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JoceAndChris
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Sounds wonderful! I want to learn how a building can have a gender - mine's definitely a boy if so. I still haven't been to that museum. 
Will try to go next time we're in London.
Will try to go next time we're in London.
Gareth Hughes
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Joce, there's no "try" about it. No paint, no wallpaper, no curtain fabric for you (and no excuses) until you've spent at least a whole afternoon there.
You will then, of course, want to chuck out everything you've done so far, invest in a sarcophagus and a million plaster casts, and start all over again. :?
You will then, of course, want to chuck out everything you've done so far, invest in a sarcophagus and a million plaster casts, and start all over again. :?
Nigel Watts
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And an extremely ingenious way of hanging more pictures than you have wall space for.
JoceAndChris
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OK ok ok, I'll forsake Liberty's and go there next time, promise. xxx
JoceAndChris
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A full report on the marvellous Sir John Soane's museum...
The day was bright and fair and breezy and I arrived in Lincoln's Inn Fields with a good ten minutes to spare. The glorious architecture was most uplifting, and I was easily able to identify which would be the museum from a striking mood of antiquity that emanates from the facade at quite a distance.
I stood back from the museum, gazing up at the intriguing prospect and noticing things like black window frames, the symmetry of the arrangement (though not quite perfect), the interesting railings and beautiful scrolled font of the sign, when with pertect punctuality a tall, impressive personage arrived, dressed immaculately in a wonderfully tailored pin striped suit, with yellow pattern within tie matched beautifully to sprouting kerchief, and I knew it must be Nigel. It was a great pleasure to meet him at long last and be guided around the museum by a gentleman with such rare combinations of desirable qualities: warmth, humour, and not inconsiderable knowledge.
In fact I must say we cut rather a dash around this museum and others, no doubt non period property owners, could only gaze on in awe at our animated scrutiny of skirtings, colours, and paint effects. Not one escutcheon was left unexamined!
Unfortunately coming from Lincolnshire where there is not much to look upon but fields and pheasants I found myself soon breathlessly overwhelmed by the beauty of the interior and my faculties not at their sharpest. I rather think I looked at all the wrong things, and must return to look at the right ones. So whilst I am unable to tell you much about the subjects of the many glorious paintings, and the exhibition Moo speaks of passed completely over my head, the precise shades of yellow and red, and their startling effects, are firmly fixed.
"Like walking around in someone's incredibly cluttered mind" (G.H.) was a good description, but within that clutter, such order, and such arresting conflict between playful experimentation and dark introspection. At times the interiors are light and witty, bright yellow with a thousand mirrored reflections, a bust of the great man glimpsed humourously though the legs of a Greek god, and at times almost mournful with the sunken monk's parlour- a space apparently crafted for an imaginary friend after the loss of his wife. The portrait of Soanes' two young sons was particularly moving, you're struck with the mischievous insouciance of their expression, and then learn that their story was a real-life rake's progress: profligacy, wantonness, debtor's prison, and ultimate estrangement from the family- giving an especially poignant verisimilitude to the collected Hogarths in their breathtaking fold out panels.
All in all my expectations of what a Georgian interior should be were blown away. Yes, there are muted colours in some places, the chairs around the edge of the room, the high windows and sense of proportion to everything. But there was so much more to it that I conclude we are constrained in our thinking about Georgian times. A lot of features were so simple in their design you'd almost think you were looking at something from the 30s or even today. The yellow glass used in many places gave an acid, sunglasses, brightness to the world outside.The architrave around the doors, for example, was just the simple, plain rounded piece of wood that I have as my architraves in this cottage! Wood-graining was a vital technique and gave a real warmth, so different to the stark contrasts between white and dove grey that you might imagine for the period. I also had imagined great big splendid rooms, but this was not the case. We were not allowed to carry anything for fear of brushing up against the walls. But within those small spaces- corridors, dressing rooms, picture rooms- was an intensity of creation the like of which I've never seen before; the ceilings divided into complex multi level affairs with domes and arches and decoration, the walls crowded with plaster casts and pictures, the floors limed or carpeted or shellaced, or linoed or flagstoned with every room having a very different feel to the last.
