My newest architectural salvage project involves the ceiling in my dining area off the kitchen in the Ohio condo. For the past two years, I have been redecorating the Ohio condo. We kept debating whether we should sell the big condo and go to a small house with land for a double workshop. In the end, we decided to stay and not sell. The constant traveling left us little time for the home maintenance that is provided by the condo association, a feature we just couldn’t pass up.
How the Ceiling Medallion Project Started
I recently assisted a client with home decor in her new house. She found a picture grouping with frames she loved. The two sconces in the grouping did not match the gilded frame so I regilded; touched up all the features so they matched.
In lieu of payment, we agreed on a barter…she had removed an old plaster ceiling medallion from her kitchen to allow for a new lighting system in her kitchen remodel.
As I said, I have recently begun to upgrade the condo and I love to mix old and new in my personal decor. It helps me to incorporate the old world styles of Europe into my American home. A little bit of architectural salvage allows me that pleasure.
Brightening the Kitchen
When I redid the kitchen, my main focus was to remove the oak cabinets and get white cabinets to lighten up the dark kitchen. I also had a series of pot lights with LED bulbs placed in the kitchen ceiling.
These two additions alone brightened up the kitchen significantly. In the initial planning period, I got bids for placing skylights in the kitchen and removing the popcorn plaster ceiling- a fad I truly dislike.
Boy, I almost choked when I found out the cost for each of those projects. So needless to say; those two were abandoned.
I had added bling to the dining chandelier. I will write a post on how we did that soon. Sign up for email updates to see that post by clicking the “Stay Up-To-Date” button on the top of the page.
The Plan for the Ceiling Medallion
Now I plan to put up the ceiling medallion above the chandelier. I’ll send you a pix when we get it done. I have to paint it yet to match the and I hope the prominence of the medallion distracts the eye from the popcorn or at least enhances the ceiling.
In Europe, I never see popcorn plaster. The ceilings and walls are all smooth rendered. Crystal ceiling lights are common and in the Victorian homes I love, the ceiling medallion is a common feature in almost every room.
There is a massive ceiling medallion in a Dublin castle called Clontarf Castle…magnificent.
I grew up on the east coast- New York State near the home base of the TV decor show “This Old House.” This Old House is a good resource for architectural salvage in general.
Old Victorian homes are well known that area of the USA and so the show does talk about Victorian decor. In fact, they have a blog page on how to decorate with ceiling medallions. I love some of the ideas they present and learned a bit about the history of the use of this architectural feature. My new salvage piece does have the intricate and delicate scrolling they described in the article. I can’t wait to get it mounted.
Great talking with you, follow us to see how the medallion works out.
Talk soon
Take good care
Dee
