It’s amazing how quickly this year has passed. I am busier than I’ve ever been with my work at MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society doing fundraising, managing our 215-year old archives and curating our collection of 100+ paintings. My volunteer work includes chairing the Board at the Baltimore Architecture Foundation, and serving on the AIA Baltimore’s Board of Directors, and I also do social media and write a weekly column for Halcyon House Antiques in my spare time!
As I look through the more than 200 posts I’ve written in 2014, some have been wildly popular. I thought I’d recap the top five in terms of comments.
1. Most recently was a story I did on a gorgeous old ruin of a house here in Baltimore.
What was once a gorgeous old estate in the city has been left to go to ruin by its current owners – a local church.
What a shame.
2. One of the assignments I had at work this year was to refurbish one of the rooms in our 1909 offices. The room was a rather unfortunate shade of pink and had 1980’s era chintz curtains covering the beautiful windows. The millwork got lost in the pink.
Working with my friends at C2 Paints, we re-did the room, and have just completed it. Here’s a sneak peek:
It’s amazing how the deep green paint, called Turtleback, brings out the architecture of the room. We’ve just finished hanging paintings and filling the bookshelves with historical books and artifacts. Stay tunes for a full reveal after the first of the year.
3. I was at an auction earlier this summer where I {accidentally} bid on a set of china, here and here. The china I bought was basically an upgraded version of perennial favourite Blue Willow.
Auctions are such fun and you can still get incredible bargains at them. Remember that not every auction is like the Bunny Mellon auction!
4. I’ve written about the “Redneck Taj Mahal” a few times, and each time it elicits a horrified response from you. It’s a ghastly overwrought house in Southern Maryland, close to where I attended college. No discernable architectural style and no sense of proportion.
Too much money and not enough good taste!
5. Shabby Chic. Two words that together make me cringe. Shabby Chic images proliferate the ranks of Pinterest and most things that are marked as that, are possibly shabby and certainly not chic. Ball jars, burlap and chipped paint do not make something chic by any stretch of the imagination!
All of these gals with shabby chic weddings are going to look back at their pictures and wonder what they hell they were thinking!
Which post was your favourite in 2014? I’d love to know!
Well now I am going to go back and read posts 1 and 2, that is an eerily beautiful old house and the bones of that room in post 2 are exquisite and so much more to the fore with its new livery.
ReplyDeleteHi Meg, I really enjoyed all of the posts, including those over on the MedChi blog. I do have a special affinity for anything having to do with old architecture.
ReplyDeleteHave a very Happy New Year.
--Jim
My favorites are architecture, but also Med Chi since I was once a part of it. You do a great job, Meg, with your diverse talents!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching a show like fixer upper that house is depressing and yet there must be some potential the wood parts are falling off but replaceable -- it is such a pity that we have not been told which church owns the eye sore. It must be just a "religious" organization in name only.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy all of your posts, but especially like refurbishing the Reading Room (which looks great in your "sneak peak".
ReplyDeleteI love the refurbished room too - the colour could not be more perfect. You are busy Meg, but all inspiring and rewarding things it sounds like. Have a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeletexo Terri
Oh yes Meg, these were all great!! Wishing you all the best in 2015 and I look forward to more amazing stories!!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
While I like them all - I thought the shabbychic one was the funniest and the funnest! Happy new year Meg x
ReplyDeleteTo preserve my sanity I never ventured into the posts covering the dreaded Redneck Taj Mahal but Southern Maryland?? There's no accounting for taste but it makes even less sense there than it does on the Eastern Shore. I'm familiar with the area as well and there's nothing in St. Mary's County that's even close to that scale, general hideousness aside you can find enough overwrought piles across the Chesapeake.
ReplyDelete