Saturday, November 26, 2011

A House Transformed for Christmas.


This is my favorite house in Pike County,Missouri. Home of Haines and Marilyn Moss.It is an 1861 Italian Villa style.
   

     Two of my Dearest friends and Neighbors, are Haines and Marilyn Moss. They live 9 miles up the road in Louisiana,Mo. In 2008, when the Mississippi River flooded and threatened to take, My Old Historic House,Haines worked endlessly helping me fight, to save it. He spent many nights, all night long, setting  up with me, watching pumps. This kind of friendship is hard to find and it meant the world to me.
     Before I bought, My Old Historic House, I was looking for an old historic house to buy. My favorite house was one I could not afford. The price was way over my head and the cost of maintaining it would have been more than I could ever handle. This house was bought by my friends,Haines and Marilyn, even though I did not really know them at this time. They had an Antique shop in Louisiana and of course, I had to go in often and look and buy stuff.. I never could resist an antique shop. Haines  sister, Nancy, also had an antique shop in Louisiana. I got to know her from the shop, but gained more of a friendship when I was having an estate sale,before I bought my house. I had a small cottage in Clarksville, where I spent the weekends. I had to sell it, in order to buy my big old historic house. The cottage was decorated kinda country, shabby and cottage like. I did not want to decorate the new house that way, so I had a sale to sell  that stuff. Nancy came, bought truck loads, in fact she made a couple of trips. We became friends and then I meet Haines and Marilyn through her. One thing we all have in common, besides a love of antiques, is that  we all have big old historic houses. After that, the rest is history, and we all have been the best of friends ever since.Marilyn often comes and gives me a hand when I have tours. She looks so beautiful in her Ante- Bellum ball gowns.



This is my beautiful friend Marilyn, who so generously helps me when I have tours of, My Old Historic House.



This is my friend Haines

    Haine's and Marilyn's house is an 1860 Italian Villa with a tower. It is painted brick and has beautiful double arched windows.  The roof is very low hipped, which makes it appear flat, the designer did not want the roof to take away from the houses detail. The over hangs are beautiful and look like trim on a wedding cake, as the lintels and brackets are so big and massive. The inside of the house is just as wonderful. It features a double entrance hall. The second hall has a wonderful flying curved staircase, sweeping up two floors with no supports visible. The house has 11 fireplaces and each interior window has the original shutters. The ball room has two fireplaces and has the most amazing plaster work details on the ceiling. The ceilings on the first floor are 12 feet tall and 14 feet on the second. Original hand grained woodwork is in tact in most of the rooms. It is a real masterpiece.


My Bestest., Nancy - Haines sister. We antique shop together all the time.

  My friends have lived in the house now awhile and Marilyn thought it was time for a make over. What better time to do it than Christmas. At the same time ,she wanted to decorate the house for the Holidays. When they moved into this house they brought there furniture and things, that they had in there former house ,with them. They really never bought to much, just for this house. Most of there furnishings were antique and ranged in many styles. They were all with in the right age limits for this house. Some being from the late 19th century and others from the early 20th century. To make all this take place in a timely manner, Haines and Marilyn set dates for a couple of Christmas parties. Marilyn called me and asked me if I would help. Of course I said yes, I love them, love the house and  I just had to do it.
    I know- I know- they both might have been a little sorry they asked me to help. I am a mess, I will be the first to admit it. I never seem to be the one to take the easy road., it is the long way or no way. So I think I got,well I know I did,carried away and moved 90 percent of the things on there first floor. Oh boy, what did I do? I think it was worth it in the long run. Of course ,I  would think that. But to see Marilyn's beautiful happy face, made it all worth while.
      We used mostly what they had. We did add 2 rolls of red satin floral ribbon and some new little white lights and a few green garlands. All there Christmas decorations from the past were brought out and I sorted through them to see what I wanted to use. A few things meant a lot to them, so I made an effort to put them in prime spots. Marilyn had already decorated a beautiful 10 foot tree, it was full of  wonderful vintage and favorite family ornaments. It was the one thing that Haines had asked that we did not change or move.
   Furniture  from the parlor was put into the dining room. Furniture from the dining room was used in the ballroom. Some of the ballroom furniture was used in the parlor. The parlor took on more of a library look as I placed a oak antique library table in the middle of the room. The huge entrance hall was one of my biggest challenges. Having no where else to store furniture, meant that it all had to be used. I wanted to blend styles and balance scale. Big rooms with tall ceilings are easy, but smaller rooms with tall ceilings, are not. These rooms require tall pieces with some weight to make the space work. Another thing I worked on was the lighting. I feel it is very important to balance a room with points of light. Most rooms, except maybe a dining room, relay on lamps for lighting, instead of an over head chandelier. Any time you use a room in the dark evening, it is very important that you can see, yet not blind yourself ,from  one point to the other. So we moved lamps, changed wattage and added a few lamps . The final test is to turn them all on and walk and set around the room, and see how balanced it is. I think we did a pretty good job with this challenge.


