Painting the Servant's Quarter - Part I

I've started stripping and cleaning the hardware for my shutters, but I'll spare you the unsightly details and show you what I've been up to while they were soaking.

(If you're really interested, you can see past efforts here.)

My laundry room is located at the back of the house on the upper level. It used to be part of the servants quarters... come to think of it, it still is. It also serves as doggie wash & groom room and it's where we keep most of the cleaning products. Renovated by the previous owner many years ago, it is due for a freshening up.

This area would have been the sleeping quarters of the maid(s). Before running water, the laundry would have most probably been done in a part of the kitchen, close to the water pump.

The image on the left is an ad from the 1911 magazine Brian found before Christmas. More old washing machines can be seen here.

This is my laundry room.

It's a bright room and very pleasant to be in. It certainly beats going down to the dungeon to do my laundry. The armoire and chest, once Astrid's baby furniture, are now ideal for storage.

I'm not big on knotty pine, but the cupboards have good storage capacity. The laundry tubs are very convenient, especially when washing the dogs, but they're very old and one of the tubs cracked from Chaz's weight (and he's not a big dog). It's only a matter of time before the other one goes. Luckily, laundry tubs are on sale at my local hardware store.

The closet is used for storing tools, summer screens, winter windows, vacuum and steamer. Anything to avoid going down into my horrible basement.

The closet revealed old wall paper - decor taste of a distant past.

The suspended lights are very handsome - unexpected choice for a laundry room, but I'm not complaining. Also showing is the wallpaper border - decor taste from a not so distant past.

The trims are badly dinged up.

Original mouldings without a doubt.

The wall paper boarder is in the process of being stripped.

Here, I proceeded with caution, but nothing serious. One never knows with an old house.

Here is where Brian has to step in. I can't reach the area above the cupboards.
I'm thinking of painting them, but will wait until the walls have their new colour to make that decision.

Patched up holes, dents, cracks etc...

Another ad found in the century old magazine was for this cleaning product - a brand still sold today and found in my cupboard. Except for minor changes, they kept the same character logo. In the original ad, the little lady looks like she's very determined to clobber someone with that wooden laundry stick. I kind of sympathise for some reason. In the contemporary one, the determination is still there, but the stick was replaced by a toilet brush or a magic wand and a rainbow was added. That little lady's determination to tackle the job at hand is perhaps the key to her longevity.