When you leave the museum you feel you are leaving a time capsule, as a well as a completely unique interpretation of the that time.
Afterwards we strolled to the British Museum for lunch and Nigel attempted to educate me in how new can meet old - I was only partially convinced! Unfortunately sartorial disaster occured en route with the harsh concrete swiping off the heel of my shoe so I was then in the state of having one high heel and one low heel, but we dealt with this with admirable phlegm.We had a wonderful talk on all manner of subjects and I was very sorry to release him back to his office.
My day concluded very happily with urgent shoe shopping, a good nose round Liberty's (who have poured wax and wicks into those old George V coronation mugs you can get round here for £4 and are charging £50, and who have cut up old ladies' tapestries of cats and cottages and used them for upholstery fabric on sofas that cost £5000!!), a short journey to the City where I was able to admire more of Soanes' work at Bank, and a 5 course dinner in the magnificent Number 1 Lombard Street. London is a brilliant city and I miss it hugely.
It worked out so well, meeting Nigel and doing this museum - many thanks to those who urged I should go. We should do more of this sort of thing, it's so much better to share the experience with people with similar interests.
The day was bright and fair and breezy and I arrived in Lincoln's Inn Fields with a good ten minutes to spare. The glorious architecture was most uplifting, and I was easily able to identify which would be the museum from a striking mood of antiquity that emanates from the facade at quite a distance.
I stood back from the museum, gazing up at the intriguing prospect and noticing things like black window frames, the symmetry of the arrangement (though not quite perfect), the interesting railings and beautiful scrolled font of the sign, when with pertect punctuality a tall, impressive personage arrived, dressed immaculately in a wonderfully tailored pin striped suit, with yellow pattern within tie matched beautifully to sprouting kerchief, and I knew it must be Nigel. It was a great pleasure to meet him at long last and be guided around the museum by a gentleman with such rare combinations of desirable qualities: warmth, humour, and not inconsiderable knowledge.
In fact I must say we cut rather a dash around this museum and others, no doubt non period property owners, could only gaze on in awe at our animated scrutiny of skirtings, colours, and paint effects. Not one escutcheon was left unexamined!
Unfortunately coming from Lincolnshire where there is not much to look upon but fields and pheasants I found myself soon breathlessly overwhelmed by the beauty of the interior and my faculties not at their sharpest. I rather think I looked at all the wrong things, and must return to look at the right ones. So whilst I am unable to tell you much about the subjects of the many glorious paintings, and the exhibition Moo speaks of passed completely over my head, the precise shades of yellow and red, and their startling effects, are firmly fixed.
"Like walking around in someone's incredibly cluttered mind" (G.H.) was a good description, but within that clutter, such order, and such arresting conflict between playful experimentation and dark introspection. At times the interiors are light and witty, bright yellow with a thousand mirrored reflections, a bust of the great man glimpsed humourously though the legs of a Greek god, and at times almost mournful with the sunken monk's parlour- a space apparently crafted for an imaginary friend after the loss of his wife. The portrait of Soanes' two young sons was particularly moving, you're struck with the mischievous insouciance of their expression, and then learn that their story was a real-life rake's progress: profligacy, wantonness, debtor's prison, and ultimate estrangement from the family- giving an especially poignant verisimilitude to the collected Hogarths in their breathtaking fold out panels.
