Facelift: Middle Bedroom

The exterior project continues but when I got home from work yesterday, I found a sculpture had fallen off the dining room wall. I thought I had thoroughly considered everything I needed to do to prepare for the project but I missed taking down artwork that might get banged off walls from the outside. I have several pieces of artwork on shelves up in the middle bedroom that should come down for sure, but it reminds me I've never shown this room.

It may seem weird that this "middle" bedroom is accessed only through one of the other bedrooms and, although I've seen it before in old country farmhouses, I guess it is rather unusual. It does appear that there was an original doorway from the hallway into this bedroom but remember Jennie Ray who owned the house from 1897 to 1937, turned the upstairs into an apartment after her husband died around 1900. The "apartment" was accessed from the front bedroom. I would guess the front bedroom was probably a living room...

.and this middle room was probably a bedroom. The back room (now master bedroom) was the kitchen of the apartment. I can still see the outline of the old apron sink on the back wall of the master bedroom. But I can only guess how the three rooms were used for a family of four people as we saw in the census of 1910.

This room needed the least work. It was the only room in the entire house that had no wallpaper but was painted what I call "Virgin Mary Blue." I think everyone can envision that color. The brown wall-to-wall carpeting was ripped out to reveal white oak floors that were refinished by me just before moving in. The windows, which are really low on the wall, made the room feel very short. In the other upstairs rooms I just hung the curtains higher on the wall but there was something really sweet about the shelves over these windows so I decided to leave them.

This room is a now multi-purpose room that's my office, studio, gym and junk room.

And this is the room today. It's painted with Benjamin Moore "Bali" which feels like a nice vintage color that works with the turquoise I have in the two adjoining bedrooms. It also reminds me of etched beach glass. The trim is "Decorator's White." I've placed artwork and other pieces up on the shelves in lieu of curtains to bring your eye up higher in the room.

I've put some paintings, sculptures and a raku vessel on this shelf.

This is one of my favorite pieces, a sculpture by Truro (Cape Cod) artist Breon Dunigan titled "Hope Pipe."

On the other side I have a few other pieces including a pitcher of old, well-worn paint brushes that belonged to Provincetown artist Karl Knaths. (I can't afford a painting.)

But now all of these things need to come down for safety's sake.

This is my desk made of two file cabinets and a large door. I should paint it but I just haven't gotten around to it. All of my art supplies are in boxes under the desk.

Here's my elliptical trainer. Yes, it's a little dusty.

This is a closet which is packed with art books. It's most likely one of the original doors. It's pretty funky...

...but it has a great old glass knob from which I chipped many layers of paint and a neat old clasp that has worn away the door over the years.

Here's a view from this room into the front bedroom. I'll eventually close off this door to make a formal closet in the front bedroom. Off to the left, I have a large painting sitting on the floor and this is where I'll put a new door into this middle room. But for now I enjoy this view of all three rooms every morning when I get up.

And standing in the front bedroom, this is the view into the back bedroom.

So that's a tour of the middle "bedroom." It's not an exciting transformation but gives you a better idea of the upstairs.