Traditional Trim vs Modern

Sorry it's been a couple weeks folks.  I've been working, I just haven't had much that's terribly noteworthy (or picture worthy) to show you.

I have been looking into a lot of the different ways staircases, railings and wainscoting are used in traditional houses and more modern ones.  It seems as if there are as many ways to trim out a room as there are houses out there.

But since I'm going with a more traditional (only slightly updated) two story shotgun house, I decided to not go with any really modern touches like crown molding that matches the wall color.  I actually want the house to feel a little dark in the front parlor/dining room.  Like it's slowly being updated but only as the owners can afford to do so. 

You know, patchwork redecorating.  The kind of thing you have to do yourself by watching design shows and following DIY bloggers. 

So with that in mind I stained the floors and the wainscoting a gorgeous cherry.

The nice thing about wood stain is that the color varies so much depending on the wood you're staining.  So the wainscoting turned out a bit darker, the floors both light and dark and the ceiling a really rich color in between.

Here's my flooring, some of it, along with the wainscoting.

The bead board is for the ceiling and there's a close up of the wainscoting. 

The wainscoting, flooring and stair railings are all from Alessio Miniatures.  I went with a metallic black on the spindles/filigree of the railing to mimic wrought iron.  And the same cherry stain on the base and handrail and stairs.  Let me tell you, masking tape/painters tape is my friend.  My good good friend.

It's hard to see in the light, but the poly finish I used to seal the railing really makes it shine like metal. 

Then I went with black treads on the stairs.  I've finished them and after I'm sure everything is dry I'll age the treads a bit more.  Some sandpaper to wear away the paint and finish a little bit will do the trick I think.

As you can see in the picture above, I've also been working on the trim for the exterior.  I had to go buy more black paint but once I got all of the windows and trim painted black I really needed it. 

I decided that I didn't want the doors to be completely weathered and worn so I put the black paint down in different places.  Then I used my crackle medium on everything I'd painted black.

Waiting for it all to dry was the hardest part.  Waiting gets me every time.

But finally got to add the white paint to the door trim and the window trim.  I used a Folk Art Acrylic Paint 'Cloudy Day' on the doors and on the curves of the windows.  Then edged the windows in the same grey as the exterior of the house.  Once that was done I used metallic black paint on the window crossbars.

I liked the result on the doors a lot.  They look like the paint has started to peel in some places more than others.  And to me it looks like someone's been spot painting the doors for years. 

I especially like how they look with the peeling white trim around them.

And the windows turned out pretty well I think.

My paint job isn't perfect.  But it's not really one of my skills.  And let's face it, is anyone going to get close enough to the windows to see the slight errors in the grey/blue paint?

Not too terrible for a couple weeks work. 

I'm working on the layout of the front room floor today.  I think I've almost got it.

I hope.

See you later folks.