Long time, no blog

We've been so busy rushing to get the House ready for its grand reopening that there's been no time to blog about it! The rugs are still coming in; our dramatic black-and-white diamond floorcloth for the main hall is on its way. Upholstery is being upholstered. Wallpaper is being printed. We got a sample of the "frieze" border design for the Great Parlor, very pretty, but not so well-coordinated with the main Arabesque paper. Then we learned that our color expert, Matt Mosca, had been consulted, and much to our relief, the colors were not quite right and have now been altered according to the original, once again affirming the good taste of the Croghans!

We are looking forward to punkah installation on Monday - more next week. It will be late next week, because I am going to the AAM conference in Los Angeles!

Wallpaper at Last!

Last week we received the proofs for the custom wallpaper for the Great Parlor, and it is beautiful! Light and bright and full of crisp detail and whimsy. These pictures really don't do it justice, because part of what makes this paper so wonderful, like the other Adelphi Papers, is the velvety texture. Visitors keep trying to stroke the wallpaper (we sympathize, but don't condone this!).

The paper returns to the color scheme of the original, with light pinks and reds where we used to display oranges and browns. The pink also explains the color of the adjoining bedroom, which is the identical shade. The red will work with the curtains that we plan for the room. Red curtains in a green room may not be our own 21st century first choice, but it was popular in the early 19th century, and this wallpaper will pull it all together. These photos look like they are trending towards blue - but the background is really quite green.

Now that we've approved the proofs, the final paper can be printed. It will take at least several weeks to arrive, and will be installed in time for the grand re-opening at the end of June.

This wallpaper requires 40 hand-carved wood blocks to print the full design. It's a long process, and we need enough to cover this large room. It's the most complex design that Adelphi has ever undertaken to reproduce.

And we know that it's RIGHT - unlike other papers and furnishing that require educated guesswork from us - this is what the Croghans had, exactly, as it has not appeared since they put up their wallpaper in about 1806.

This project is moving fast now. Carpets have been installed in two second floor bedrooms. The rose (pink) room, which will be the best guestroom, has a figured venetian carpet in shades of green and pink (see the picture of it still rolled up). The Croghan bedroom, with its verdigris paint, has a plain venetian (striped) carpet, and new bed covers (not quite done yet).

A few new bits of furniture and decorative pieces have appeared. We now, finally, have a bed for George Rogers Clark's room. It's disassembled, but will be roped up and in place shortly.

More is arriving every day. Our docents can hardly keep up with it all. But they are doing a great job despite the chaos!

More and better photos soon.

It's coming together...

It's exciting to see the two rooms that now have their carpets - the downstairs parlor, and the second floor "yellow room." We still have some re-upholstering to do, but otherwise, both rooms are nearly finished.

Carpets are here!

Today we're installing (and by "we", we mean professionals who know what they're doing) carpets in the House. In the parlor, we've got Brussels carpet in blue-gray, brown, and ochre shades. The colors are close to the wallpaper colors - closer than may appear in this photo - but the pattern on pattern effect is pretty spectacular! Moving the furniture back in will tone it down. Window curtains go up tomorrow. When the furniture is re-upholstered as scheduled the room will be nearly complete.

This has been an education for us all in the styles of the early 19th century. We're post-Colonial, but pre-Victorian, a time sometimes called the Early Republic, or in design circles, the Federal period. The austerity that we associate with early America is mythical, and this house will clearly show the love of color and pattern of the time, and the ability of the Croghan family to purchase in an international marketplace, even in Kentucky, even in 1809.

The second floor bedroom that we call the Yellow Room was probably used as a family guest room. That's not a contradiction, since members of the extensive Clark family came and stayed for months at a time. This room has a striped Venetian carpet. More carpets to come, and the other textiles for curtains and upholstery are set to arrive shortly.

Grand "Opening" Now Set for June

We've planned our grand "opening" (that's in quotes, because we've never closed) for the end of June. We thought we'd be able to open in late March, but, you guessed it... the wallpaper. It won't be ready. So rather than open prematurely, we're going to do it right with festivities just before our summer Antiques Market. Watch for a public open day FREE on June 26th, with other events just for members, and a public symposium (with a fee) on June 25th. If you'd like to get on the mailing list for information, just email us with your contact information.

Rugs are coming very soon, from as far away as England and Turkey, and we're seeking appropriate furniture to fill in the gaps, especially a bed for George Rogers Clark, whose new "apartment" is quite bare. In the second floor Croghan (green) bedroom, a new bed cover features the indigo shades that we know that Lucy Croghan favored.

The Dining Room now has a frame for the punkah, which is being constructed for us by Amish craftsmen. The former Weaving Room is now the Girl's Room, and the former Nursery is about to be inhabited by the spirit of Dr. John Croghan.