Painting the Birch Lodge Lobby

 

In October, we finally got the lobby of the lodge repainted.  Once again, it was calcimine paint on the original plaster walls. Although the lobby had been repainted a decade ago, the latex paint was hanging in shreds on the ceiling from the original calcimine. 

The latex was scraped off, and the original calcimine washed off and the walls and ceiling primed.  Again we chose a new paint color that is more representative of the Arts and Crafts Period. 

For now the crackled white trim paint remains.
Many people have said this looks like birchbark, and thought it was done intentionally.

 Although it is very popular in the designer world,  I would like to return it to the original mahogany brown paint, and restore the burlap panels of the wainscot. (The panels have been painted over numerous times.)   This was a common Arts and Crafts technique.   Even the newel post on the stair had burlap panels!

 In spite of much yet to do,  we think the new gold walls look much more inviting than the old pink and tan color scheme.

Although it is so much work, it is always so rewarding to see how nice it looks as it comes along.

 Bill says it is like the healing process, bit by bit, we are making it better.....