The beautiful ball room ceiling with the elaborate plaster work.

    Four fireplaces were decorated for Christmas. I moved everything off each one of them and started from scratch. Marilyn loves her pretty things, and wants them all out where she can see them. This is not a bad thing, except when you add a bunch of Christmas decorations, you have to wonder which ones to look at first. Thinking about what might have been available in the middle 1800's I thought of greenery, sticks and ornaments. We had to do the decorating early and leave it for two parties, so we chose to use the fake greenery. I went on a hunting trip, armed with my snipers and returned with a big pile of beautiful ,bear, tree limps. These limbs became a common theme and were used in all the rooms. And they were free. On  the parlor (library) mantle I places a tall mantle clock, that was on the family room mantle on the second floor. I also added a beautiful red satin glass gone with the wind lamp. When lite, it makes the most wonderful red glow about that room. I added books,a brass skaters lantern,brass candlesticks, a pair of ceramic quail and a dancing black doll . Marilyn had some beautiful floral garlands, I think they were a gift from her daughter, that she used on all four of the first floor fireplaces. They were special to her, so I wanted to incorporate them into my design.I added my sticks, green garlands, white light, re -arranged the floral garlands and the mantle was transformed for Christmas. One tip, I cut small pieces of the garland and wrapped around the bare tree limbs and it gave them a feeling of being pine limbs. Again costing nothing. To top it all off, I added some red satin bows.
  You have to realize ,that all the furniture, that is now in the parlor (library), was once in the  ball room. So we then moved to the ballroom, for our next big challenge and transformation. There are two items  in the ballroom that are both magnificent. One is a Victorian Brides Dome and the other is, a impressive  Rosewood Etagere.The wedding dome was setting on the etagere . The two best things, right there together. One was fighting the other for importance. My goal was to move them apart and highlight each one. I found a sofa table in the dining room,it was moved to the ballroom and used as a console. I placed  the wedding dome on it, under a pair of arched windows and put a pair of crystal lamps on each side of it. It was such a transformation,I felt like doing a cart wheel. The dome was highlighted  and  it made the statement, just as it was intended to do. I found several bisque statues of children, all over the house, and I used them to accessorize the etagere. But, the crowning glory was the massive floral  arrangement ,I did atop the etagere, with sticks, greenery and bows. This made this wonderful piece of furniture now seem to be, the best thing in the room, which it was. The double mantles in this room were garlanded, lite and decorated with sticks,ornaments with a musical theme and a nativity.All the furniture was pulled forward, accessories were chosen and placed, and the ballroom transformation was complete.

The Wedding Dome.





