Decorating Room

[mark12_30]

Bethberry, many interesting ideas.

I think perhaps the first step is (sigh!) to clean it all. The Laundry, that is, and the woodstove 'room'. A few local rugs would be good (that's where the dead rugs end up, of course. So it's another step, finding a not-dead rug. Wish I could put an area rug down there but... really in a laundry, with two boys-- not a good idea. )

THen I think Rae's idea of painting is the next step-- Laundry and woodstove room. The grey cement walls need to be less blackish; I'm not sure if I should go all the way to white; white will show the smoke. Cream will always look dirty around a woodstove. Hmm. Woodstove... brick would be the obvious choice; guess a woodstove is more hobbitish than elvish.


The awkward thing is of course all the appliances... well appliance & water filtration is in the woodstove room; furnace is in the laundry room. How do you disguise a furnace...? Of course one can't, really. Wishful thinking. I must decorate around it or in spite of it. THe freezer...? I guess I could put a poster of trees on it...

[Raefindel]

You said my house was very elven, yet I made no attempt to hide the modern conveniences.

Just bring in what style you can and it will work.

[Beregond]

This may be a bit "out there" but you mentioned "lolly columns" which I assume are some form of metal support - what about carving a painting styrofoam (the dense kind) and sticking it over the pipe to form an elven carved column (the movies may provide good reference for elvish columnar design). Of course it will make the upright bigger, more susceptible to bumping, which would be bad for the styrofoam. Hence way "out there."

I also found this Yahoo Q, which includes a link that may be helpful: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1122128AAFWBsc

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Here's an idea to pep up appliances - how about leaf decals? They could look like vines, bushes, or just a few fallen leaves, depending on how thickly you strew them, thereby tying in the modern necessities with decorated surroundings. A few on top, down the fronts and sides...

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Here's an idea to pep up appliances - how about leaf decals? They could look like vines, bushes, or just a few fallen leaves, depending on how thickly you strew them, thereby tying in the modern necessities with decorated surroundings. A few on top, down the fronts and sides...

NIce. And here's a funny-- I already have leaf decals on my computer (at work!) And I got them at the dollar store. Definitely not standard issue... Yes, this takes remembering. The decals are usually right next to the stencils, so this should be easy to do.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Beregond

This may be a bit "out there" but you mentioned "lolly columns" which I assume are some form of metal support - what about carving a painting styrofoam (the dense kind) and sticking it over the pipe to form an elven carved column...

Hmmm, nice thought, Beregond. I will keep that in mind! I do have a forest theme brewing, and it makes sense to also have a few trees in the basement. Four, in fact.

[Beregond]

Hoom, hmmm, while I'm still "out there" you could, in fact, use real tree trunks. Either somehow split and hollowed out to be put back together around the column, or have branches wrapped around, or something. Wood is better than metal anyhow.

[Raefindel]

That's not a bad idea, Beregond. I've done something similar to the beams in my ceiling. They would have been too difficult to refinish so we bought new wood and wraped it around them.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Raefindel

You said my house was very elven, yet I made no attempt to hide the modern conveniences.

Just bring in what style you can and it will work.

Okay. I will try to remember that! Since your laundry is tucked under your stairs, it's less of an issue, I guess. My laundry is a rather large space, which I would like to make more enjoyable. But you are right. I have to work around what is there, to some degree.


Turning the lolly columns into trees is getting more interesting; because then, the clotheslines could go between the trees. Kind of funny.

I think I want the woodstove area to be like a cave or maybe a foundry or maybe a sort of stone dell. I could transition from the laundry forest into the woodstove cave... The well equipment could either stay there, looking out of place, or I could put up a light cover (plywood) around them that is removable to get at the well equipment, and paint that too.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

I think I want the woodstove area to be like a cave or maybe a foundry or maybe a sort of stone dell. I could transition from the laundry forest into the woodstove cave... The well equipment could either stay there, looking out of place, or I could put up a light cover (plywood) around them that is removable to get at the well equipment, and paint that too.

Be ecologically responsible (in imitation of our elf friends!). For your cave, they now have cast concrete that exactly mimics stone (in fact, the concrete is poured in molds made from real stone):

http://www.themoldstore.com/

It's much cheaper than real stone and concrete can be recycled.

Also, consider recycled log products rehabbed from demolished old barns and buildings. You'll get the ancient look without cutting down more forests:

http://www.vintagelog.com/lumber.htm

Check out vintaglog.com's section on fireplace mantels and chimneys for some really neat rehabbed stone products as well -- including an actual iron foundry!

[mark12_30]

Trust me, this has to be low-budget! Stones will be painted, not pointed... I will only be able to do wood-over-lolly if I can find a way to do it very VERY cheaply. Otherwise I will choose between painting on grey bark or brown bark, and then figuring out how to smooth the shape into the ceiling beams (which will then become branches, I think/hope.). Since I love beech trees, and they are very smooth and slender, I may go with beech, hence grey, and that will thematically roll into grey stones rather nicely as well.

I will be making (or buying?) a beech leaf stencil or stamp. I'm thinking of making a beech branch stencil (or three). THe beech tree could be the major unifying theme (at least one beech per room?)

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

http://www.vintagelog.com/lumber.htm

Check out vintaglog.com's section on fireplace mantels and chimneys for some really neat rehabbed stone products as well -- including an actual iron foundry!

Oh, the foundry looks stunning. And that shows me the best way to paint the stones-- stacked flatstone. (Very Rhode Island, actually-- my instinct, being from Mass/ME, is fieldstone, which is MUCH harder to paint-- but the stacked flatstone is a cinch to paint, and everyone from Rhode Island will instantly recognize it-- Yay!)

Thanks, Morthoron!

[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Be ecologically responsible (in imitation of our elf friends!).

Morth,

You might like this website. I'm not sure about the structural integrity of the framework, but it's still quite informative.

http://www.simondale.net/house/

You are looking at pictures of a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

Morth,

You might like this website. I'm not sure about the structural integrity of the framework, but it's still quite informative.

Yes, that site has been around for quite a while. It is indeed an amazing structure; unfortunately, being a curmudgeonly old Hobbit accustomed to modern conveniences, I would not have it as a primary residence. But it would make a great place for camping in the summer, as my back can no longer withstand hard ground and sleeping bags for more than a day or two. I'd construct such an edifice up on the shores of Lake Superior or Lake Michigan and hang out there until the autumn winds chased me back south.

[Beregond]

I can't tell you how inspiring that house is, Andsigil. To make such an uber cool abode, and to do it so cheaply ($6000 USD? You can't buy a new car for that). Doesn't it make you want to go out, buy a section of forest or meadow, and erect a Hobbit House?