, or typical, or even makes people uncomfortable, got me thinking. No, not that I was out to buck the norm, but rather I liked the idea that my house was dictating its style to me. Not style trends, other people, or even my own ideas of what is ‘nice’.
Of course it helps that I don’t have to be practical. I am not renting, and I have no intention of selling. And have actually, consciously, chosen to not go with what would help sell my house in the future. And that was a rather tricky decision. I think most times we design our homes, even unconsciously, on what if we ever had to sell. When walls have to be neutral, rooms have standard uses, and things are easier to change (back) to what is deemed acceptable. All those house selling videos certainly tell you this.
But with the freedom of not caring about selling, a very real choice, came the freedom of designing my home to the way I wanted. Though even that has curiously turned out to be not what I expected. I have never longed for a moody sky ceiling. It was truly the look of the ceiling that inspired the idea. And that is where the fun began. Letting the house inspire my inner creativity.
Different Styles
In my post on medieval layout I wrote about how corridors didn’t used to exist and rooms had multi purpose (much more so than today). And as my house has a medieval layout, I wanted each room to take on that multi purpose usage. It’s a wee house, of 4 though really only 3 rooms (until I figure out what to do with the 4th).
Each room interestingly has quite a different style feel to it. The kitchen is darker and cosy feeling as it faces north. My office/bedroom to be is bright with its high ceiling and big window facing south. And my lounge/bedroom, though large, radiates comfort and intimacy. And with each room the essential style that would suit it has slowly become apparent. At least to me.
Letting my Rooms Dictate
I have had the luxury, due to work commitments and artisan (electricians, plumbers, etc) availabilities, to take the time to review regularly what each room would be used for, its best usage and furniture needs layout. And weirdly, through reviewing the rooms this way, the room designs have taken on their own style. Rather than me stamping a style on them.
And it’s still morphing. As the restoration work is a many year plan, sometimes some things change. Mostly furniture choices. And I have truly learned not to buy any more furniture until the room is done. I made that mistake in the beginning, and have found that most of what I originally bought no longer suits the room as its own style comes to the fore. But that in itself has been fun as it gives me an excuse to shop for new and unique vintage pieces. So watch this space…
More Restoration Works?
If you are interested particularly in my restoration home, you will find a series of ever increasing posts in my Restoration Findings. I’ve had a lot of interest and enquiries, so much so I plan to focus a bit more in this area going forward. It can’t be the only focus, as the works plan is long winded, and quite honestly with me being away a lot, the work is progressing quite slowly. But as things happen, new ideas inspire, or oh my goodness a room actually gets completed, I will certainly update here.
And if you would like to nourish these works, consider joining Pumpjack & Piddlewick. Or simply shop in My Shop, it all helps the dream progress. Here’s a taste:
Simply click on an image to see more.