The Rosewood Etagere 

     Moving on to the entrance hall was our next project. This is such a beautiful space. It has not only one of the most beautiful staircases in the world, but also, one of the biggest and most impressive mirrors, I have ever seen. It is a piece, that would make you think about robbing a bank to own. It came with the house. It is 12 foot tall and 6 foot across and made from  rosewood. It has a small marble topped shelf down at the bottom. Because of the size of the mirror and the size of the shelf, it creates a problem with what to put on the shelf. I found a large blue oriental vase, about 3 foot tall ,and within a few minutes ,I had created a big impressive floral arrangement. Again I used my free sticks, some greenery garlands, peacock feathers and some silk floral vines that Marilyn had in a flower pot. As I mentioned  before ,I was not to touch the Christmas tree, but, after asking permission, I was granted the use of 4 beautiful peacock ornaments from the tree. They added a little glitz and it is amazing how the catch the light and change colors. Some of Haines's favorite Christmas items were displayed on a large china cabinet. A love seat that was used in the ballroom, was moved in the hall. The area under the stairs was not quite up to par. So we added a skirted round table, a feather tree, some candles and the three kings, that were hand made by Marilyn's mother, many years ago.The stairs were garlanded and lite and the grand entrance hall was complete. Another transformation done.
     The dinning room is the last room, in our makeover- transformation. This room is where all the old Christmas decorations were placed, till we could see what we wanted to use. Also the place we put everything else we did not use in the other rooms. So,our  work was cut out for us. After sorting, storing and cleaning up, we were ready to do our magic on this space.  On the fireplace in this room , there is a beautiful three piece German  Dresden mantle set, composed of a pair of candlelabra  and a compote . Above the mantle was a gold mirror. We left all these and I placed green garland across the mantle and up the mirror, swagged across and back down. Small white lights were again added to the greenery and the floral garland below. Three bright red ornaments were hung from the top of the mirror along with satin bows and a few more red ornaments. This mantle has a complete different look from the other three, but is still very elegant.   Marilyn plans on serving deserts and Hors D 'oeuvres  on the dining room table.  We placed a side table beside the   fireplace, to serve the drinks from. These tables need to be pretty free from clutter, as they will be actually used.To finish the dining room transformation we added a white damask table cloth to the floor.Down the center I used some red velvet yardage, tied at each end with some beautiful red silk tassels.I used the red satin floral ribbon to adorn the tables four corners.Streamers were taken from each corner to the arms of the crystal chandelier above. The finishing touches were pretty red satin bows.  The side table was skirted and a favorite brass candle holder was used as a point of light.Marilyn and I picked out several pretty antique serving pieces, including a big cut glass punch bowl, there will actually be used for food at the party. With all this in place, the dining room had been transformed as well.
    Now, all that is left is wait till the big date when the party will take place. WE had everything cleaned up and in it's place, so I could take some pictures to share with you. I am so happy that Haines and Marilyn agreed to let me do this blog. I am so happy to be able to share this beautiful home with all of you. What better way to start the Holiday season with a festive house tour.
   Please drop by for a look, and don't forget to leave your comments. I am so excited to hear from you all. I am sure I could arrange a personal tour, just let me know. HAVE FUN!!!



WELCOME TO THE MOSS HOUSE, CHRISTMAS TRANSFORMATION.

BEFORE: This is the parlor (library) before we started the transformation. Marilyn already had the beautiful 10 foot Christmas tree. Be sure and notice the furniture as it is now, and in the after picture it will all be different. 

 AFTER: This is the parlor (library) after the transformation. Furniture from the ball room was brought into the room while this furniture was used in the dining room.

The parlor (library) mantle transformed for Christmas

This beautiful, large antiqur sofa used to be in the ball room. I thought it was very manly and would look nice in this room.

This antique hanging lamp was found in a storage room. We needed a point of light here and there was no room for a table and lamp, so this was our solution. It is so beautiful and so sad it was  not on display.

I added a lot of books to the mantle transformation.

This antique red satin glass, Gone with Wind Lamp , cast a nice soft glow about the room. Not usually found on a mantle, but seems to work here.

These pink creatures are some of Haines and Marilyn's favorite things. I just love them in this flock .