All in all my expectations of what a Georgian interior should be were blown away. Yes, there are muted colours in some places, the chairs around the edge of the room, the high windows and sense of proportion to everything. But there was so much more to it that I conclude we are constrained in our thinking about Georgian times. A lot of features were so simple in their design you'd almost think you were looking at something from the 30s or even today. The yellow glass used in many places gave an acid, sunglasses, brightness to the world outside.The architrave around the doors, for example, was just the simple, plain rounded piece of wood that I have as my architraves in this cottage! Wood-graining was a vital technique and gave a real warmth, so different to the stark contrasts between white and dove grey that you might imagine for the period. I also had imagined great big splendid rooms, but this was not the case. We were not allowed to carry anything for fear of brushing up against the walls. But within those small spaces- corridors, dressing rooms, picture rooms- was an intensity of creation the like of which I've never seen before; the ceilings divided into complex multi level affairs with domes and arches and decoration, the walls crowded with plaster casts and pictures, the floors limed or carpeted or shellaced, or linoed or flagstoned with every room having a very different feel to the last.
When you leave the museum you feel you are leaving a time capsule, as a well as a completely unique interpretation of the that time.
Afterwards we strolled to the British Museum for lunch and Nigel attempted to educate me in how new can meet old - I was only partially convinced! Unfortunately sartorial disaster occured en route with the harsh concrete swiping off the heel of my shoe so I was then in the state of having one high heel and one low heel, but we dealt with this with admirable phlegm.We had a wonderful talk on all manner of subjects and I was very sorry to release him back to his office.
My day concluded very happily with urgent shoe shopping, a good nose round Liberty's (who have poured wax and wicks into those old George V coronation mugs you can get round here for £4 and are charging £50, and who have cut up old ladies' tapestries of cats and cottages and used them for upholstery fabric on sofas that cost £5000!!), a short journey to the City where I was able to admire more of Soanes' work at Bank, and a 5 course dinner in the magnificent Number 1 Lombard Street. London is a brilliant city and I miss it hugely.
It worked out so well, meeting Nigel and doing this museum - many thanks to those who urged I should go. We should do more of this sort of thing, it's so much better to share the experience with people with similar interests.
Nigel Watts
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Joce has perfectly illustrated why I always came bottom of the class in English, so I am not going to try to compete with a description of my own, other than to say that she opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of the museum. What I had previously seen as an abstract exercise in architecture and design now has an emotional narrative linked to Soane's complicated life and mental states. As my 14 year-old's English teacher said to his class recently, "it's all about emotions; your'e not girls so you won't understand."
Needless to say Joce was as charming and elegant as I expected her to be and endured my witterings with good grace.
Needless to say Joce was as charming and elegant as I expected her to be and endured my witterings with good grace.
Schoolmarm
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Ooooh sounds wonderful.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
JoceAndChris said:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
JoceAndChris
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Nigel Watts said:
I will not have this self-deprecation of your powers of expression, nor any doubt over the fact that it was you who enlivened the museum for me! The forum members must be told that the female curators were hanging onto every resonant word of Nigel's lovely cut glass voice!
And I am so grateful for all the information he passed my way- museum guides and books are often so dry and turgid, and I find it so difficult to feel connection with things, or even observe them, when I don't understand them. When living in London the details of art and architecture passed me by.
Gareth Hughes
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JoceAndChris said:
Ugh! Do you have to mix it with anything, or just use it as it comes?
JoceAndChris
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Gareth - :lol: the phlegm needs a touch of lime naturally. I was astonished that neither of us were carrying pliers, glue, or baler twine.
Moo, thanks again for stirring me from apathy with this one! And I'd love to go back with other PPUKers!
Moo, thanks again for stirring me from apathy with this one! And I'd love to go back with other PPUKers!
jocelyn plummer
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A PPUK visit sounds a good idea Moo, that is one place we can get to very quickly from 'forn' parts as we are on the 40 mins to London line-----
Nigel Watts
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Following the visit I have concluded I need to rethink my hall colour scheme (itself influenced by an earlier visit)
Pompeian red instead of Soane yellow for the walls; mouldings on the fake mahogany doors black in imitation of ebony; cornice in dark grey, pale blue ceiling; skirtings in the same red as the walls, except for the bead moulding which will stay in grey...
