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Friday, July 17, 2015

Pompeii No.57: Window Treatments


If you've been following the many installments of the Pompeii Room's evolution, you might remember that I painted the window frame at the very beginning.

I chose to begin there because it was the first thing that people entering the room would see. But I painted it loosely because I wanted to give a little momentum to the project. At the time, I said I'd return at a later date and add more detail. Well, that time is now.

I began by repainting the entire frame to better match the rest of the room's masonry. Now all the masonry is in the same color family, primarily a Sherwin Williams paint called Sand Dollar.

Here you can see the before and after. The original window frame was a light mustard yellow that I equated with sandstone, and as you can see, I've better delineated the torus that tops the window frame.

click to enlarge
My friend Sandy — who gives excellent critiques — thinks that the cobalt blue plaque makes the frame a little too top heavy, even if it will be getting an inscription. She's made a suggestion that I like, and so that blue will be replaced by my next posting.

You've undoubtedly noticed that in all my images of the Pompeii Room's window, I've masked the actual window with gray. That's because I've been bothered all along by a venetian blind, which quickly destroys the illusion I've been working hard to create.

Greek Revival America  |  Roger G. Kennedy  |  detail of a photograph by Robert Lautman
What I really wanted was a Roman grill like the image above. I drew plans of such a window and even consulted with a fine carpenter who's done other work on the house.

homedepot.com
I also looked into the possibility of using industrial grilles.

And then last week, while my house was being tented, I discovered this antique screen, originally hinged as a room divider. If you look closely, you might be able to see that by removing an X'd unit from the bottom of each panel, the fit will be almost perfect. I'm thrilled.

I hope you'll join me for the next installment!
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13 comments:

  1. what a lucky find!! Much better than the blinds -yah!

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  2. Hello Mark - the antique screen appears to be the perfect solution for your window and it even uses the same X design as your first illustration. Look forward to seeing it finished and in place.

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    1. I'm looking forward to it, too, Rosemary, because I'm already envisioning it completed! I'm thinking that the screen (or maybe I should call it a grille) will be painted the same green as my posting example, to give the effect of aged bronze.

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    2. A verdigris bronze effect would look stunning

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  3. Mark the antique screen is incredible,a great find!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Gratitude

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    1. Hello, Karena - The find, for me at least, solidifies the belief that we manifest experiences, objects and all manner of things in our life. That it should appear at this particular time is like a gift from the Universe.

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  4. Dear Mark, I agree with Sandy, the original blue was a bit overpowering. And how lucky can you be to have found that fabulous grille and how special that it is even the right size once you cut off the lower portion.
    Bronzing powders work wonders on metal. They come in many shades of copper, bronze and gold. All you have to do is mix with a binder and paint with a brush.

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    1. Dear Gina,

      Thank you for the suggestion of bronzing powders, an avenue I might have otherwise missed. At this point I'm pretty well settled on a bronze verdigris. Incidentally, did you know that "verdigris" comes from the Old French for "vert de Grece," or "green of Greece?" (I just looked it up.) Yes, I want the green of Greece!

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    2. Have you tried the 2-step verdigris that comes in bottles? It is available in most Craft stores. It is amazing for not only it's authentic look (because it actually uses copper) but it also works on many different surfaces, including plastic and best of all on metal.

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    3. I've used metallic acrylics, but never the 2-step verdigris. I'll definitely look into this, Gina — thanks!

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  5. What a find! I love those architectural grills. If you end up not using them, please let me know. Want those myself. Cheers

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    1. Hi, Loi,

      Yes, I can imagine that these would work very well with your own Gustavian antiques! Cheers.

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