This library table was brought in from the dining room. Books, miniature oil lamps and  another Gone With the wind lamp completes the look.

This piece belonged to Haine's mother and it was a favorite of hers.

Some of the vintage and  family Christmas ornaments. I was given strict orders not to touch or move this tree, It is a beauty.





BEFORE: The ballroom when we started the Christmas transformation.

BEFORE:  The ballroom showing the rosewood etagere and wedding dome.



AFTER: The ballroom after the Christmas Transformation.






AFTER: Ballroom Etagere transformed for Christmas.


Ballroom with furniture re-arranged.


The new placement of the wedding dome.

One of the two ball room fireplace mantles. Both are decorated with  Nativity pieces.


A pair of Lambrequens were hand made by one of  Marilyn's friends.


This is a favorite piece.




This is one of many antique Chandler prints found in the ballroom, I thought this winter scene was a nice background for Christmas decorations.

Another beautiful hand pained Gone With the Wind oil lamp in the ballroom.



 BEFORE: Grand Entrance hall, notice the furniture under the stairs.


  AFTER:  Grand entrance hall after the Christmas transformation.


We moved everything from under the stairs and added a skirted table. Three Kings hand made by Marilyn's Mother many years ago were placed under an antique feather tree.

These items are some of Haine's favorite.


These peacocks were  from Marilyn's tree.


Here you can get an ideal how big and grand this rosewood mirror in the entrance hall is. It is 12 foot tall and 6 foot across. I added an arrangement of sticks, pine and peacock feathers to a three foot tall oriental vase.

Antique dolls in an old wicker sled.


We garlanded the stairs and added colored lights and bows.




The tapestry was here, I moved this gold velvet love seat from the ballroom into here.



Even the antique hall tree in the entrance hall is all decked out for Christmas.





BEFORE: This is the dining room as it looked when we started.


The dining room mantle transformed for Christmas

The dining room table ready for the party.




The floral garlands were a gift to Marilyn from her daughter.



Haines and Marilyn in there newly transformed parlor (library.)

53 comments:

Barbara F. said...

Wow, this post was unreal! I can see why you guys are besties. Beautiful home, over the top decorating! Love it. xo

Curtains in My Tree said...

Oh My gosh where do I start???

I love it ALL !!!

love seeing the wedding dome again and love how the furniture is pulled out in the ballroom. I love the etagere arranged
The Grand entrance is so elegant

love the feather tree under the staircase

The antique china dolls in the old buggy.
Oh And the dinning room is a party waiting on quests. Love the buffett . There is nothing I don't like just over the top gorgeous, and to think I spent two lovely nights in the grand house ( lucky me)
Richard your talent really shows. I am going to look around again and may be back with another comment . How about that great picture of Marilyn and Haines ? what a sweet couple. and I know they love everything you did & Nancy

Pamela Gordon said...

WOW!!! What an amazing house. I can't believe all the antiques they have. You did a wonderful job transforming this home for the holidays. I'm sure those on the tour will really enjoy seeing it all. Well done!

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

I love this post Richard! What an amazing home. I am sure we have passed by often. We always enjoy our trips up to Louisiana.

You did a wonderful job decorating for Christmas. I know how much work you put into this!

Absolutely beautiful!

Deanna said...

Dear Richard,
This was such a treat for me to see this lovely home transformed for Christmas!

One of the many joys I have is to tour Homes and see how it is decorated and used. I love this.

This pictorial tour was awesome. Thank you for inviting us along. Awesome results.

Sweet Blessings to you,
d

sue in mexico mo said...

Beautiful house!

Marcia said...

To the Hains...what a wonderful, beautiful home...just the most gorgeous place ever.

To Richard...is there anything you cannot do? You have an amazing talent that just gets better!

Divine Theatre said...

