Dollhouse Blogs

Saturday 1 May 2021

The Banquet Hall

 

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are all doing well. I am still waiting on some candelabra for the table, but since it has been a while since my last post, I thought it was time to present the banquet hall to you.







The room measures 24 inches wide, 39 inches deep and 18 1/2 inches high. The design was inspired by my favourite architect, Robert Adam.  The colour palette was inspired by winter. The blues remind of nice winter days, and the metallic platinum paint I highlighted the details with makes me think of ice. The white was perfect to make the architectural elements pop out.

The walls

My original plans were for a room 21.5 inches high, but the proportions of my drawings looked a bit off to me



I decided to remove the 3 inches below the pilasters. I emailed Sue Cook and she was kind enough to send me pictured of the plaster pieces as per my drawings.



When the plans were finalized I cut the openings into the MDF and covered the walls in 2 layers of Illustration board. The reason I used 2 layers is because I needed the first one to give me the depth I needed for the niches I was going to use, and the second layer I cut out openings for the plaster plaques that went over the frieze. I thought gluing them right onto the walls would make them stick out to much and take away from the realism of the room.



The darker blue circles at the top of the room are rectangular boxes in which I will put busts.

I don't have great tools for cutting 5/8 mdf, so I used plaster filler in the curved openings of the 8 arches in the room which I sanded smooth



I also used illustration board on the ceiling with a cut-out for the plasterwork. I painted the whole room in a pale blue.



Then I glued on all the pre-painted plasterwork onto the walls. Each piece got 3 coats of dark blue, 3 coats of white, and 2 coats of platinum, then touch ups.



The doors are illustration board,  basewood mouldings and Plexiglas. I faux finished them darker than most of the warm woodwork in the manor so they would stand out better!

 

The ceiling

I used the paint app. on my computer and copy/ pasted images from Sue Cook's website to create the ceiling, and I also had a dry run to see it live. I was happy with the effect!




The different pieces were not all the same thickness. When the time came to glue them, it involved a lot of sanding and using thin cardboard to get every piece to the right depth. It was not really difficult and was faster than I thought.



To fill any gaps and cover any inconsistencies in depth I used a simple moulding strip to frame the plasterwork. The 2 chandeliers are Olivias from the Getzans. I was originally going to paint the ceiling plasterwork the darker blue, but I thought that would make the ceiling look to heavy, not light and airy which was my hope.



The floor

I decided early on to have a stone floor in this room. Wood just felt wrong , not to mention I have had my full of making parquet wood floors. I drew up a plan which reflected the areas of the ceiling (you can compare it with the ceiling plan earlier in the post



I covered the illustration board subfloor with 3 coats of acrylic Gesso which I sanded down and covered in a sand grey paint. Even though the theme is Adam winter, I still needed to warm the room up somehow. I then made templates using thin cardboard to help me paint the dark grey areas. When that was done I used a sculpting tool to score the individual tiles and then covered 6 inch sections at a time with spackle I wiped of immediately for grout. I glued it down using books and weights.





 The furniture

It has often been difficult to find furniture that is the right scale for the manor, so in this room I decided to make it myself except for the chairs.



 

The table

The table was made from leftover MDF and turned wood pieces I had left over. It measure 6 inches wide and 21 inches long.  The first picture shows how I used the drill to create the curved parts of the bottom of the feet before I cut each one out.



I then glued the feet, filled any imperfections with spackle and sanded everything smooth. then faux finished it with a yellow base coat and created my usual faux walnut finish with oil paints that match the doors and windows of the room.




The table top was 2 pieces of MDF glued together. I applied coats of gesso and sanded about 5 times to get a smooth finish, but the faux-finish looked terrible and showed the separate pieces the table top was made from, so I ordered 1/32 inch thick basewood to cover it.





The basewood had a nice grain to it, so I cut the pieces at an angle to create a pattern. I did not use a yellow basecoat, I just covered it with the oil paint and liquin mix which I wiped off with paper towels after 3 minutes.

The Chairs

The chairs were Chrysnbon Victorian chair kits I assembled, faux-finished and upholstered using a fabric from Les Chinoiseries...all 20 of them!



The sideboards, cutlery urns and server



I made these out of leftover bits and pieces I had. The hardest part was the rounded faux drawers. I cut the tops and bottoms of each one and curved a thin piece of basewood over the front, then glued a basewood molding over that to create the detailed front




The side pieces are illustration board boxes topped with upside down crown moulding. I faux finished it with the yellow base and oil-liquin mix, but the tops and panels were the same as the table top so the grain would show.



