The Living Room

Continuing on our tour of 148-160 Spring Street here in Newport Rhode Island we will show before and after photos of our living Room which we call our Club Room. Our living room is on the second story. The front window view is of Trinity Church and the back window view is of our garden. This room when we purchased the building was divided into two rooms. There was no ceiling in most of both rooms and no outer walls, just the wall studs and ceiling joists. The size of this room is app. 13' x 35.5'. Again keep in mind that the entire building is a parallelogram, so there are no 90 degree angles in the building. This was to say the least very challenging for our workmen. Originally this building was built to house four residential units on the second and third story and four commercial units on the first story. This room was originally intended as a living room in the front and a kitchen in the back. There is a back stair case at the rear of the room that would have led to bedrooms and a bath room.


This before {the mouseover shows the room as it is today}view shows the room just after the dividing wall was removed. Note the small windows at the end of the room. This view is looking toward the back of the building: those windows overlook the garden. The floors were old pine floors and abuse did not allow them to be salvaged. This room looked like this since about 1958, so for 40 years, this was a work room. The previous owner used it for a workshop with power tool equipment installed in both rooms.


Again looking to the back of the room. The small two windows at the back of the room would eventually be replaced by French Door leading to a balcony with spiral staircase leading down to the garden. We used this room as a workshop for interior restoration at the beginning of our project. It served to create a work space to complete a kitchen, dining room, music room, laundry, two bed rooms, two bath rooms, a guest room and a library. When this was the last of the upper rooms to be completed, we moved the workshops to available space on the ground floor.


Looking to the front of the room overlooking Trinity Church and Spring Street. The 5 large windows with small mullions were installed about 1970. We replaced them with custom made mahogany two over two sash which would have been more accurate to the age of the building. This is a very bright room with basically the sun rising at the back of the room and setting at the front of the room.


We mix old and new. Modern red leather chair next to a 1960's lucite table. The art vase is from T.J. Maxx.


The wall paper is gray damask. A 19th century portrait of Emperor Franz Josef hangs over an American Victorian Alexander Roux sofa. The pedestal is Scagliola: early 19th century faux marble and on it is a Berlin cast of Adonis.


Looking up Spring Street: another 1960's lucite table with a similar era lucite lamp. On the table sits a bronze 19th century model for a garden figure of pan.


In-between the windows in the side facing Spring Street we needed a console, so we designed and had a mirrored one constructed. Michael Trapp of Newport made the form and we had Gambrel & Sons mirror it. Hanging in the center is a Sargent portrait and a mythical portrait bust depicting "luna" {c. 1900} from the Zsolnay factory.


A late 19th century console from some Newport 'cottage' replaces a wall that we removed opening up the 'tenement' stair case. On the wall a Caproni plaster frieze of a Della Robia.


A Beckman Style portrait hangs above a 1930's ebonized and grained bar. Again mixing all ages of decorations, but somehow it all fits.


Malachite urn on pedestal with a Marshalls's glass 'treasure'. This area leads to a third floor library/media room.


Modern gray leather chairs. The table we designed out of grained oak in the Hoffman style to hold a Zsolnay tile from the Water Court of the Zsolnay Pavilion at the Turin Exhibition in 1911.


We have three seating areas: the center section has a modern bar made by the Design Institute of America. We can seat about a dozen people in this room.


Morning sun streams in through french doors overlooking the garden. On the second floor of our building a balcony and spiral staircase lead to the garden.


Always wanted a malachite topped table. So . . . had one made with a faux malachite surface.


A c. 1900 Zsolnay monumental vase sits on another Hoffman Style table.


The Design Institute of America Bar. Chrome and glass. Comfortable and very functional.


Enough space so that things don't get in the way of each other, yet the room is full of chairs, tables, cabinets and pedestals. The Deco bar on the right hold bar ware. Ebonized swan necks support the body of the cabinet. In nice weather the french doors are open most of the day and into the evening.


Lets visit the Egyptian Bedroom


Main Restoration Site for 148-160 Spring Street


The Drawing Room of Newport Antiques


GLASS

POTTERY

TEXTILES

EPHEMERA

FURNITURE

PORCELAIN

GOTHIC FURNISHINGS

WANTED TO PURCHASE

FINE ART: PAINTINGS, PRINTS, STATUARY

METAL, SILVER, GOLD, BRONZE, IRON

MISCELLANEOUS: MARBLE, CLOCKS, ETC.

LIGHTING: CHANDELIERS, WALL SCONCES, SOLAR, SINUMBRA, GAS, KEROSENE, GAS SHADES, ETC.


Emailus drawrm@hotmail.com