February 13, 2011

I {Heart} This!

I was looking through some old photographs at my mum’s house today and came across this picture of the dining room at St. John’s, the house where I was raised. 10415I loved this room so much. It was classic and elegant and it held so many happy memories of huge Christmas parties, small birthday parties, regular dinners with silver and linen and lots and lots of lively conversation. But there were also some unhappy memories of sitting at the table for hours while refusing with all of my might and main to eat Brussels sprouts, which I do eat nowadays!10411There were three large windows in this room – the two that you can see, and one to your right. There were large pocket doors, which we rarely closed because they stuck. The paneling around the room was about five feet high and there were channels on the top to hold plates. At Christmas, we lined up all of the cards along the rail.

The wallpaper in the dining room was handprinted,and the curtains had been printed to match, but in a different colourway. 104 2 The top picture is about 10+ years earlier than the lower picture, and you can see that the dining room table has changed, and a rug has been added. Undoubtedly, the flowers on the table in the top image came from our garden. We had hundreds of daffodils and jonquils on the hills in front of our house and throughout our gardens.

There was a contact sheet of some other pictures of our house and one is the only picture we have of the full fireplace in the living room. The chimney breast was made of mahogany panels, which have since been painted. You can also see a little of the beamed ceiling in this picture. We never found out the story of the carved heads, as the man who built the house disappeared before the house was finished, and was never found. The door to the left of the fireplace leads to the library. It was mahogany on one side, and oak on the other!104 11 The final image is looking from the dining room across the hall into the living room. The fireplace shown above would have been to the right. This room was filled with light, as you can see, and a window seat spanned the length of the windows. There was nothing better than curling up with a book there, or taking a little catnap in the sunshine during the winter. Originally, there were valances that matched the beams on the ceiling, but the previous owners took them. 104 12Our family lived at St. John’s for nearly 30 years and it was just the most amazing house to spend a good portion of my life in.

23 comments:

  1. Those rooms are wonderful...you can see where your smart sense of style comes from..k

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  2. What a happy house. I have always wanted a window seat and yours was wonderful. I wonder who designed the wall paper in the dining room--it is amazing. Such happy memories to be blessed with. Have a great week.
    Mary

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  3. The rooms are well-proportioned; I can see how pleasant they were. And this reminds me that I should be taking documentary photos of my own rooms.

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  4. Love that paper Meg, and how great to see more pictures of this beautiful home you grew up in.

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  5. How lucky you are that these photos exist! I know our memories help us picture our past, but nothing like having it confirmed. Lovely, light-filled house :)

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  6. Smalltimore story:

    Was scrolling through the photos, stopped on the fireplace faces...

    Went to a cocktail party at this house not three weeks ago, wondered about the wonderful faces.

    ANyone ever do much research on the missing builder?

    Jack, the knife and fork guy

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  7. A simply exquisite post. Thank you for sharing a bit of your back story, Meg! A delightful trip down memory lane. Happy Valentine's Day to you & Connor!

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  8. The dining room wall paper is to die for!!

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  9. What a beautiful home. What an amazing experience to grow up surrounded by such classic beauty!

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  10. What a storybook house! Lovely pictures. Thank you,

    Tamra

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  11. such a classic... would love to live there today!

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  12. Dearest Margaret,
    Anyone can see that the house is gracious and well-designed. However, to your non-Baltimore readers, is it really necessary to proclaim on high that you grew up on one of the best streets in Roland Park, which happens to be one of the best neighborhoods in the city? It really is not needed.
    Erenessi Charimag

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  13. Anon@16:53... I don't believe I mentioned where I grew up. No city, no neighbourhood, no street.

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  14. I love it when you talk about this house as it obviously made such an impression on you. It's funny how they become members of the family.

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  15. Margaret,
    You said at St. John's... St. John's Road. You've also said before that Billy Baldwin's childhood home is just a few blocks from the house where you grew up, and you said he lived in Roland Park.
    Erenessi Charimag.

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  16. Fab! super love the wall paper in your dining room. .=)

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  17. Hey Anon...do I hear a hint of jealousy in your comment???
    Beautiful pictures, Meg! Brings back memories.

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  18. Bird,
    Hardly. I just think Margaret doesn't need to name drop to impress her readers.
    Erenessi Charimag

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  19. Anon,
    It's her Blog and she can write whatever she wants and if you don't like it, don't read it!!!!!

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  20. I just woke up thinking about these stunning photos and realizing I didn't leave a comment.....

    omg... you grew up in this house?!! how fabulous that must have been... even as a child I dreamed of houses like this! Absolutely gorgeous. I am quick to paint over wood, but I must admit my heart sank when I read that the mahogany over the fireplace was now painted over... it was perfection in its original form.
    How wonderful to find these photos again.

    joan
    p.s. and I have Brussles sprouts in the fridge right now:)

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