Happy Victoria Day

Queen Victorian by Frederick Christian Lewis Sr. - 1837

Painting the Kitchen - Part I

Trompe L'oeil Porcelain Paint Brush
by
 gonetopottexas 

Shots of the DV's kitchen have never been posted before and you will soon understand why. It's not quite a source of pride. We are not financially ready to do a full kitchen reno, but it's long over-due for a good paint job.

To put things in context, the kitchen is located at the back of the house, on the main floor, in the narrower portion of the house that juts out.

Here is a rough plan of the kitchen. Note the nook area at the bottom right of the plan - a source of bewilderment. Its original cupboards, shelvings, water pump and wood burning stove were removed, most probably in the 1940s. We do know that the door and stairs to the basement were originally under the main staircase in the hallway, now the powder room. One has to keep in mind that kitchens were strictly considered utilitarian rooms up until the post-war boom. So we definitely can say that the kitchen represent a pre-Second World War frame of mind.

What I do like about our kitchen is that it is a good size - approximately 275 square feet - and in time, has great potential to become a source of pride.

You can see two doors in the corner. The one on the left is the pantry door and the one on the right is the servants' staircase door. Major door collisions happen on a regular basis.

Still visible, vestige from a stove pipe.

Entering the pantry, there is a little opening with a panel that slides upwards. A food service type of opening that is usually in a wall between a kitchen and a dining room.

At the other end of the pantry there is a narrow window. The shutters are kept closed because the sunlight can really heat up this little room.

The servants' staircase also has a window, keeping in mind that the original gas lighting would have been limited to the main rooms of the house.

Behind the counter wall are the servants' staircase and the stairs to the basement. The cupboard doors have been removed for painting.

From kitchenthangs.com

For my future kitchen, I would love to get my hands on an old sink such as this one. 

The wainscotting is original and handmade. Each board has a slightly different width, the spacing is not quite even and the edges are a little wobbly - love it.

Found on Pinterest - sorry, could not find the real source.

Also for my future kitchen, gorgeous floor to ceiling cupboards with ladder .

When we bought the house, we were told by our real estate agent that the hanging light fixture was original to the house and was converted from gas to electricity early on.

Some close-up shots of the damage seen all around the kitchen. No matter how clean it is, it never looks clean.

The ceiling is painted, now for the little piece of molding. The ceilings are as high in the kitchen as they are everywhere else in the house - 10½ feet.

The green walls are done, now for priming the wainscotting.

The wainscotting is painted, now for the drawers. There are only two drawers in the kitchen and very little counter space - it's amazing our capacity to adapt to impractical situations.

From the other side of the pantry wall, in that weird little nook, you can see that food service window.

We've placed the refrigerator on the opposite side. I know, it's a mile away from the counter,

but there's no choice.

Researching early kitchen photographs, I was hoping to find one that would have a similar configuration to ours. Here is the closest I came to it. That weird nook (although bigger) is present in this old photograph and to my surprise, the cooking/heating stove is turned back to the seating area of the kitchen. The stove in our kitchen would have been smaller.

The Ballantynes' kitchen,
54 Main Street,

Ottawa, Ontario,
October 10, 1896

Photographer: James or May Ballantyne

You can see the water pump on the counter below the pots and pans. In our kitchen, the water pump would have probably been where the fridge is today since the water reservoir is located just beneath in the basement.

My painted buffet, is now in the kitchen and coordinates nicely.

The kitchen table and chairs don't coordinate, but they will do just fine until the real reno happens - whenever that is. We're not done, we still have to finish painting the cupboard doors, window and door frames as well as the five doors. Although I like baking (because of my sweet tooth), I never was big on cooking and kitchen stuff in general, but now that the kitchen is starting to feel and look better, I find myself more inspired by recipes and lovely porcelain.

The Blue Cup, Joseph Decamp (1858-1923)

St Marys School Conversion - A Happy Centenary

Photo by Mike Ebert

This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most beautiful buildings in St Marys. You may remember Central School Manor from a previous post as one of three award recipients of the Heritage St Marys Award. On the evening of April 24th, Brian and I attended a seminar on the Manor, hosted by owners, designers and developers Mike Ebert and Ray Doerksen and the St Marys Museum. This impressive Classical Revival style building (also referred to as Romanesque style) is in the process of being converted into luxury condominiums. 
Follow me on this tour.

Built from local limestone, what comes to my mind as I'm approaching the entrance is 

FORTRESS and CASTLE.
Here is a link to the building's history.

Original school doors

Ray Doerksen (seen near the doors) was our guide. The stairwells were kept wide and bright, as originally intended when loads of kids were going from floor to floor. Architectural details such as huge moldings and base boards were added, giving the space weight, substance and old world charm. Sections of wall were deliberately left uncovered so as to display the massive concrete brickwork (seen above left). 

  During renovations, the original oak wood hand rails were removed for protection, but have now returned and are ready to be varnished. An elevator is being installed in the other entrance.

We were then shown the model suite. My photographic skills do not do it  justice - please go to the Manor's website for a detailed view of the suite's luxurious and elegant amenities. 

Of course, luxury is also synonymous with outdoor living. A nice portion of the land has been allocated to a communal garden. Once everything is planted, fully grown and in bloom, vines and all, one can easily imagine how lovely it would be to spend time out here.  

From the garden, we can see where used to be the school's library. The semi-circular structure will be part of a feature suite - named the Library Suite, of course. You can view the Manor's floor plans to see other options. My favourite is the Geography Suite. (Mama likes a terrace.)

Back inside, Ray took the time to show us unique structural components that can only be found in century old building techniques. The support beams of this room, for example, could support six elephants.

Thirteen foot ceilings, 3-foot thick stone walls, and rows of concrete brick walls separating each suite provide sound proofing old school style - literally. 

Walking through Central School Manor, one truly gets the feeling this building will still be standing seven hundred years from now. Why? Because medieval castles are still standing today. To me, this is the real meaning of luxury. Of course, I appreciate high-end appliances, fixtures and furnishings, but all this is meaningless if they are housed in cheaply made homes that fall apart soon after they are built. There are only fifteen units planned for the entire building. Mike Ebert and Ray Doerksen are truly enlightened developers
.
Central School Manor - Luxury Condominium is highly deserving of the Heritage St Marys Award.

photo from CSM website

And if location is everything in real estate… well, St Marys is a pretty amazing town, if you ask me.

Click on the CSM video to get a virtual tour.