Saturday I finished up the trim on the front of the shop windows.
I took the doors out and sanded down the edges of the kickplates and now they open completely which I like.
Then I decided to give the front of the shop some aging.
The black is still a little heavy in places so I'll water it down a bit but overall I like the look. The blue on the front of the doors pops a bit more.
I decided to start adding the wallpaper afterwards. I'm going to put brick on the outside, so I'll end up routing some channels into the wood and putting the brick over them. If I'm really ambitious I'll make some sliding panels so I can get at the wiring afterwards.
I like how it looks so far.
I did a test fit of the walls and the stairs to see how they'd look. So far so good.
By the end of the day the package from Shapeways hadn't arrived so I decided to keep going with the wallpaper in the shop.
I also added some wood and metal moldings to the ceilings. The metal I primed with gesso so I can paint it a creamy white to look like plaster.
I went through all my trim so I could figure out what to use for crown molding. And then I gathered up all my books that I have so far. Some I've bought, some I took from the Gothic Victorian's library, and some I've made.
I need about three times this many.
I might need to start making some books during the week.
Hopefully the Shapeways package will arrive this week and I can mess around with the Loft this coming weekend.
Hi Sheila. As irritating as it may be when things not arrive when we hope, I think it is a good thing your order didn't come - just look at the progress you made on the book store.
ReplyDeleteI just love how the exterior has turned out after you have covered it in 'soot and grime'. I can almost feel and smell the dampness and smoke in the air, and the bright blue door tempting passers by to step inside - out of cold.
The wall paper is a lovely choice, a light and pretty backdrop for the dark timber and fittings. Well done :-)
Anna X
Thanks Anna! The package arrived today so I can work on the Loft this weekend. I wanted the shop to have slightly lighter wallpaper since the shelves will be very dark.
DeleteI hope you'll receive soon your package from Shapeways, Sheila, so you can go on.
ReplyDeleteI like the aging on the front of the shop, it really looks so realistic, great work! The same is for the wall papering on the inside.
Good luck in making more of those books ;)!
Hugs, Ilona
Thanks! I got the package today finally. I'm glad the aging looks good.
DeleteOh books...I need all the luck I can get.
You always astound me with all the work and detail you put into the construction of your rooms. It's looking so wonderful. Hope your package comes soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm hoping to get more done this weekend. Just as soon as I get through the week.
DeleteWise choice of colors. The wall paper looks great and I love every detail. Hope your package arrive soon. It's amazing what an amount of books is needed to fill a wall of shelves.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Drora
So far the books look good and will add color. Have fun making the rest of the books.
Thanks Drora! I'm really a bit shocked over how many books I need!
DeleteGreat progress! I love the colors you chose for the shop front and door.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find all your book covers? I'm doing a coffee shop/bookstore and need a ton of books too. I started making them in February when I came up with the idea, but need so many.
Marilyn
Thank you! I bought some of the book covers from LDelaney on Etsy. You can also find free printies on pinterest. I also bought books from Ebay and Etsy. I think having duplicates is actually good because a bookstore should have more than one copy of a text.
DeleteUna fachada fantástica, me encanta el color que has logrado.Tu proyecto progresa muy bien, y lo de los libros será un trabajo muy minucioso.Buena semana:-)
ReplyDeleteThings are looking great. I am excited to see how it looks with all the books on shelves and the furniture in place. I like how the front facade has turned out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Troy! I'm hoping I can get most of the books made rather than buying anymore.
DeleteI'm happy the aging looks natural. Once I get the brick on I'll have to darken it too.
Wow that is a lot of books :) I love the facade the colour is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHugs Maria
Thank you! What's really funny is I need to make about four times this much. At least!
DeleteThe trims look so nice and I love the way you did the corner blocks above the door! It adds a nice detail that makes the entry doors pop!
