How to update arts and crafts house.

[SeashellHoarder]

Hi. I'm new to this secton, and I'm looking for some ideas for our new house.

We have bought a arts and crafts house, with huge amounts of dark wood panneling in the living areas. It is beautiful but quite dark.

Double height entrance hall. Pannelled to about 3m high then painted white above and ceiling.

The contrast is quite stark and maybe it's this that makes the place feel a bit oppresive at ground level.

I don't want to paint the original wood.

What colour would be best to lighten / modernise the walls and ceiling above while still being sympathetic to the arts and crafts style?

Ideas gratefully received!

[ArtyBat]

Type into your search engine 'images of interior of Blackwell house', and have a look there.

I went to visit this place in the summer, and it is truly beautiful. Hopefully this well help.

If your house is anything like this one, it will be stunning. How lovely for you.

[ArtyBat]

Well help? should say 'will help' (tuts at self)

[SeashellHoarder]

Thank you arty. I had discovered Blackwell online bit there's not a huge amount of photos that aren't wall papered.
Would you say their main hall was yellow?

[SeashellHoarder]

Oh, Also it does look like Blackwell but obviously on quite a smaller scale.

[ArtyBat]

These are some of the pics I took. Most of the walls were quite pale, with just one of the bedrooms painted yellow. They also seemed to make good use of hidden lighting, and natural light from windows.
I just loved it.

[ArtyBat]

This is the bedroom one, painted yellow.

[Bonsoir]

I am very keen on sympathetic modernisation of historic architecture and design and seek out B&Bs all over Europe where the owners have done a great job. The one thing that makes a massive difference and relieves the slight gloom of many older properties is modern lighting. I cannot overstate how much the right lighting design will make to your home. Consult a lighting designer before you even start thinking of paint colours etc.

[SeashellHoarder]

Thanks arty those pics are great. Ours is not as ornate, but similar style. 're the pale walls, would you say they were off white or cream, or something like one of these
www.designerpaint.com/brands/dulux-heritage

[SeashellHoarder]

Thanks Pensionerpeep we're trying!

[SeashellHoarder]

Thanks Bonsoir. I Would love a lighting designer, but we've not got the budget - I will be the designer, the painter, the tiler, etc.
I'm going down the route of spot lights and wall lights.

[Lagoonablue]

I love arts and crafts houses. Can you strip back the wood so it is lighter? My SIL tried this with some of the beams in her a and c house and it looked good. Alternatively I think you could still paint the wood if you used egg shell F and B or similiar.

[Bonsoir]

Have you already bought your lights? If not, you can try engaging a really good lighting shop in conversation - you can get a lot of good information for free IME.

[ArtyBat]

hi Seashell. I would say the walls were an soft/off creamy white colour.

I could have quite happily moved in there and then and spent the rest of my life in that house. Just so beautiful!

Even the door handles were beautifully crafted to fit the hand perfectly, as you can see in this pic.

[SeashellHoarder]

Lagoon, thank you for the suggestion I'm not keen on painting / stripping the panels due to the character

Bonsoir, good idea. I will try that.

Arty, what interesting handles. Good to hear about the cream, I will look into options.

[Sandthorn]

Arty, I went there last year, and if you want to move in, you'd better join The queue! Absolutely beautiful.

I loved the white room, and it's made me feel a lot more relaxed about painting the woodwork in my house. I would have anyway, as mine's a 1930s house with nods to A&C, but the quality of the wood isn't amazing. All the same, it's nice to keep that resonance.

Here are a few of my pics:

[ArtyBat]

Aww Sandthorn couldn't we share?

I loved the window seats that looked out onto the lovely grounds and across the lake, and the minstrels gallery, and the peacock frieze that ran around the main hall.

[Sandthorn]

Ok, we can share. I got a great picture of those window seats and my beautiful friend sitting in them, but I don't think she'd thank me for sharing that one :-)

Back to seashell's question... Have a look at the Morris & Co website: lots of their gallery are pics of A&C rooms beautifully styled with their wallpapers and fabrics, so you might get some ideas from there. Eg: www.william-morris.co.uk/shop/wallpaper/morris-archive-wallpapers/

I know what you mean about the stark contrast between the wood and the white above. I love the yellow bedroom that arty pictured. Our hall is a similar colour, with chalk white (Craig and Rose) woodwork, ceilings and above the picture rail. I wouldn't recommend the quality of the Craig and Rose paint, but the colour is a beautiful, subtle off-white. As arty's picture shows, that kind of yellow is light enough, but stands up to other strong colours and quite dark wood.

Totally recommend that you try to get up to Blackwell House some time... Never mind inspiration, it'll make your heart sing! And it's not as though there isn't enough to do round there to justify a weekend away!

[blackice]

I would definitely call the colour consultants at Farrow and Ball. Even if you don't end up buying their paints, they will provide you with great advice and they are very enthusiastic and knowledgable and.... FREE!

[bilbodog]

Google 'Voysey house for sale' as these are wonderful Arts and Crafts houses and you might be able to get a look at the interiors of some of these houses which might help. I imagine F & B consultant would be able to help as well. I am very envious of you - gorgeous houses! Good luck.

[MuscatBouschet]

We have a late arts and craft house. Lots of dark wood, though no panelling. We want to sympathetically renovate without painting the wood but achieving light and making it look like we are in our 40s rather than 80s. Watching with interest.

I can see a lighting consultant would be good but wouldn't know where to find one.

We've decided to steer clear of the cream and yellow walls we currently have and instead contrast the wood with soft whites and even things like plaster pinks.