Pompeian red instead of Soane yellow for the walls; mouldings on the fake mahogany doors black in imitation of ebony; cornice in dark grey, pale blue ceiling; skirtings in the same red as the walls, except for the bead moulding which will stay in grey...
JoceAndChris
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Don't use Dulux any more, the colours are too definite and their is something very 21st century about them. Use Little Greene or F & B, or try other historic paint ranges and you'll be happier with the results.
Your plan sounds great, but I'm worried about what you propose for the ceiling - red and grey and blue? I would need to see exact shades.
When decorating, you must have a mood board! I usually draw the room, with shutters, doors, mouldings - as much detail on the plan as possible. Using a small paintbrush, I fill in the colours of the sample pots and glue on the wallpaper and curtain fabric.
Those mahogany doors look great - did you do the wood graining there?
Your plan sounds great, but I'm worried about what you propose for the ceiling - red and grey and blue? I would need to see exact shades.
When decorating, you must have a mood board! I usually draw the room, with shutters, doors, mouldings - as much detail on the plan as possible. Using a small paintbrush, I fill in the colours of the sample pots and glue on the wallpaper and curtain fabric.
Those mahogany doors look great - did you do the wood graining there?
Nigel Watts
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Thanks Joce. The grey on the stairs and architraves is F&B "Downpipe", the walls "Soane Yellow" from Papers & Paints in Chelsea and the mahogany is my work using Ratcliffe's scumble. What I was after with the grey was the bronze effect used by Soane. I now think this was done with bronze powder over green.
JoceAndChris
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In that case I apologise for the vile Dulux slur on your beautiful hallway and can only conclude that the computer is playing havoc with the colours. I know Downpipe, it's a lovely sludgey dark blue grey, but it looks bright and vivid in your photos!
You will just have to invite me for tea as I can't possibly comment any more on your chosen colours when the screen misrepresnents them so badly.
That bronze effect in the museum was amazing, it will be great if you can replicate it somewhere!
You will just have to invite me for tea as I can't possibly comment any more on your chosen colours when the screen misrepresnents them so badly.
That bronze effect in the museum was amazing, it will be great if you can replicate it somewhere!
Nigel Watts
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No need to apologise. I think the flash on my camera is particularly harsh.
Have you used Fired Earth paints? I popped into their shop in Islington today to pick up a sample. They claim to use natural pigments and were a little disparaging about F&B, whose shop is two doors away. Their "Pompeian Red" was very wishy washy compared to what we saw at Lincoln's Inn Field so I am going to try one called Surpar Red.
Tea party will be arranged!
Have you used Fired Earth paints? I popped into their shop in Islington today to pick up a sample. They claim to use natural pigments and were a little disparaging about F&B, whose shop is two doors away. Their "Pompeian Red" was very wishy washy compared to what we saw at Lincoln's Inn Field so I am going to try one called Surpar Red.
Tea party will be arranged!
JoceAndChris
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http://www.poshpaint.com/productDetail.asp?PID=4227&categoryID=842&filter=
? Gorgeous! No I haven't used FE paint but I have stood in their shops in London and loved the colours, so that could be very good indeed! I'm tickled by the notion of Fired Earth disparaging F & B, they all seem to disparage everyone else.
I think red, black, mahogany, will be very moody and dramatic in that hallway and could really create a wonderful impression of historic authenticity.
Yes, tea and scones please. I'll make the scones.
? Gorgeous! No I haven't used FE paint but I have stood in their shops in London and loved the colours, so that could be very good indeed! I'm tickled by the notion of Fired Earth disparaging F & B, they all seem to disparage everyone else.
I think red, black, mahogany, will be very moody and dramatic in that hallway and could really create a wonderful impression of historic authenticity.
Yes, tea and scones please. I'll make the scones.