ReplyDeleteThe aging looks great and gives a real dimensional impression of all the raised panel and millwork detailing! I love that the front doors are brighter - like they get maintenance regularly due to the heavy traffic they receive.
The wallpaper looks great and as though you had a smooth time of the application process - always a bonus! :O) I like the idea of exterior wiring channels so you can just get on with the interior lighting and cover it up later on.
The shots of the interior really give you a feel for what the mood inside the shop is going to be. I love that part of the build when all the ideas that have been stored in only your mind finally have a real life of their own! It's lovely in there!
The ceilings are going to look fabulous! I love all the carved detail you're adding!
About the books - Godspeed! I know there are many more to go, but taken in small bites you'll have plenty before you know it!
Thank you! I'm pretty happy with the aging. I had the thought that the doors would be out of the rain and less likely to get that 'soot wash' from the London air so they wouldn't be as dark as the front.
DeleteYou'll laugh. Five minutes after I posted I had to pry up my corner moldings because they didn't leave any room for crown molding to go up to the ceilings.
Lots and lots of books! I need to find some cheap ones in bulk and get printies to put on them as a time saver.
Now you'll laugh back at me but... I've got a whole sheet of covers I made up when I did the Bigfoot tourist shop. They are all real published titles with Sasquatch as the subject, but they were made to fit both the large and small Houseworks blank books they used to sell at HBS. I'd be happy to email them if you think they might be useful to stuff into places where the covers can't be easily seen. A little secret giggle, perhaps? Especially in an English book shop!
DeleteI'll take any help I can get. Even if I put them in the ends where the titles aren't noticeable.
DeleteHi Sheila! Sometimes those steps seem like nothing was done, but they add up to a whole lot! I love the views through the doors and the feel of how the shop will look! This shop is "growing" on me! (Probably because I want a book shop myself! LOL!) The number of books you will need is daunting...but looking at what you already have makes it seem "do-able"! The aging you did on the exterior looks about right... it is hard to tell with aging until all the parts come together... but you are on the right track! I can't wait to see more! :):)
ReplyDeleteThanks Betsy! I've got a bunch more of my kit books and some smaller ones I could make look older. So slowly but surely.
DeleteI LOVE IT!!!
ReplyDeleteYour Victorian bookshop with the spiral staircase is looking GORGEOUS Shelia! I love the "bones" of the interior and the way it works so naturally with the Fab exterior.
You are capturing the look of a bookstore which people would deliberately seek out to spend their time browsing through.
Most Impressive!!!!
Thanks! I wanted simplicity for the bookstore. The shelves are going to have all the spines with their color so the rest can't be too overpowering.
DeleteMe encanta el aspecto que va tomando todo,la escalera de caracol es fascinante y los techos con la adición de esas molduras van a quedar fantásticos!!!
ReplyDeleteBesos.
DeleteMuchas gracias. Me alegro de que te guste. La escalera era mucho trabajo, pero ahora vale la pena porque está en el espacio.
I LOVE the front! It looks so great already! I find making books quite soothing. I almost felt at lost ends when my library project ended and I wasn't making books anymore. Although I also want to make a bookstore, but mine has to be smaller.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I like the book making but there's a lot of it going on.
DeleteLook at those kit windows on the second floor! I love that! Even though you've departed from the kit a bit, the windows really kind of bring it back. The trim on the inside is so pretty and the wallpaper is looking great. Cheering you on as you make your books! It's going to be worth it :) They look incredible lined up like that and I can only imagine what a filled shop will look like!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristine! I really liked those windows a lot and I wanted to use them somewhere. I need to go and get more trim on the way home today. I don't have quite enough crown molding for what I want to do.
DeleteOnce again I haven't checked in on your progress for a while, Sheila, there are so many distractions here in Germany... Your shop front is stunning! I agree that the blue door comes to its rights more now that you've aged the front and a little bit of extra sanding and care with the construction always adds more realism and a feeling of satisfaction when things work just like they would in RL.
ReplyDelete