Hi Everyone,
This is part 1 and 2 of the Gracie Panel installation that did actually happen last week.
I’m sorry I couldn’t do another post on Thursday night. I don’t know how, but I hurt my back, and it is quite angry with me. It may have begun after I was moving furniture on Tuesday. But by Thursday evening (after moving furniture back), I was in bad shape.
I’ve been alternating between ice and heat, and I had a massage yesterday with CBD ointment. Additionally, I’m taking some Tylenol, which has been helpful.
Ironically, I’ve been getting more sleep. Maybe that’s why! I don’t know.
If you missed part 1, please begin from the top. Or, if you’re in a hurry or have read part 1 already, please click the link below to skip to part 2.
Part 2 Begins Here
(part 1 below)
Hi Everyone,
Okay, some of you will hate me, or at least be a bit miffed.
And you have every right to be.
It’s because the living room Gracie panels haven’t been installed yet.
They were supposed to be installed– TODAY, the 28th of May, which is why I planned for the post to come out tonight. However, last night at 8:51 PM, I received a text from the installer apologizing that she had forgotten about a doctor’s appointment scheduled for today, and she wanted to ensure there was enough time for the Gracie panels to be installed.
After all, there is zero margin for error when installing hand-painted Gracie wallpaper panels.
However, she is coming tomorrow (Thursday, May 29th) to install the panels.
Truthfully, it’s for the best it worked out this way.
Even though I was asleep by 2:00 AM, I still slept until 10:15 this morning . I know.
And, please, no judging.
I am trying very hard to change this hideous habit, and I realize I’ve been playing this record for the last several years.
However, the reality is that most nights, my lights are not out until at LEAST 4:00 AM.
Yes, yes, yes, I know. Believe me, I am fully aware how absolutely pathological that sounds.
And especially, since that’s closer to when the majority of folks wake up. I joke around that in caveman times, I’d be the one guarding the cave from a wild boar attack during wee hours.
Okay, please spare me the:
“Well, Laurel, just go to bed earlier.”
Guys, there is no “just.” And, please show me someone who doesn’t have something about themselves they have struggled to change, but find it very difficult.
As a possible solution, I’ve considered hiring a hitman to show up at 1:00 AM with a loaded pistol.
“Get your sorry ass in bed, Laurel, or else I’ll blow your brains out.”
That might work.
I’m not sure. ;]
However, there are people who do work night shifts, and their bedtime might be 8:00 AM. That’s rough. Imagine telling people, “I can’t schedule anything before 3:00 PM.”
Still, in my case, my dysfunctional schedule means that I can’t:
Go on 8:30 AM walks with a group of my friends
Go to monthly coffees at 9:00 AM
Can’t take a ballet class at 10:00 AM.
However, ballet is off-limits right now, because I totally effed up my already chronically bad ankle.
Never mind how, because it was an idiotic move on my part, but it could’ve been muuuuuch worse. Suffice it to say, while nothing is broken, the ankle is a bit wobbly with a chronically angry peroneal tendon and a newly pissed-off anterior talofibular ligament. (ATL)
Scheduled before the ligament mishap was an appointment with a horribly hunched-over (hmmmm) bone doc yesterday. He gave me this hideously ugly and uncomfortable plastic splint thing to wear. And then I walked home from Brookline!
Indeed, I was pooped.
Anyway, I’ve had the lights out before 2:00 AM three nights in a row. However, except for Tuesday, I’m still waking up late. In fact, on Sunday, I slept for over ten hours. I guess I needed it. I am aiming to have the lights out by 1:00 AM. Then, I can be up early enough to enjoy morning activities.
Please, dear God.
So, Laurel, did you provide the click bait, just to tell me about your effed up sleeping schedule and ankle you hurt doing something you had no business doing?
Yes. That is correct.
Now, before half of you reach for the unsubscribe link, please know that I’m only half serious.
While the panels are not yet up, the job *has* commenced.
So, let’s take a look at what’s been done so far and who I finally found to do the work for me.
First of all, I recently mentioned to you the struggle I had in finding someone qualified to hang the Gracie Panels.
However, if you’re just tuning in and have no idea what Gracie panels are.
They are the magnificent, hand-painted Chinoiserie panels from a family brand, Gracie, that has been around for well over one hundred years.
I knew two weeks ago that Melanie Harvey, master wallpaper installer, would be arriving at 7:30.
That’s AM, in case that’s not clear. haha
I could have asked her if it was possible to arrive later.
However, originally, she told me it wouldn’t be before June, and now she was giving me a May 27th and 28th time slot.
I woke up 15 minutes early, but only saw 20 minutes later that she had gotten caught in traffic and wouldn’t be arriving before 8:20. She arrived around 8:30 and unloaded the most pristine equipment I’ve ever seen.
I mean, it looked like she had stopped at Home Depot on her way. But, she didn’t. She actually cleans her stuff.
Let’s take a look at some photos of the Gracie panel prep work.
Above, Melanie Harvey is schlepping everything in.
I had to turn the lights practically all the way up, which I never do. As you can see, the LEDs distort the colors, and the imperceptible strobe effect makes it difficult for the camera to focus; hence, the crappy images with the lights on. The Anglo-Indian sconces have incandescent bulbs, but everything else is LED. And that is only because of the difficulty in changing bulbs. However, one day, I might have someone come out and change everything to incandescent.
Melanie was still bringing the last of her materials inside. I love her portable table. There, you can see the roll of white lining paper.
