Wear and tear

Last night I was looking through photos of Johnson's Boarding House and one thing popped out at me - everything looked too shiny and new for a post war boarding house. So I got out the sandpaper and started adding some wear and tear. The floors especially were too new looking but the sandpaper helped solve that problem. I also added some chips to the enamel cabinet that Harriet is working at.
The living room tables got the sandpaper treatment, too. I didn't want them to look beat up, just well used. I left the dining set alone, though, on the presumption that the family ate in the kitchen when the children were young so the dining room has only been really used since the boarding house opened.
The foyer floor and the newel post show some use now.
I even sanded the leather wing chair at the head, seat and arms.
This isn't wear and tear but Harriet got a new (and final!) bedspread. I think this fabric looks like chenille so I had to use it. :) I made the linens from an old lace edged hankie.

I just made subtle changes but they made a big difference in telling the "story" of the house.

Off to find a new project! Have a great day!

Harriet has her own ideas

Now that Harriet has been settled in and actually working in her kitchen she decided it was time to make some adjustments. First she wanted some more cabinet space because there just wasn't enough storage. So we found a smaller scale hutch in the drawer and reworked it - took the shelves off and added a bottom to that unit and hung it on the wall. We turned the base upside down, added a new top and bead feet. Then Harriet added some gingham to the doors and at the back of the shelves. Looks great and added the much needed storage. Putting the cupboards in place made the cooker look out of place so that was moved to the opposite wall. Once the green and white cabinet was sitting next to the new cabinets the green looked awful. So out came the blue metallic paint to cover the green. The kitchen is once again functional and Harriet is very happy. She doesn't get grumpy very often but when she is it's best to just do what she asks, lol. The boarders much appreciate it, anyway. ;)

Some progress on the boarding house

This is the foyer just after I got the house (after cleaning). There was a lot of tacky wax that just would not come off the wallpaper completely. I thought I would have to completely rewallpaper but...
I was able to salvage the lower half and just repapered over the upper part with a coordinating paper. I still need to add artwork and a bit of furniture but it already looks very welcoming. The new wallpaper is a sample of 1:1 scale paper. The soft colors look very nice with the existing blue print. The rug was in my drawer of "gonna use some day" minis.
This was the kitchen. I really like this wallpaper but it wasn't in good shape at all. There had been contemporary cabinets hung with wax and when removed (before I got the house) they left a big mess and some of the paper was torn.
Again I used 1:1 samples to wallpaper. The lower paper is supposed to represent tiles. The kitchen was furnished so quickly because I moved Harriet, her grandchildren, their dog, and all of the furnishings from Harriet's breadbox kitchen into this kitchen. All I had to do was put a new skirt on the sink to make it all look good in here. Oh, and Harriet told me last night (after thanking me - she hasn't had a bedroom or bathroom in years, lol) that Harriet is actually her middle name. Her first name is Sandra. Her mother's name was also Sandra so Harriet was called by her middle name.) Her grandchildren, Tess and Johnny, brought their dog, Wilson, over and are now getting a treat from Grandma. :)

Many of the little items in the kitchen have been made by friends. I have some wonderfully talented online mini friends!