The cutlery urns were impossible to find, so I purchases wood finials. I do not have a lathe, so I put the bottom into my drill and as I held down the button of the drill to make it turn I used sandpaper, files and a saw to cut off the top, make the rounded section where I put the keyhole less round, and I made the base thinner. I used the paint on-wipe off technique again to make the grain stand out.



The keyholes on the urn are from Le Mini di Pierluigi, and the pineapple finials on the top are by Sue Cook. I painted them and the base of the urns using the yellow base coat first to contrast with the central part of the urns.



I also made a smaller server for the back of the room. Same techniques, just a little bit simpler.



And here is the furniture in place





As I mentioned I am waiting on candelabra from Jens Torp  for the table. All the rest of the silver in the room is by Pete Acquisto. I am also waiting on some decanters by Gerd Felka for the server. I would love to set the table one day, but 20 place settings including plates, glassware, flatware and cutlery is not my budget priority right now.

And that is the banquet hall my friends. Here are a few empty room pictures for your enjoyment:











That was the last of the big rooms of the house. I have been working on remodelling and completing other rooms and will post about them soon.  Until then I thank you all for your support my friends. I hope you all stay well, healthy, and happy.

Big hugs,

Giac

31 comments:

  1. Oh, Giac - how absolutely stunning!!! The architectural details are beautiful and, of course, so expertly done. The furniture? Oh, my goodness, you have outdone yourself. Not only was this a really big job, the finished pieces are outstanding! I really love the two curved sideboards and your solution for the urns was brilliant. You certainly set a very high bar for us to reach and I doubt I have enough years left in me to ever learn to produce work of such quality so I will continue to get my joy from seeing the exquisite pieces you turn out. Simply amazing! Big hugs! - Marilyn D.

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  2. Oh it is soooo gorgeous! The detail is just amazing... I love the little niches and all of the plasterwork is so perfectly proportioned to the room.

    You constantly amaze me with your talent for artwork and your eye for detail.

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  3. Once again I'm absolutely awed by your phenomenal work. Thank you for explaining and sharing your stunning work with detailed photos.
    Hugs, Drora

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  4. Hi Giac,

    Wowww deze feestzaal is ADEMBENEMEND mooi geworden.
    Wat een enorme grote klus is dit geweest. Met veel
    bewondering heb ik alles bewonderd en gelezen.
    De spirit die jij bij al je werk laat zien is SUPER.
    Je gaat door en door net zolang totdat het helemaal
    naar je zin is en met minder neem je geen genoegen.
    Door die kracht krijgen al jou uitwerkingen de
    allermooiste resultaten, bewonderingswaardig.

    Wens je alle goeds toe,
    veel liefs,
    Josephine
    🍀🍀🍀

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  5. Wow what an epic achievement Giac, looks fabulous and so well done!

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  6. Giac,nuevamente nos asombras con un trabajo pulido, perfecto, inmejorable e impresionante!! Cada detalle es un lujo para la visión, tu forma de trabajar es tan firme y exacta que es muy difícil intentar siquiera emularte!
    Muchísimas felicidades por tu trabajo y por poder disfrutar de él!!
    Besos.

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  7. WOW ! Cette salle est une merveille!
    Giac, que ce soit pour les murs, le sol, le plafond ton travail est remarquable !
    Pour la table et autres meubles, là aussi tu as fait un superbe travail.
    Toutes mes félicitations, tout est magnifique !

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  8. Your room is absolutely amazing, what stunning work.
    Geneviève

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  9. As usual phenomenal work Giac, and what great achievement. Impressive work.
    Stay safe, take care, dear Giac.
    Hugs, Ilona

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  10. Dear Giac, the banquet hall is breathtakingly exquisite!!!
    All the planning and careful attention to details is simply awe-inspiring. What a great idea to 'layer' the walls to be able to insert the plagues and avoid it looking 'clunky'.
    Best,
    Anna X

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  11. Terrific! Everything is perfect.

