Friday, August 26, 2016

BEFORE AND AFTER SERIES: The Farmhouse Bath



This Summer has been crazy. . .Seems there's been something popping up every day to keep me from my blogging. . .I wanted to reveal the final touches on the bedroom next but can't seem to find a day when the sun is shining for some good photos. . .So I decided to go ahead with the FARMHOUSE BATH instead.

As I've noted many times before, our home was built by my Grandfather Magers ca. 1930 for his first FARM MANAGER. . .He had bought the 600+ acres that year from the Widners. . .It would be the fourth farm operation that he owned. . .He immediately started building barns, houses, a farm shop and other buildings necessary for the FARM COMPLEX . . .

The manager's bungalow was fairly large for that time and more comfortable than the tenant houses. . .Yet, from the 1930s to the 1960s there was no bathroom indoors. . .An outhouse served the need for a potty. . .the #3 washtub in the KITCHEN worked for Saturday night baths. . .
 

Sometime in the 60s, the bathroom came indoors. . .almost. . .It was actually on the back porch, which had been enclosed. . .A room was built on one side of it for the bath. . .with all the conveniences. . .This was "HIGH COTTON". . .


I've already shown you how we took down those walls at BEFORE & AFTER SERIES: The Farmhouse Keeping Room. . .At that point we were right back in the 1930s--no indoor bathroom. . .but not for long. . .

I had dreamed of a bathroom as big as a bedroom for years--place to lay back in the tub and relax--place that was open and inviting. . .So that was what I did. . .I took one of the three bedrooms for all of our necessaries. . .No jacuzzi, though. . .This bath had to be VINTAGE FARMHOUSE. . .


We stripped the sheetrock off three of the four walls. . .It was so badly damaged. . .As we stripped it clean, we found the original cypress walls. . .What a great FARMHOUSE look!! . . .A coat of paint would do. . .


Dental molding was added to hide the huge gap between the wall and the ceiling. . .I did something totally out of the box on that ceiling. . .I decided I'd like to lay back in the tub and watch the clouds. . .The ceiling was painted a Sky Blue and I came right behind and painted the clouds. . .Adding a  touch of elegance with the chandelier. . .




A closet was built along one side of the room for the washer and dryer. . .They hide behind Southern style shutter doors. . .


On that same wall our shower is located. . .John is particularly proud of that shower. . .It was the first tile work he'd ever done. . .


Have you noticed that we find John in this position a lot? (grin)
All kidding aside, I think he did a SUPER JOB. . .


Perhaps it was John's Little Helper that kept him inspired?



To cover holes in the fourth sheetrock wall, we added bead board and painted it the same soft blue. . .It added interesting texture to a plain wall and kept with the FARMHOUSE THEME. . .I picked up the architectural piece on a curbside. . .Someone had discarded it for garbage pick-up. . .John added the shelf top from an old piece of cypress found in the barn. . .


A dresser was fitted with the sink. . .No telling how many coats of paint I put on it before I found the combination I wanted. . .I'd paint a little. . .then sand a little. . .then paint more. . .sand more. . .Took weeks until I was satisfied. . .

Then I decoupaged a 1938 page from my Granddaddy's calendar. . .You can't see it in the photos but he had made a note: 'Irene's birthday' on August 6. . .That was my Mom. . .She would turn 11 that year. . .One of his envelopes was decoupaged above it. . .






The first thing people notice when they walk in is the cast-iron tub. . .It's a beauty---now. . .A friend found this tub buried in the ground and planted with flowers. . .It had to be dug up, cleaned, and resurfaced. . .another of those 'John tasks'. . .He did an amazing job in restoring it. . .The date on the bottom is December 24, 1925. . .A piece of whitewashed cypress barn wood from the Simmons Plantation holds needed items while bathing. . .




 More shutters at the windows allow loads of sunlight in, as you can see. . .My ladies came from the bedroom to the bath some time ago. . .They seem to fit well. . .changing clothing with the seasons. . .I must say that I like this look the best. . .denim and lace. . .tying in the living room denim accents. . .The lady on the right is MISS MAMIE. . .the one on the left is MISS ALICE. . .Having such a large room gives me many opportunities for utilizing larger pieces such as these. . .


Our FARMHOUSE BATH has gone through many changes as I experimented with the look I liked the most. . .Also had to add the layers as I found them. . .I thought it would be fun to look back over a few previous years. . .


 Let's begin with the oldest first, so you can see how the room evolved. . .










I learned many lessons and developed my Plain and Simple Style over the years. . .It's been GOOD. . 