She has it all! Loving husband, awesome (AWESOME) friends, beautiful home, stunning looks...
Richard, you are magical! You changed the spirit of this home with sticks! LOL!
Love to Sissy!

xoxo
Andie

Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Richard, I love what you've done for your friends' home for the Christmas holidays! The lighting placement is so much nicer. I love all the greenery you've added everywhere. The dining room table streamers is perfect for a true Victorian party! They already have such gorgeous pieces, and sometimes people need a fresh look in rearranging what they already have. You've done a spectacular job, and I bey they're pleased as punch! It was nice that they let you take before and after photos. I think I would throw out my back if I moved that many large pieces like you did, lol!

-Pam

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

Wow it took me an hour to read and see all the details in this post.Such a lot of work, but fun I know. It is all just beautiful. We call that tall mirror a petticoat mirror-because the ladies could see if their petticoats were showing.Your floral arrangements are outstanding. It is always fun to have a ne eye to come in and change things up. You must share photos of the party-I just love the ribbon from the chandelier to the table.

Sonia said...

OH my -beautiful just doesn't seem adequate to describe your photo tour!! Wow so many gorgeous decorations and rooms to "shop in"...I love to look at photos like I was in a store shopping...looking at all the little details and how things are arranged. Enjoyed your post so much!
Miss Bloomers

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Wow, this post is stunning Richard. I wouldn't know where to begin to compliment. Therefore, Iwill leave it at STU, STUNNING, STUNNING, STUNNING!! Thanks for sharing, I will go back and feast myself with it again. Hugs, FABBY

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

My head is spinning. So much beauty. There is nothing like a vintage Christmas.

Sissysmom said...

Truely beautiful! You are so gifted. I loved it all, but my favorite is the dining room mantel!

Hope we get to see your house all decked out for Christmas soon! Give Sissy Dog a pat on the head from me!

Michele

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Oh what fun this must have been to decorate this gorgeous home. What an amazing transformation!

Beverly Bibb said...

Beautiful! So proud to call each of you my friends. Beautiful homes...even more beautiful souls! Love you all!

Pearl said...

This house is amazing Richard, and you are one hell of a decorater. So beautiful how you transformed this house for them. I bet they just love it and can't wait to show it off. So much work where ever do you get the energy? Thanks for sharing!! The lady of the house is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hi Richard! Oh, what a marvelous tour of this most gorgeous home! How exciting that you got to help decorate for Christmas. I love those mantels in the ball room and I giggled when I saw their collection of flamingos! :) Oh, and that wedding dome and the olden dolls! The fruited garland...just a gorgeous place.
be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Beth @ UnskinnyBoppy said...

WOW! This home is truly a work of art. I cannot imagine the hours of work that went into your incredible decorations. Congrats on a stunning display! Thank you so much for linking up to the Christmas tree party.

xinex said...

Wow! So many beautiful things and furniture in this beautiful house, Richard. And you all did a great job decorating it for Christmas. My favorite is the stairs, so beautiful!...Christine

Love Of Quilts said...

Outstanding! I love the house. Trish

Tara said...

Oh my goodness. You must have had a blast doing this! I love moving furniture around and creating vignettes and you created some stunning displays. Each room you decorated had an added warmth and grandeur. How lucky your friends are to have your and your skills! Oh and I must say, those floors are fabulous! I wonder if they go up that amazing stairway under the carpeting? Thanks for the treat!

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

OH MY!! what a gorgeous home. How wonderful that you got to help decorate...that must of been a ball! You are all such special people for having these wonderful homes and taking care of them.
Love the winter picture above the mantle. I like how pieces they had were used. I try to do that for the seasons too. Great job Richard!

Anonymous said...

This was such a treat! You did a fabulous job transforming this splendid old house for the holidays. I love Italianate houses, and this one is so striking. Thanks for sharing all the before and after photos. You have a definite flair for Victorian furniture arranging. This photo tour was the next-best thing to walking through it in person.

Loved the dining room mantel. Those floral garlands are smashing. And the little wicker sled of china head dolls is really sweet.

Well done!

-Deb

Anonymous said...

