topic Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE in Home

WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:59:19 GMT

Everything I've ever read about St. Helena, California sounds appealling, including its Victorian houses. Turreted ones especially.

Jay Jeffers is a designer whose clients had a Victorian there, but they preferred a more modern aesthetic inside.

What to do? The exterior was meticulously respected, and all the lovely interior architecture was retained, but with modern touches in furniture and accessories.

This stunning sitting room is my favorite. That pervasive blue, in a satiny finish, love. Complements the old tile in fireplace. But it's the mood of this little corner! Those distressed mirrors, the comfortable facing seating, the glinting bottles on the mantle along with an unusual array of candlesticks. The room exudes personality.

The brief for the house was also to include a lot of neutrals, with black-and-white a recurring theme. I like it here in the kitchen, which refreshingly, isn't huge. Also, the vintage-looking beadboard backsplash, the corner glass-fronted cupboard, and the modest-size island. Nothing overdone.

Caramel leather chairs in breakfast nook are contemporary, but comfortable. I actively dislike the spidery light fixture over this table below! Easy fix. But, the actual vintage architecture was respected throughout the house-- the wainscoting was all retained, and all the door frames in the house retain their original 19th century rosettes at the top, like on the door at the left of this image. There are also original transom windows over certain doors, too.

I'm guessing most people would like this big, square sun porch the best, (but my heart still belongs to that mysterious, almost 'Henry Jamesian' blue sitting room.) But gosh, this is a great indoor-outdoor space, one that is often hard to come by in Victorian houses--

Here you can see how the sun porch addition melds so seamlessly with the older architecture of the house, right down to the little suggestion of a cupola on top...

It's neat that Jay Jeffers shows how to preserve the bones and some of the spirit of 19th century houses, even for families who want to live in a modern way.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

grandma r — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:47:08 GMT

@Oznell , thanks for sharing. The home is lovely inside and out.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

QVCisFun — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 09:50:53 GMT

Do you know how they achieved that beautiful satiny sheen finish in the blue sitting room, whether it is a certain type of paint used or if it involves a technique, @Oznell ? I like the interior vintage architecture that was retained. Also like the exterior. Thanks.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Patriot3 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 13:35:42 GMT

So lovely......I love victorian homes.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

CANDLEQUEEN — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:22:00 GMT

This is so beautiful, thanks so much for sharing the pics! I love it!

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:23:32 GMT

@QVCisFun, I love that finish too, but at Jay Jeffers' site, they didn't identify the paint or the technique. At least, I couldn't find it. It might simply be the "satin" finish of a recognizable paint color, but I wish I knew!

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

tiny 2 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:02:50 GMT

@Oznell wrote:
@QVCisFun, I love that finish too, but at Jay Jeffers' site, they didn't identify the paint or the technique. At least, I couldn't find it. It might simply be the "satin" finish of a recognizable paint color, but I wish I knew!

@Oznell @QVCisFun

The paint is Benjamin Moore" Gentleman's Gray" described in the book as a blackened blue. Benjamin Moore descibes it as a blackened teal blue.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

DREAMON — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:52:06 GMT

I love the distressed mirrors, Sun Room, and Pool area.

The Sun Room is in need of a few tall leafy green plants.IMO

The kitchen is just OK for me.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

shoptilyadropagain — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:15:45 GMT

The house exterior is very well done! I'd have to change up the interior quite a bit. It appears that most really like the living room but that's my least favorite room of those posted. I don't care for the furnishings and that paint is coming off harsh to me.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:42:19 GMT

Wow, @tiny 2 ! Thank you for coming up with the name of the paint! I tend to love "blackened blues".

How did you find out? Do you have one of Jay Jeffers' decorating books?

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

tiny 2 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 21:04:45 GMT

@Oznell wrote:
Wow, @tiny 2 ! Thank you for coming up with the name of the paint! I tend to love "blackened blues".

How did you find out? Do you have one of Jay Jeffers' decorating books?

@Oznell,

Just sleuthing around lol. I found the photo then the book and there was a little description by the photo that stated the paint color.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

QVCisFun — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 22:17:40 GMT

@tiny 2 Thank you for the information, much appreciated! Thank you also @Oznell .

I just came back from a journey through rabbit holes of articles and youtube videos, about paint characteristics. Learned something about fire hydrants. One youtube person (Paint Sheen Differences Explained in 5 Minutes, a youtube video by Practical Painting) said that high gloss paint is not as common for interiors but is really common for exteriors, where like an industrial high gloss paint is used for fire hydrants where it will be noticeable and hold up in weather.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 13:30:25 GMT

@QVCisFun, you have delved into such an engrossing topic-- paint finishes. They can make such a difference! Sometimes I really like interior high gloss finishes, the "lacquered" look, which is difficult to achieve perfectly, but in certain high concept rooms can be so striking. Love Venetian plaster look.

