Over the weekend I finally finished and hung the second cornice board in the living room. I’ve had the small one on the bookcase wall done for several months, but I got busy on other projects and never completed the long one in the bay window area. I think I procrastinated, knowing that getting a striped fabric to run straight for over eight feet was going to be difficult! My prod was having guests over who saw the plain industrial metal conduit I used to hang the drapes. It was my bright idea for cheap, strong curtain rods, but I never intended them to be seen. It works great, by the way, as long as you have something to cover them ;-)
The small cornice is one of my foamboard insulation creations, because it had some odd angles to navigate, given the bookcase molding, and foam is more forgiving of that. But the long bay window cornice is a 1” by 10” board, since I needed one continuous piece to support the span. I had to dog-ear the corners of the long cornice to accommodate the crown molding; otherwise it wouldn’t have fit flush to the ceiling. Hanging it was a little tricky, but with Jeff’s help I got it up. I also got an eye full of popcorn ceiling in the process, scraping the cornice and our knuckles. Why anyone ever invented or installed that textured stuff is beyond me.
Anyway, the cornice is up and I really like it. I did complementary cording on the pieced seams and will use the same paprika microfiber fabric for some pillows and maybe a box cushion on the fireplace hearth this winter. Right now the drapes are being “trained”, tied back with twine to encourage the folds where I want them. I used upholstery fabric for them, so they are stiffer and heavier than preferred, but I love the pattern and color and the heavy fabric really makes the room feel quiet and cozy, perfect for curling up with a book!
People install popcorn ceilings because they're extremely cheap to put up. The house I grew up in NJ had popcorn ceilings in every room ... what a pain! Your finished product looks great by the way ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info (and compliment). The funny thing is, this house was custom built in the 70's and a lot of things I thought were only done to save money were apparently done here because it was really the "in" thing.
ReplyDeleteThis house must have been the epitome of fashion with green shag carpet, dark wood paneling, popcorn ceilings, and doors at every room (and I mean EVERY room; kitchen, dining, pantry, living, family, etc.). I guess if the house still looked like that, I'd want to close all the doors, too!
It really makes me think about what we consider timeless and classic; I hope I don't look back at my style and cringe in 20-30 years, but it's probably inevitable.
It is hard to find a balance in what's "in" at the moment and it takes discernment to know what is actually classic. But like you said, I suppose we'll look back on it and ask ourselves, really? I thought that look would last "forever"?
ReplyDelete"green shag carpet, dark wood paneling"—definitely the 70s!