Here you basically have a tour of the "formal" part of the house. That is, what you'd expect to see if you came over for a visit some night, or if I was throwing a dinner party. Don't laugh, I'm a good cook - though if you keep chuckling you may never be invited...
Bear in mind that the current occupants of the house were in the process of packing up all sorts of things, and had just pulled up the carpet that had covered all the hardwood flooring on the first floor. So please excuse the clutter... These will become the "before" photos, to contrast pictures I'll have to take after the renovations are completed.
Here you can see the front door, entry hall, and the stairs and
banister. The hardwood trim in this section has been painted white,
presumably to make the hall feel larger, but fortunately they didn't
touch the banister and pillar on the stair. These and the front door
reflect the warm wood tones that are such a wonderful part of the
first floor rooms. I'm not sure if or when I'll consider stripping the
trim work, as that would have to include the closet and kitchen
doors.
You can't see them because they are stored in the attic at present, but there are french doors that hang in the arch from the hall to the living room. These are also painted white on one side, and would have to be stripped along with the rest of the wood trim in the hall. So far as their appearance is concerned, they are an exact match for the doors between the living room and dining room, and between the dining room and study/office, which you can see in the other photos on this page.
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The living room is a suitably large room with lovely large windows looking out through the front porch onto tree-lined Newport Street. The fireplace has been painted, but has not been used since the current family first occupied the house in 1942. However the chimney was partially rebuilt a few years ago, so once cleared of some twigs and leaves that fell in it should work just fine.
You can move from the living room to the dining room directly through
the door in this photo. This is the best view of the doors that are
used throughout the formal part of the first floor. You can also see a
very nice built-in china closet, and the windows that look out on the
side yard to the North of the house.
This view just about squeezes in the opposite corner, ranging from the
kitchen doorway almost to the outside wall. Here you can see the entry
to the small study that was added on in the 30's or 40's. Fortunately
the chair rail and crown molding were left in place and unpainted,
along with the rest of the woodwork.
The study was so full of boxes that the photographs really don't show anything interesting. It isn't a large room, but it should make a fine office with lots of morning light to wake me up and keep me alert until the coffee kicks in...
