Colliscroft - The Red Room

Remember, my aunt's giant, gorgeous 106 year old home and soon to be B&B? I posted about it here.

This is the Red Room and it's gorgeous!!

My aunt is planning to rip out the blue carpet and put in hard wood flooring.

I love the giant framed tapestry above the fireplace. Heck. I love the fireplace.

The couches are on the formal side, but they are still comfy and completely work with the high intricate ceilings and froufy moulding.

All I have to do is envision dark wood floors and I swoon a little.

Built-ins that make my heart go pitter pat.

I heart the ottoman. Love.

All of the musical instruments actually get use. My aunt plays most of them.

Mmm. Envy. Plain and simple.

Colliscroft - The Crystal Room

Alternately titled, "OOO SHINY!!"

Remember, my aunt's giant, gorgeous 106 year old home and soon to be B&B? I posted about it here.

Well, there are three huge rooms which branch off of the main entryway and one of them is the crystal room.  Please take a moment to gaze in wonderment at those windows.

I said gaze in wonderment, not envy!! It's ok. I'm envious too. It's the combination of the arch, molding, rosettes, and window seats. It just gets me every time. I wish I'd thought to take a close up, but I totally suck.

Here's the view of the crystal room from said awesome windows.

I would kill for that ceiling. Seriously. If you were standing between me and that ceiling, I would have no qualms about wacking you.

Then there's the chandelier. Hello, pretty, pretty chandelier!

And this is the mantle and fireplace. I die.

The detailing on the fireplace and the way the mirror reflects the chandelier is AWESOME.

And I really love how my aunt has decorated the whole mantle. It just works perfectly with the room.

She uses art painted by her son all throughout the house. He's very talented. She loves Monet, so he paints her Monet reproductions for her birthdays and Christmas.

And finally, she has a beautiful mirror set on top of the table in the center of the room. I would show it to you, but she had all of her magazine inspiration pages spread out on top of it when I was there. You can see the edges of the giant mirror peaking through at the bottom. It's very detailed.

I'll have to get my hands on a picture of the table and mantle when it's all decked out at Christmas time. She sets up little crystal penguins so that they look like they are ice skating on the glass. It's adorable!

I'll share the Red Room with you next week. Ciao for now!

The Colliscroft Entry & Staircase

Remember last week when I introduced you to Colliscroft, the gorgeous 106 year old manor/soon to be my aunt's B&B and wedding venue? Well I'm back to show you the front entryway and main staircase. Brace yourself!

This is the view when you first enter through the front door. The moldings! The rosettes! The pocket doors! The 16 (18?) foot ceilings!! The parquet floors! It's too much. I'm going to start crying.

 

Here's the view from the other end of the entryway looking back at the front door. The worst part of all of this?? This is what my Aunt's home looks like *while* she's in the middle of renovating. How unfair is that? She's fixing things up left and right and running a restaurant business and this is what her house looks like. What?!?!? Clearly, I need to set some higher standards for myself...

 

And this, be still my heart, is the main staircase:

Hello gorgeous!!! Can I hug you?? I promise I won't drool while I do!
!

Oh to be a bride on that stair! I'd don my dress all over again just to descend those beautiful, beautiful stairs. Again, let me give you a little perspective and help you with the scale of this house...

I am 5'2". The baluster is taller than me. It's almost as thick as me. Now scroll up to the photo right before this one and look at the doors in relation to the baluster. They are HUGE!!

And the little dip in the rail where it rounds out right here:

It only comes up to just above my knee. Again, just picture a bride standing right behind it... *Sigh* And then the molding! The wainscoting! THE WAINSCOTING!!!!! Sorry. I get worked up every time I look at this staircase. I spent a great deal of time sitting on the stairs just staring (ha) in admiration (and envy).

There is a special place in my heart for rounded, curly details...

If I get this excited about curly details, just imagine how I'll react when I eventually get to visit the Biltmore Estate. I'll probably swoon. I'll need a partner there to catch me. Any takers? Hmm? Want to go to the Biltmore Estate with me?? HMMM??

My aunt is planning on eventually ripping up the blue carpeting. It's squishy and fun to walk on and it isn't bad,  but she has other plans.

I resisted sliding down the banister. Just barely. But I resisted. Aren't you proud of me, love?

Side Story: I slid down the banister of the hotel at prom. In my pale pink dress and high heels. I twisted my ankle when I got to the bottom. My then friend and now husband (but not my prom date) picked me up and carried me to a little settee to examine my ankle. His date was less than thrilled with him. I was secretly very thrilled with him. Not that I let on. I would have hit him if he tried anything. Ah, love.

To this day, I have a very hard time resisting banisters.

Anywho...

More on Colliscroft's magnificent interior to come in the not so distant future. Have I whetted your appetite?

Colliscroft, A Series

Welcome to Colliscroft! My aunt and uncle (ala the Italian restaurant) are working to turn this gorgeous old house into a B&B and wedding venue. They're still working out the purchasing details with the owners, but they've been living there for two years and have done a lot of work in that time. They are hoping to have the business up and running by late Fall.

Colliscroft was completed in 1904 and was used as the summer home to the wealthy Huntington family (railroad owners). It's huge and gorgeous and I could happily live there.

I am in love with this house. I walked in and immediately entered architectural heaven. I definitely have a major case of house envy. I may have even leaned against the side of the house at one point and whispered, "I love you, house. Run away with me!!" (among other sweet nothings not suitable for this blog).

The porch will eventually wrap all the way around the back of the house to grant wheel chair access and make for a great party venue. My aunt is also going to put in some spectacular sweeping gardens all around the house and a giant wedding gazebo out front. She has a real knack for growing seemingly wild, overflowing gardens. That whole side of my family inherited green thumbs.

As an extension of her restaurant and catering services, my aunt also creates beautiful wedding cakes. She is very prepared for this whole wedding venue thing.

Can't you just picture brides being kissed senseless against those giant columns??

Let me help you with the scale of this porch. The flooring of the porch is nearly as high up as I am tall.

More on the inside of this house to come!