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  12. It is always fascinating to see how another room comes to life and to learn about the visions, the plans and work that went into it. The color scheme you've used is beautiful - and although you had winter in mind it appears warm and inviting. I'm in awe with the platin accents so neatly painted at the reliefs. But most of all I admire the finished look of the table and the rest of the furniture. It looks incredible - nobody would ever believe that this is "just" basewood! Wonderful work as always, I really enjoyed the building process of this room.

    Hugs
    Birgit

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  13. It all looks amazing. I admire you for your patience in creating a wonderful interior. I am delighted.
    I wish you all the best and good health.

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  14. Your work never fails to Astound and Impress, my friend! What a GIFT you have and how it continues to refine itself an grows, however I still don't think that your new banquet hall is big enough to seat ALL of your many mini friends, so you may have to build a few more! ❤️

    elizabeth

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  15. What a magnificent room! Your work, once again, leaves me in AWE. I love the colour scheme, I find it elegant yet warm. Your attention to detail is impressive and the furniture is just wonderful.

    Hugs.

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  16. No tengo palabras para definir lo impresionante que es esta habitación.
    Lujosa, preciosa, maravillosa.......

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  17. Absolutely incredible work, Giac, and such ingenuity bravery to make your own furnishings! The room is palatial, and I love the cool palette and warm wood tones together. Can't wait to see what else you've been creating!

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  18. ¡La composición y cada uno de los detalles es una maravilla! Impresionante la construcción de la mesa y del resto de los muebles.

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  19. Met verwondering weer al je creaties bekeken en van genoten. Prachtig tot in e details afgewerkt. Prachtige feestzaal.

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  20. ¡¡Impresionante!!
    Como de costumbre has cuidado cada detalle. Todo es magnifico.
    Bienvenido de nuevo y ya estoy impaciente por ver el resto de las estancias.
    Un abrazo

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  21. Hi Giac. Beautiful work on the banquet hall as usual - it is suitably grand and impressive! The Chrysnbon chairs are finished beautifully and really work for this room! They are such versatile little kits. And good to see you still creating. Sending hugs.

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  22. Hi Giac! I am glad to see the amazing work you have been doing! The scale of this room has me speechless! And such beautiful proportions too! You were right to change the original design, to streamline the variety and layers. It has a purity and grace that is beautiful! I just can't quite comprehend the dimensions! LOL! Your Manor is surely the Grandest one in mini-land and every change and upgrade you make adds to the amazing and brilliant design you are creating! I am always amazed and astonished and (almost) speechless to see the latest work you are doing! Please keep making minis! (Creating is good for the soul...):)

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  23. I forgot to add... nobody would Ever think this was a miniature room!!! It is truly Astonishing! :)

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  24. Hi Giac,

    The Banquetting Hall is a trully grand affair. What a wonderful room. Robert Adam could mistake it for one of his own designs, and that is truly meant as a compliment.
    I almost wish I could add a room of this caliber to my Huis ter Swinnendael, but I lack the room for it.

    Amazing!

    Sigh... :-)

    Huibrecht

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  25. As always, Giac, your work is stunning. Looking at the pictures I feel overwhelmed and I think my own work is quite primitive. That doesn't detract from my pleasure in any way, I just realize all the more how talented you are!
    I love the stone floor and I agree, we've seen enough parquet for a while. Trying a different technique here was an excellent idea and it turned out very well.
    Cutlery urns, I had no idea what that was and first had to read it up to educate myself. Thank you, I've learned something.
    It is wonderful that you are continuing work on your house and I look forward to seeing the other rooms. I wish you many hours of happy tinkering, and that you stay healthy and find contentment in what you do.

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  26. The respect that I have for your work deepens with each of the rooms you design and create. The thought and hours of work that go into each area of the manor house is admirable and the rooms that are the result of this thought and work are stunningly beautiful. Your work is always inspirational! Thank you for sharing so much of your talent and heart with us...it is so very much admired and appreciated. With warm thoughts, Alayne

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  27. Tú trabajo siempre es maravilloso y sorprendente. Enhorabuena una vez más artista. Besos

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  28. That is amazing! I think I drooled on my keyboard looking at those pictures! That table is stunning and I cannot believe that you made all 20 chairs and the urns: so much detail work everywhere! And that blue on the walls is a lovely shade of blue and the columns with the touch of white and silver is precious! I'm simply in awe of your work!

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  29. Esperando que estéis bien de salud, solo paso a desearos que tengáis dulces y tranquilos días.
    Un abrazo

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  30. Wonderful work. Congratulations

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