Your friends are so lucky to have such a talented friend! I think I would leave the furniture the way you have arranged it. I love the parlor now library! It was a wonderful beginning to the homes transformation.
I love all your posts!
Jaynie

lvroftiques said...

Oh WOW Richard!!
Haines and Marilyn's house is the stuff of dreams for me! What an incredible house! And Richard what an amazing job you did decorating it for Christmas! So this is what you were talking about when you said you were driving yourself crazy decorating? *winks* Well well worth it my friend! And you know what they say..."A friend in need is a friend INDEED" You are all very fortunate to have each other as friends and neighbors. I'm not sure I can even come up with a favorite thing with so much eye candy, but I'd like to try to take that 12' mirror home with me! Lol!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Richard. How did the orphans dinner go? *winks* Vanna

Sea Witch said...

One word, "Extraordinary!"

andrew1860 said...

Wow this house is amazing! I love all of the original details of the plaster and woodwork. I love the Italianate style of architecture this house is beautiful. Richard you did a amazing job of transforming this fabulous mansion into a “Christmas wonderland” Its so nice seeing how others decorate there historic homes! You are a great friend to help out. I’m not planning to do a lot of decorating this year at my home as I will be traveling during Christmas.

Beverly said...

Richard, Richard, Richard. It is all magnificent. You have outdone yourself. And, what a masterpiece. You must be exhausted. And, they must love it all.

I've been sick with a terrible cold and cough. This is the third week, and I am slowly getting better. Now my sweet husband has it.

I hope you will join us every Pink Saturday during the holidays as we celebrate together.

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

OMG Richard it"s impeccable what wonderful taste you have my dear friend..Thank you so much for sharing this is die 4 home tour..what's not to love about this home..Hugs and smiles Gloria

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Oh my, Richard! Their home is lovely and even more so decorated for Christmas! Your worked really hard but the results are beautiful.
Hugs,
Sherry

A Perfect Setting said...

Gorgeous decorations in such a beautiful home!! I love the dining room, so elegant and so much charm!! Thanks for sharing, and thanks, also, for your visit with me. Oh, and I'm a Moss also!!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

RICHARD!!!!!

OMG!!

Did you ever have fun and what a masterpiece you have created for your dear friends!!

The staircase with the garland is magnificent and the skirted round table with the feather tree on it under the stairs can not be more perfect!!

The mantles are breath taking and I so am loving your use of your "sticks"!!! What a great way to add height!!

I so wish I was closer so I could come for a tour!!
I hope you will take some pictures of the parties that will be held there???
and when will we get to see your home all decked out??
I can't wait for MORE!!!

Fantastic job!!

Hugs,
Debbie

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Me again!
I just looked through everything again and I forgot to comment on that wonderful Christmas tree!! Stunning!!
Love the buggy with the dolls and the family pieces that are your friend's treasures!!
GORGEOUS!!!

Hugs again,
Deb

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

Wow, what a cool old home. I wish I could help decorate it for Christmas! That flamingo collection is the "bee's knees"! Thanks for the eye candy.

Warmly, Michelle

Stacy Leigh said...

Awesome work Richard!!! Gorgeous home and the tranformation brought it all to life!! :)

Teresa@1800 Farmhouse Rd said...

Richard, what wonderful friends you have here, and what an awesome house! LOVE the staircase! There was an awful lot of time and work put into decorating. I bet every minute of it was fun, too. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Cass @ That Old House said...

Oh Richard, what a spectacular dwelling! The house itself is a treasure, but you really transformed it into a gorgeous Christmas wonderland -- GREAT choices, and such a good "primer" on how to use what you already have to transform your home.

Just beautiful.
Love it!
My best for a wonderful holiday for you and Sissy Dog, and all of your friends and family!

Cass

Debbiedoos said...

Richard it is all simply amazing! Not sure what exactly I loved the most..I do love the stair case decorated, but then again that last mantel is awesome too...It's all wonderful. Enjoy the holiday.

Heirlooms by Ashton House said...