More often, I like matte finishes, which of course show marks fairly readily The in-beween finishes, like that satin one in the blue living room, in the right space, are so effective, and, to me, almost "mysterious"....

Do you like a room that has matte or eggshell walls, and then, gloss on trim, that is all the same paint color, just the two different finishes? I find that look appealing.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Sunshine Kate — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 13:36:51 GMT

@QVCisFun wrote:
Do you know how they achieved that beautiful satiny sheen finish in the blue sitting room, whether it is a certain type of paint used or if it involves a technique, @Oznell ? I like the interior vintage architecture that was retained. Also like the exterior. Thanks.

The beautiful blue fireplace was painted with satin finish paint. I use that finish in my home also.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 13:42:53 GMT

Love hearing from another satin-finish fan, @Sunshine Kate ! In the right application, it has such a sophisticated, intrigueing effect....

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wilma — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 14:24:26 GMT

I love the exterior architecture and the porch. I like most of the rooms, but would need to add some color to the neutral kitchen & sunroom. My least favorite space is the blue room. The color is fine for accents in pillows or accessories, but I'd prefer a much lighter wall color.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

QVCisFun — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 09:04:56 GMT

@Oznell wrote:
@QVCisFun, you have delved into such an engrossing topic-- paint finishes. They can make such a difference! Sometimes I really like interior high gloss finishes, the "lacquered" look, which is difficult to achieve perfectly, but in certain high concept rooms can be so striking. Love Venetian plaster look.

More often, I like matte finishes, which of course show marks fairly readily The in-beween finishes, like that satin one in the blue living room, in the right space, are so effective, and, to me, almost "mysterious"....

Do you like a room that has matte or eggshell walls, and then, gloss on trim, that is all the same paint color, just the two different finishes? I find that look appealing.

@Oznell

Yes, I like a room that has matte or eggshell walls, and then, gloss on trim, that is all the same paint color, just the two different finishes. That is what we have in all of our rooms (neutral warm white matte walls and ceilings, and semi-gloss on trim), except it is all gloss (no matte) in the bathrooms and kitchen.

I like the Venetian plaster look. I also discovered I like the lacquered look, as you had shown in one of your discussion threads (Fred Astaire's Park Avenue Apartment). I actually like lots of looks for interiors even though I wouldn't necessarily do them in my home. Paint is complicated, lots of variables that can make choosing the right one a bit overwhelming (and with an end result that might still look nothing like how we imagined/hoped it would look from just a sample), especially when having to factor in if it will work with the already existing drapes, furniture, floors, carpets, tile, artwork. . . . So sticking with a warm white neutral has worked well for us to keep the results simple, as expected, innocuous, and pleasant.

I enjoy seeing the different looks as shown in the many discussion threads and elsewhere, learn lots of new terms, techniques, get ideas, see some beautiful outcomes, even if only to appreciate just certain parts of the whole. For example, I'm not too fond of that blue sitting room as a whole as it is too dark looking to me, but I love the way the light reflects off of the blue satin sheen paint, it is gorgeous.

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

QVCisFun — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 09:17:22 GMT

@Sunshine Kate wrote:
@QVCisFun wrote:
Do you know how they achieved that beautiful satiny sheen finish in the blue sitting room, whether it is a certain type of paint used or if it involves a technique, @Oznell ? I like the interior vintage architecture that was retained. Also like the exterior. Thanks.

The beautiful blue fireplace was painted with satin finish paint. I use that finish in my home also.

@Sunshine Kate Thank you. The satin finish paint is a beautiful look!

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

Oznell — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 14:08:15 GMT

So true, @QVCisFun , about the sometimes wildly unpredictable nature of paint. And like anything that involves color, there are ever-present psychological factors to be figured in to the equation too. Thanks for taking the time to give some of your interesting takes.

In our house, although certain key rooms have color on the walls, like you, I have some with warm white walls which I love. As long as it's not 'stark' bright white, soft white is, to me, classic and versatile...

Re: WINE COUNTRY HOUSE

just bee — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 14:35:31 GMT

I chose my university partly based on the number of Victorians and Queen Annes around it.

The problem with many of these homes is that they can be cramped and dark to the point of depressing.

I like the modern twist here and the attempt to bring in the light. It allows us to see the beauty of the house's "bones."