When I moved into my house more than 25 years ago, it had changed very little since the 1940s. Upon entering, a guest would face two very disparate arches — a perfectly round one leading into the hallway, and an ovoid one that lead into what is now the Pompeii Room.
The two odd arches met at one point and created a design tension that bothered me to no end.
When I built bookcases on two living room walls, I neatly hid both arches by building a shelf that also connected the bookcases. For a number of years, the shelf was a display area for many collections that ringed the living room, much like a museum.
The displays were quite a conversation piece, but as time went by, I divested myself of almost all of them. Then I added the back-lit crown moulding which you see in the photo above, taken when the Pompeian project was in an early stage.
The unusual living room shelf created a space in the Pompeii Room that I've always called "the transom." And this photograph of the transom explains why at the very beginning of the project I painted masonry around the hallway entrance:
I simply needed to make sense of the transom by painting it as an architectural element that would unite both sides of the room. And so my goal is to transform the structure from a quirky transom into something akin to the top of a Roman triumphal arch!
Next week I'll reveal the first of three painted bas reliefs, and I'll start with that long central panel.
I hope you'll join me then — it's going to be fun!
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Hello Mark! A very clever solution-- it looks like the 'transom' has always been there! It makes perfect sense with the space, and makes me think of all of the odd bits in my own home that could be tackled.... This is such a wonderful project-- I love seeing each step & am glad to have caught up! Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteWarm regards,
Erika
Hello, Erika,
DeleteThe transom was such an odd space for so long, at least from the kitchen side of the house. For a long time I considered different painting solutions that had nothing to do with murals. The solutions that I'll be revealing in the next few weeks will finally turn the space into something I'll call more purposeful!
Best wishes,
Mark
Dear Mark, It is already fun to see the creative solutions you have installed and I of course am excited to se more.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Dear Karena,
DeleteThanks for following along — I think you're going to enjoy that central panel!
Hello Mark, I had not realized that there was such a wide opening from your living room into the dining room. This makes the Pompeian project even better, because its colorful and open visibility will introduce viewers and entice them into the new room. The architectural embellishments you have added you have added to the living room help make the spaces complement each other.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that small glass-fronted cabinet looks very interesting--is there any story behind it?
--Jim
Hi, Jim!
DeleteYes there is a very big opening to the Pompeii Room, and one looks into it immediately entering the house. I enjoy the drama that good lighting can produce, so when someone who has never seen the room comes over in the evening, I put low lights on in the living room and high lights on in the dining room, also the backlit shelf. It's quite an inviting effect!
The small glass-fronted cabinet belonged to a friend of mine who stored it in my house for an extended period while he was overseas. At some point, it had been in my possession for so long, and I had grown so fond of it, that he agreed to sell it to me, for which I was very grateful.
It was a mid-19th-century cabinet maker's sample piece, and I imagine that it might have traveled around the country in the bed of a wagon. The glass doors open, close and lock, and below them are five little drawers that could serve for spices. Of course I enjoy it because it has the look of Neoclassic temple! It's missing two finials that rested above its columns, and I've been thinking of having new ones made in black, to give a Biedermeier look.
Dear Mark - the task you have set yourself appears to be a very difficult one, but I have every confidence that you will achieve the effect that you are aiming for.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to seeing the results of the first stage next week.
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteOf course, because there is no longer an arch in my room, whatever I will do will not readily translate as the top of a triumphal arch! So I should simply say that the sculptural detail of triumphal arches will just be the inspiration.
What a huge improvement to the room to remove those arches, Mark. I sold real estate for years and often encountered arches in houses built during the '30s and '40s. You remedied that situation beautifully. And I love that so much of the Pompeii room will be visible from the living room.
ReplyDeleteHi, Barbara,
DeleteMy house was erected in 1948 by a builder who did several others in the neighborhood. I've noticed that he tended to always take a (exterior) design that was classically symmetrical and then purposefully set an element off-balance. Maybe he considered that his signature, or perhaps he thought it was modern, but I wish I could have been at his side with a big stick!
Ha! Nothing worse than a builder with aspirations towards design! My sister has just bought a wonderful Prairie-style home in the Denver area but the builder got creative.....and she is now faced with three asymmetrical niches high above her fireplace which are driving her to distraction. My solution? Sheetrock over them!!!!
Delete. . . and that sounds like good advice.
DeleteI'm with Rosemary, Mark. Looking forward to see what you come up with. Always fun to see what you've been up to. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvette - It's about fun as much as anything else!
DeleteP.S. I have a painter for you to inspect, Mark: James Aponovich. His work reminded me instantly of one of the walls on your Pompeii room. See if you don't agree.
ReplyDeleteI'm flattered to be compared to James Aponovich! I looked him up, remembered his work from an earlier Web foray, and am happy to be reintroduced. I'd love to see his work in person.
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