We only have one more room to explore at this time. . .There are others but they are not finished and certainly no inspiration to anyone. . .As with the rest of the house, I have many ideas. . .only need the time and energy to do them. . .Still to come, though, is one of the bedrooms. . .The one I'll let you see. . .The others are 'beauty in the making'. . .Til then. . .(Don't miss the added note below)




NOTE: We're in a documentary on AETN, the local PBS Station!!!! It's entitled BACK ROAD BARNS. . .There's an interview with John and me, along with shots of our barns and grounds. We are one of several properties showcased--all amazing.  It first aired last night (August 25) at 6:30, but it will be shown several times. Check your TV Guide for the details or go to aetn.org for a full schedule. 
See you there!


Thursday, August 11, 2016

BEFORE AND AFTER SERIES: The Farmhouse Kitchen


The FARMHOUSE KITCHEN. . .Where do I start? . .Maybe by saying it is the one kitchen that I simply love to cook in over all the other homes that I've owned. . .Actually, it's the first kitchen I've designed where we were starting from scratch. . .an almost empty room. . .because the kitchen was in a different place when we moved in. . .



Only one little tiny window. . .and it was such a small room. . .We could have opened it up to the keeping room, but I couldn't visualize the kitchen anywhere but in line with the keeping room area. . .And, according to several others who had been in the kitchen of the 30s-40s, we were placing it back to the original location once it was moved inside the house. . .Before that, the kitchen had been outside. . .just like on the old plantations. . .


Above is a view of the area in the 'new room' where the cabinets would eventually go. . .Until we could start on the kitchen, I cooked for almost a year here. . .What a mess, huh?


When I began sketching the FARMHOUSE KITCHEN, I knew exactly what I wanted. . .No pre-fab cabinets for me! . .In fact, I didn't care if each section looked a little different. . .as if it had been built over time. . .I wanted modern conveniences hidden. . .and big, wide counter tops to hold the large crocks for storage. . .I wanted a big window to flood the room with light. . .and an island counter for prep work, low enough that my arms didn't get tired reaching up. . .I'm barely 5'4" tall and sometimes it's a stretch for me on regular cabinets. . .And of course, it all had to look VINTAGE. . .

I am so blessed in many ways to have John. . .Among his many talents, he is an awesome carpenter, as you've seen many times before. . .He also understands exactly where I'm going with my ideas. . .All I gave him was the little sketch above and here's how he interpreted it. . .

Could it be more accurate? . . I don't think so. . .He got it right all the way down to a few doors being a little different. . .Also, look at the false feet on the floor-- making them appear as individual cabinets. . .The actual cabinet bottom is recessed back and painted black so that you don't see it. . .Isn't he clever? . .Notice that the sink area juts out a little, too, and not in a straight line. . .We had to do that in order to get the vintage farmhouse sink in. . .Older sinks are much larger than the new ones we found out. . .But, I think it adds to the appearance I was trying to achieve. . .

At times John had to get into some mighty awkward positions. . .
I'd document them as often as he'd let me. . .(grin)


The countertops were his suggestion. . .When we attached the KEEPING ROOM addition to the existing roof, the carpenters found the original cypress decking that was more than likely milled right here on this farm. . .Virgin timber. . .The boards were 10" wide and beautiful. . .We had to show them off somewhere. . .So John took them and planed them down, spending hours sanding and enjoying the richness of the wood. . .More than once he called me to his shop. . ."Look at this! You'll never find wood like this again" and all the time 'lovingly' running his hand over it. . .a true carpenter.


For the work island, I found the bottom of an old Hoosier at a junk store--not a flea market--strictly junk. . .The doors were missing but the top was in fairly good shape. . .John did his magic on it. . .Can you tell what's underneath?


I LOVE the porcelain top. . .Anything messy wipes up easily. . .It also serves as a giant hot pad for dishes right out of the oven. . .The height is perfect for me. . .You can see how much shorter it is.

We found the 1919 vintage store bin in Tennessee. . .It just happened that the width was the same as the work island. . .John wanted to sand it down and paint it. . .PAINT IT? . . Not on your life!!!!!

I did allow him to paint the vintage metal ceiling tiles we put on the wall behind the stove for easier clean-up. . .






Now let's play a game. . .How many hiding places can you pick out in this photo? 


For you who have followed this blog for several years, it shouldn't be hard. . .
I've disclosed them before. . .

Dishwasher. . .

Coffee Pot. . .

Microwave. . .

Inside the 1919 store bin is the trash can. . .
The large crocks on the counter serve as 'upper cabinets'. . .
And on the opposite wall. . .

An old barn door hides the fridge.

We have fun with people trying to figure out where everything is located.
My brother says nothing is as it seems in OUR FARMHOUSE. . .and HE'S RIGHT!


The result of years of much hard work. . .so worth the effort. . .
We both LOVE our FARMHOUSE KITCHEN!!
 It has MODERN CONVENIENCES. . .VINTAGE STYLE. . .PLAIN AND SIMPLE
Who says you can't make a new kitchen look old anyway?

NOT US!!!!!

 



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