Marble Floor

I woke up this morning determined to start the Entrance Hall floor, which is to be black and white marble tiles laid in a checkered pattern on the diagonal.  A border of black marble will outline the space for a finished look.  I've already written before about how coo-coo I am for this type of floor treatment.  I put in an old-fashioned black and white checkered linoleum floor in my 'real life' kitchen, but alas! I have never been able to afford the 'real deal,' though a marble floor in my humble 1908 bungalow would look rather silly, I'm afraid...Oh, well at least I can live vicariously through the much grander rooms of Merriman Park!

My kitchen table and work station!

 After reading Giac from English Manor Dollhouse's excellent tutorial on creating a marble tile floor, I was 'ret to go!' as the children used to say.  First, I cut a piece of illustration board to fit the room. Then, I penciled in the outline of the border.  I added some 'guide lines' on the illustration board that I could follow in order to keep the pattern lined up.

I had already purchased some marbleized paper for my floor, so I was able to skip Giac's step of making them from scratch.  This was sheer laziness on my part because I used to be one of those people who 'faux-finished' every and I mean every surface I could get my sea-sponge on!  For real.  Ugh!

Guess that's why I opted to buy the papers --because I couldn't bring myself to go down the faux path again!

But I digress.

Anyway, then I carefully measured out and used a sharp blade to cut out all the individual tiles. Mine are one inch square.  This is probably the most difficult part.  Because no matter how hard you try, no matter how anal-retentive you are, your tiles are not going to all be the exact, same size.  (And if yours are, I hate you)!

Next, I started gluing down the tiles.  Start in the center of the room as you would in 'real life' and work your way towards the outer perimeter.

Find the center of your room by using a straight-edge from corner-to-corner and draw an X in the middle.  There's your 'starting point.'  This technique works as well on ceilings to mark chandelier placement.

The advantage to using the marbled papers as opposed to tiles cut from the thicker illustration board, as Giac did so brilliantly in his Victorian, is that you can cheat a little and overlap the tiles a little if you need to.  Of course that also means I won't be able to 'grout' the tiles as he did.

This marbled paper has a shiny finish to simulate the real thing.

Just be patient and keep going!  Use a sharp blade and a straight edge to trim across the line for the border.

I cut the border pieces two inches long by 1/2 inch and mitered at all corners.

Instead of trimming the marbled paper tiles across the front of the room, I folded them over the edge of the illustration board and glued them to the underside.

Before you know it, all the tiles are laid!  I am now going to put several coats of a clear finish over the entire floor and then score the joints with a sharp knife.  I'm really pleased with the way it's turning out and am inspired to move right along on to the stairway and walls.

Wallpaper

I have had some difficulty in finding a suitable wallpaper for the Entrance Hall of Merriman Park.  My first choice, a scenic panorama of ancient ruins, does not quite fit the proportions of the room.  And my decision to add the double, Palladian stair on the back wall, behind the archway, has also confounded the use of this pattern.

      

A few months back I ordered what appeared (on-line) to be the perfect wall covering --a brocade-damask pattern in my favorite shade of terra-cotta --a color I love and which looks amazing as a background to gilt frames,  which I plan to use in abundance in this space.

Terra-cotta background  + gold picture frames = fabulous!

Unfortunately, when the paper arrived, the pattern was way too large --more  'Barbie doll scale' than the 1/12th scale that is Merriman Park!  I also noticed that this paper appeared to be a mere photo copy of an actual textile, and this got me to thinking...

Why not just shrink the pattern to fit on a color photocopy machine?

And that, is exactly what I did.  Or more accurately, what my long-suffering partner, Glen, did!  All I need to do now is get my hands on some decent, suitable paper on which to print my new wall covering, et voila!  Necessity is the mother of invention.

I also made a trip to the local dollhouse shop to pick up some more cornice so I'll be able to finally complete the chimney extensions.  And while there, I also grabbed some strip wood for the Entrance Hall wainscot.  Here I pieced a sample together  with my raised panels from Lawbre and a bit of gaffer's tape.  The woodwork will all be painted a bright cream and will really pop against the terra-cotta background.

The shrunken wall paper and wainscot mock-up.

    Not sure when I'll actually be getting around to these tasks...Merriman Park is, after all, my Winter project, and it's absolutely Paradise here in Minnesota right now, surprise, surprise!  It's actually perfect outside: sunny, warm (but not too warm), low humidity --it's what makes living up here bearable.

The patio we put in last Summer with my new pots planted last week & planted for Fall, already!

   Get out and enjoy the rest of Summer while you still can --and before it's too late!

Sneak Peak

It has been a while since I posted anything about the interior of Merriman Park. For good reason, too, since I haven't done much on the inside. But that hasn't stopped me from picking up a few sticks of furniture here and there!

This is the Entrance Hall, showing the fireplace and Palladian screen in the background with its supporting columns and pilasters from Labre. Here, I tacked up the crystal chandelier, which will eventually light up. Matching, working wall sconces hung over the pair of demi-lune tables will flank the door on the back wall. I've purchased one sconce and am waiting til they go on sale again before I get the other set. (They are not cheap)! I am debating whether the doors on the back walls will be "set" or "working." If they worked, I would have to add on an inch or two off the back of the house so there would be a glimpse of hall beyond the door. Details, details...

You can also see the Regency-style recamier (top pic) and pair of chairs flanking the fireplace. I plan on having working candles on the mantle, which is  from Sue Cook in England. A mirror will be set into the molding over the mantle.

For finishes, the floor will be black and white marble tiles laid in a checkered pattern on the diagonal. There will be a paneled wainscot around the entire room with a scenic wallpaper of ruined, classical architecture (which I have also already purchased from Chinoiserie in Spain. A dentil molding will circle the room end-to-end at ceiling height and also between the columns and pilasters on the Palladian screen. A plaster ceiling rose in the center of the room will mark where the chandelier will hang.

Condifential to cousin Tim:  Yes, I know right now the interior looks "minimal"!!