Salvage Chic (Part I)

About eight years ago, a friend and I started an architectural salvage company. One of our first clients was a super-stylish gal from South Africa, whom I will call Flip. One thing I've always admired about Flip is her unerring eye and her ability to see beyond the ordinary (and her incredible kindness).

I was invited to a baby shower at Flip's house on Saturday and when I got the invite, I knew that it would be such fun to see what she'd done with all of the goodies she'd gotten at our place and at Housewerks.

Flip lives in the same neighbourhood as David, in an 1870's era townhouse with 14-foot ceilings on the first floor and beautiful orginal details throughout. These houses are townhouses of the grandest style with rooms and rooms, but few bathrooms and even fewer closets. Flip's house is on a corner and gets great light through the long windows, which still have their original interior wood shutters. The easiest way to tell you about the house is to walk you through, room by room.One thing that has remained in this house are the mirrors in almost every room. The house has beautiful details and most are in excellent condition.One mirror in the front hall is nearly 14 feet high! In fact, it was so tall that I couldn't get a photo of the entire thing! Each room on the first floor has an amazing chandelier. In rooms this tall, the scale of the furnishings is especially important. Otherwise, things can look tiny.The hall has beautiful pale yellow tiles in a small herring-bone design with a border of green and cream. The pattern in the tile echoes the wood floors in the rest of the house. This image of the mirror in the entry hall reflects the doors into the living room, the fireplace, which echoes the doorway, and the mirror above the fireplace, which in turn reflects the hallway mirror. Aren't the doors amazing?
The living room has a stunning mirror over a marble fireplace. Check out the detailing around the ceiling. The room is a pale grey with gloss white details. An example of one of Flip's vignettes, between the two front windows.
The paint colour in the middle parlour is a bit darker than the front room. The fireplace in this room is on the opposite side from the one in the living room. Flip has placed a series of watercolours of chandeliers which came from Housewerks. I coveted these paintings. She even created her own floor lamp chandelier from crystals she'd collected while restringing the original chandeliers.You can see the original wood herringbone floor in this image.The detailing is surprisingly intact. You can see where the original gas line went across the ceiling.
One of the most incredible pieces Flip bought was a cabinet from the old Stieff Silver company in Baltimore. It's about 12 feet long and is solid as a rock. It's also one piece. It doesn't come apart. Flip uses it is a sideboard in the dining room and it's just perfect!
It was originally painted a rather garish blue, but it's been repainted and still retains some of the original patina. I would kill for storage like this!

On the huge refectory table in the dining room, Flip had some of her Christmas decorations remaining. One thing that I loved was two small white urns with strands of chandelier crystals spilling out of them, with fresh plants between them. Please excuse the poor quality of the pictures - I didn't want to use flash and it was a dreary day. I wish I had taken more pix, but the party got started and then my camera battery died.

Kitchens in houses of this vintage were usually small - the lady of the house certainly didn't cook and if there was a kitchen on the main floor, it was just really a pantry, the main kitchen was in the basement. In the picture of the house, the kitchen is where the bank of white windows are. Flip's kitchen isn't huge, but it's great-looking. She found three terrific lights to use for the room. They are perfectly scaled for the height of the room. The ceiling is beadboard and the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. The appliances are stainless and Flip's found a marvelous farm sink to fit with the style of the kitchen.

Tomorrow, I will have the second floor and some of the exquisite details that Flip's brought into the house.

Flip - thanks for letting me take pix and write about your amazing house. You're a star!