Oh my goodness, Richard! It's stunning. What a beautiful house inside and out and I can totally see why they'd call on your help to decorate. You have a true gift at that.

Alison @ The Polohouse said...

Hi Richard!
That must have taken you all days to decorate!
What gorgeous rooms and such lovely and festive touches you came up with!
Love the little white peacock ornaments....so sweet!

You amaze me.... a man of so many creative talents! Such a nice story of how your friendship started too. Good friends like that are hard to come by.

Happy December!
xox
Alison

Alison @ The Polohouse said...

Hi Richard!
That must have taken you all days to decorate!
What gorgeous rooms and such lovely and festive touches you came up with. Love the little white peacock ornaments....so sweet!

You amaze me.... a man of so many creative talents! Such a nice story of how your friendship started too. Good friends like that are hard to come by.

Happy December!
xox
Alison

Bohemian said...

Oh my Richard, this Transformation is beyond Magnificent and is truly Magical!!! This Home is the stuff Dreams are made of... they just don't make 'em like that anymore do they? *Swooning heavily* It looked fab before the transformation and even moreso afterwards... an Enchanting Winter Wonderland now! I knew when you did a Christmas Post it would be amazing and you didn't disappoint my Friend! *Winks*

Thank you for dropping by today... Christmas Blessings and a Hug from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Olive said...

Richard, where to start? The flock of peacocks are wonderful. That ceiling is a treasure and the mantles are fantastic. I know you enjoyed this transformation. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. hugs♥Olive

Susan said...

Well, Richard,my GOSH! So much to see! Such wonderful decor. Ohhhhh, I love the red ribbons on the chandy over the table...and all the garlands around the mirrors. WOW WOW WOW Great job! Susan

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Wow Richard, the mantel with the white angel is killing me, too elegant and gorgeous! The staircase is fabulous! Come on over for some French style. Hugs and thanks for sharing this grand tour. FABBY

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

The transformations are fantastic. What a wonderful job you did! Everything...just everything is amazing! I read every single word and it seemed I was right there watching you shift, arrange, carry, tweak and just plain make magic!!
You can tell you love what you do. Believe me, it shows!
What a delight to visit you, Richard!

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Hi Richard, Wow! What fun you must had playing and moving all these beautiful things around. The home itself is gorgeous, I can only imagine living in something so grand. The grand staircase took my breath away! The placement of the Wedding dome on the beautiful table truly shows off it's beauty. I know you had to be pooped, your hard work shows the love in what you do. Thank them for opening their home to those of us you can't see it in person. hugs ~lynne~

Anonymous said...

Marilyn is very pretty. What a job you took on Richard. It was overwhelming but you rose to the task and it's very beautiful. My fave: the red festooned dining table. Now what I want to know is do I get an invite to one of the parties? Have fun. xo

Charlotte Wilson said...

It looks like you had a lot of fun putting this together. I love how you used natural materials for you decorations. I especially like the fireplace mantle in the ballroom, with the nativity figures!
Thanks for the fun tour!

Bonnie said...

What a beautiful old home Richard. I love the yellow wallpaper in the ballroom and the exquisite moldings. I have an historic country Greek Revival home that is much simpler in style but I love this old Victorian.

Joy Weese Moll said...

Thanks so much for sharing this. Haines and Marilyn were special friends of my mother -- I'm so glad that they have you in their lives now.

Everything is just so beautiful!

Brigitte said...

Oh I am so glad that I found this post agaim.This is a truly a magnificent Christmas Transformation !
Absolutely LOVE the dining room table,the bows,the streamers..ALL of it !
The Wedding Dome and The ETAGERE is to die for.What great finds !!! the buffet in the Diningroom and I could go on and on....
Richard you are so blessed to have wonderful friends like that.They basically let you have free reign to decorate to your hearts content/delight.Richard ,you must have been in decorators heaven :-) I am so happy for ALL OF YOU and I just know Marilyn your Christmas parties were a total success.GREAT JOB everyone.