Renovations and a look at things to come...

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well. I know I say this all the time,  but thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment on my last post. You're feedback is always much appreciated. I decided to post today because we are starting real life renovations again...hopefully these will be the last, and it might be a while before I can work on my miniatures again, but I wanted to show you what was done in the last month and what is to come...

Before I go on, I just wanted to thank all of you who were sending positive thoughts our way. It worked! On September 13th at 4:02 pm, my husband Jo and I were told by our social workers that we were accepted and are officially on the adoption waiting list. It might take weeks, it might take years, but the next time we get a call from them should  be to tell us they have a match and we are going to be dads. Once again, thank you for your wonderful kindness and support!

Back to miniatures. Once again, this is what happens when I am left to my own devices. Here is a picture of the manor 3 weeks ago...

And here it is today

It now measures 10 feet 4 inches (315cm). In the picture the new south wing is in place (the section on the right). The cardboard boxes are to show the unbuilt section that will house the food preparation room and the banquet hall which will have a table for 20 people.

I removed the small section which was on the left of the manor which housed the breakfast room and built a new 3 storey North wing.

The wing will house a new breakfast room, a study for the countess and the gabled attic area will be a linen or clothes closet which opens into the sewing room. Since it will be a while before my next post, here are the plans for the new rooms:

Kitchen

I loved the old kitchen, but there just wasn't enough cooking surfaces. I added on to the structure so it will be 6 inches deeper, making the kitchen 20 x 30 inches (50 x 76 cm).

Here is the kitchen before...

And here are the plans for after

The left side will have a new chimney based on the ones that were in Chatsworth house

It will be finished to look like stone and will house a 10 inch ''cast iron'' cooking range. The foamcore model in the picture is actually  1 1/2  inches smaller then my final plan. The old kitchen had a fake door on the back wall, but in the pictures you can see the new kitchen has a real opening which means you will be able to look into the Tudor hall. Next to the door I drew a square that will be a dumb waiter leading to the 3d floor for the banquet hall and the basement for the new scullery. The windows will also be larger so more natural light will make it easier for the staff to work in.

The left wall will have a matching chimney with a roasting range, complete with smoke-jack, and wall ovens for baking. I love built ins, so I incorporated 3 arched openings in  the walls. The back one will be the butlers pantry, the one to the left of the chimney will house a 6 inch wide by 5 inch tall ice box, and the one to the right of the chimney will have cabinets and shelves to display my copperware collection. The finishes in the room will remain very similar to the style of the old kitchen.

Breakfast room

I also loved this room, but the problem with the old breakfast room was that it was just too tight. It was originally intended to be a loggia, but as a breakfast room for a family of 6 there was no way to move around the table.

The new breakfast room will a bigger version of the room.

It will be finished to look like walnut paneling and have black chinoiserie lacquer panels on the center of the back wall and over the doorcases. Above the fireplace will be a large mirror and since the room is 2 inches taller, the windows will let in more light and will have gold silk curtains that match the tablecloth.

Countess' bedroom

I have made this room over several times and still am not happy....I know, I said I was when I last renovated it...I changed my mind!

Since it is above the kitchen it will also be bigger. However, 20 x 30 inches seemed too big compared to the other bedrooms, so I decided to add closets at the back of the room

There will be a closet on each side of the entrance to the room. I will build shelves so when you look into the door opening you will be able to see the boxes of clothes and ladies items I have purchased. The new fireplace will be in between the windows.

The bed will now be centered on the other wall facing the fireplace. I think the lack of symmetry in the room was what most bothered me. The door on the left of the bed leads to the earl's bedroom, and the one on the right leads to the countess's study. The room will be white paneling and have green fabric panels. Luckily, when I destroyed the room, I was able to save the floor with the medallion. The room is 6 inches deeper, but since I made the closets 6 inches deep as well the floor will work perfectly in the new room. Yay!

Countess' study

The new room above the breakfast room will be a study for lady Dewel . It might be finished to match the countess' bedroom, but I have not yet committed to that idea. The doorways and window openings in the countess' suite will be bigger then the cutouts, but I needed to have an idea where they will be when I cut the illustration board wall panels.

Ballroom floor

I wanted to start work on the ballroom floor as soon as the library was finished, but choosing a design for the floor has been my biggest floor challenge to date. After much thought and dozens of drawings, I have decided to make one huge medallion in the center of the room.

Mu ruler is in the picture to give you an idea of the space. The room is fairly simple esthetically and most floor ideas I had were too busy. I think the one huge medallion with a simpler fill around it will work best.

And that is all on my end. Jo and I will be going on holiday at the end of the month...most likely our last before we will be papa and daddy (it is important to us that our baby speaks French, English and Italian) so I will not be commenting on your blogs at that time.

I wish you all the best and once again thank you for following my adventures. I have several new followers and I must apologize if I am not following some of them. I used to be able to click on their picture and find their blogs, but lately blogger won't let me do that anymore. If you leave me a message in the comment section with your blog address, I would love to follow your adventures as well.

A great big hug to all

Giac