Chugging Along

I've been laid up with a bad back for about a week now, so I haven't been doing very much on the manor.  I got all the shingles stained so Brian will be able to shingle the remaining mansard roof when he gets around to it.  And I'm still waiting on the stand he promised to build me.  All in good time . . .

I did manage to find a buffet table that I liked for the dining room.  It was unfinished so I was able to stain it myself and it came with brass drawer pulls.  I chose the Dark Walnut stain so as to mix up the wood finishes a bit.  I think the Victorians were more eclectic in their furniture choices, and as many pieces were inherited, I think I'm okay mixing my woods.

I found this information on the abode website . . .

Victorian-era decorating was the polar opposite of today's modern styles.  It was a time of heavy, ornate furnishings, over sized everything, and a penchant for knickknacks.  The resulting style is romantic, complex, warm, and dramatic, dripping with opulence and excess, basically, enough to make any minimalist shudder.  No bright and airy rooms here.  Victorian style is characterized by rich, dark jewel tones; deep reds, blues, greens, purples, golds, even black.  It's heavy on the wood, too, with dark paneling and wood floors and accents in mahogany and walnut.

 And I just found some inspiration for the manor . . . be still my heart . . .  I'm looking at the table with all the candles on it.  Isn't it dreamy?!

Since somehow or another the library ended up being smaller on the bookcase side, the bookcases I had didn't fit without covering up the door.  I opted to build a bookcase that would fit the space.  After building the first one out of balsa wood, I found that it was to wide.  I forgot to account for the 1/8 inch sides.  So I rebuilt it using basswood and remembering to take into account those 1/8 inch sides!  It worked out pretty well.  I stained it with the Red Mahogany and applied two coats of varnish.  It fits the space perfectly and now all I need to do is fill it up!

You may notice that I didn't apply crown molding to the right side.  That's so the bookcase will fit snug up against the wall on that side.

I'll be posting a tutorial on how I built the bookcase.  For now, I'm off to find some hardware!