Dissecting screen-printed wallpaper

Short of a major lottery win (for which playing would be a good start), there’s zero way that we have the budget to purchase wallpaper from the deities over at Bradbury and Bradbury (for the record, my favourites, and the ones which I think would be best suited to the hallway would be their Jeffrey, B. J. Talbert, or Herter Brothers sets).

So I’m planning on designing and creating something of my own. Continue reading “Dissecting screen-printed wallpaper”

The Killing of Walter I. Holcomb

It was Monday February 28th, 1927- not too long past noon.

Ernest Frederick, 42, had gone into the post office at the corner of Market and Pine to mail a letter.
As he started to leave, Walter I. Holcomb, 55, entered the building.
Ernest supposedly greeted him with a “Hello Walter” before drawing two revolvers and firing.
Walter started to run after being hit by the first shot but fell on his front. Ernest stood over the body and fired the remaining of the 10 rounds into his head (later articles said 8: three in the chest, five in the head).
Continue reading “The Killing of Walter I. Holcomb”

Foreclosure!

Foreclosure happens now, but it happened then, too.

Exactly 140 years ago, in January of 1879, Mr. Hugh Love began foreclosure proceedings against Mr. Thomas M. Abell. The mortgage was for Mr. Abell’s residence of 4 years – the house at 22 Washington Avenue (modern day 284).

The mortgage he got to buy the house had a 1-year term.
In today’s money, he had a year to repay some $55k.
“Loan shark!”, you exclaim?
No. I don’t think so.
Continue reading “Foreclosure!”

Bradbury Inspiration

Bruce Bradbury (http://www.bradbury.com),who is said to have been attracted to the Victorian Era by the “unabashed celebration of colour and ornament”, had the following to say about plain, white walls: “Whenever I walk into a Victorian and see a plain white room, I feel that something is terribly wrong. It’s as if all the colour, all the magic, all the warmth and vitality of the original had been slowly stripped away over the years – leaving only a bleached skeleton.”

Continue reading “Bradbury Inspiration”

Wallpaper

Bradbury & Bradbury's Metford Frieze in moss

In the new house (name pending…), my impulsive reaction to the various “country rose” wallpapers/borders was, “Ick – strip it! Paint solid colours!”
But I found myself surprised by the number of people who would perhaps hope to feel transported to a bygone era, and have been revisiting some wall-covering pages that I’d bookmarked when Harrington House was first acquired.

I found this article – from this year – and figured I’d share it with any interested readers. Bradbury wallpapers are nothing short of exquisite, but this article give some delightful insight into the company’s namesake.
Enjoy!

The Great Wallpaper Rebellion: Defending Flamboyance in a World of White Walls

this article’s ‘featured image’ is Bradbury & Bradbury’s Metford Frieze in moss.

We have the keys!

We got the keys for the house next door and wanted to share our quickly assembled decorations (though it’s really about the woodwork )