Above is a close-up of a panel with the lining paper installed. You can barely make out the line running horizontally across the wall. I can’t believe how precise this is. That’s amazing. What surprised me is how much texture is still visible even with the paper up. However, there is more texture on the other side of the moulding.
While I’ve specked wallpaper for dozens of clients, I’m never there when the walls are being prepped.
In any case, most of the time, a liner wasn’t required.
The liner not only helps smooth out imperfections but also ensures optimal adhesion to the wall. With an expensive hand-painted paper like this, it’s always a good idea to use a lining paper.
Above you can see the right panel with its lining paper up.
Today, I was sitting in the den, with everything in disarray. However, I loved the way the light and colors looked. That chair fabric in the foreground is brighter than that. However, the camera captured it in a more muted tone.
And one last shot, below, of the entire fireplace wall before it gets its adornment– God willing, in about 12 hours.
Here, I am standing on the stairs (duh) and had to use a wide-angle lens to get everything in.
Remember this?
Well, in the interest of self-preservation, I simplified the design. However, the Gracie panels are larger than in the rendering. I can’t wait!
Okay, I’m so proud of myself for finishing this at a reasonable time!
I’ll be back soon!
xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
June 1, 2025
Happy June!
So, let’s start at the beginning of the day, last Thursday.
There was parking available behind the building, but wouldn’t you know, our next-door neighbor’s roof was being redone, and a massive truck was blocking a small portion of the spot. Melanie arrived right at 8:00 AM. The guy couldn’t have been nicer and moved his truck forward so Melanie could pull in.
She brought a larger ladder this time. I have no idea how she carries it. Therefore, I need to stay on her good side because clearly, she could whoop my butt! Well, today, a toddler could whoop my butt.
The most difficult part of the job was rolling out the paper, which is rolled inside out.
I know they’re afraid the paper will get messed up, but it makes life more difficult.
Above, you can see the back of the paper and some of the paint, which proves that these are hand-painted.
However, below are a couple of close-up detail shots of the Gracie wallpaper panels.
Please notice the seams. That is where the wallpaper is pieced together. Some of you may recall that this is how it was done 150 years ago, as they didn’t have paper large enough to do in a 3-foot width.
See what I mean? The detail is breathtakingly beautiful and intricate.
Yet, now that it’s up close, it’s clear why the paper is so bloody expensive.
Melanie found some paint cans to use as weights.
Then we had to figure out which two panels went where..
We ended up doing panels 3/4 on the left and 1/2 on the right.
Above is the first panel waiting for the paste to set up to the right level of tackiness. Melanie said that when the panel goes up, she has a very brief window to make sure it’s in the correct place before it becomes impossible to move it.
She’s a brave woman.
Smoothing once she’s sure the paper is perfectly straight. And yes, the LED bulbs are all the way up which is why they look especially awful. Compare that light to the soft incandescent in the Anglo-Indian sconces. True, some of that obnoxious yellow could be a reflection from the brass, but still. The other thing is that they don’t look that bad in real life.
Melanie leaves about an inch of excess and then trims once in place to ensure a perfect fit inside the panels.
Laurel, what color is the background of the wallpaper? It looks quite gray.Â
It is a classic celadon blue-green-gray. The wallpaper color does change, and sometimes the background appears more blue-green, while at other times it looks more gray, but not a pure gray. Still, it was a very gray day, so that is part of the reason.
Melanie was all finished in four hours. I was sitting in the den, and the colors looked so beautiful.
The den color never looks brighter than on the left, as it is reflecting light from the window. However, what you see on the right is the same color as on the left, but in shadow. I left the furniture in the position Melanie put it back in. It looks nice both ways.
The left-side panel is a little more difficult to photograph because I had to turn on artificial lighting.
It’s like the leaves inside are having a convo with the leaves outside. ;]
I’m a little taken aback by how beautiful everything is.
Like, do I deserve to have so much finery?
Well, I need to get over that one. haha
Alas, like all of our cherished belongings, they are only ours to borrow.
Still, I feel as though I’m living in a dream; like this must be someone else’s home.
Nope. It’s mine. All mine. Oy! This is how things looked a year ago.
I was a little concerned that my lemon-yellow chairs wouldn’t look so great because they don’t match anything. But then I remembered from my years of experience that as long as one sticks to their palette family, all will look terrific together.
And this post shares a formula to avoid matchy furniture. I need to read that one, too!
Please pin the graphic below to Pinterest
I did post a short video Thursday night and also a link to a cute time-lapse video on Instagram.
However, I’ve moved them down here.
Here’s the link to the Insta reel, and please follow me on Instagram if you aren’t already.
Okay, next up are the windows. I must figure that one out, even though I’ve already spent hours on it.
Addendum
June 5, 2025
Oh man, this has been a very rough week! My back took a turn for the worse, and I’ve been in so much pain, I can’t even think straight.
This morning, I had a scheduled x-ray for my foot and ankle, but when I told the doctor about my back, he recommended that I try to get in to see my PCP ASAP.
Luckily, I was able to see my doctor this afternoon.
It was someone else in the group, and she thought, as I do, that it’s my sacroiliac joint that got inflamed. I’m not sure how that happened last week. However, I think it’s related to all of my ballet training, as I’ve had this before, but not this debilitating.
I have to double-up on Tylenol for a week, (Ibuprofen is off-limits) use a pain patch, alternate hot and cold, and try a muscle relaxant (tiny dose).
That’s why I couldn’t manage the mid-week post. Oh, I wrote it, but don’t have the mental capacity to edit it. I did take some new images.
Getting back to the new Gracie panels. Some of you wanted to see both panels at the same time.
While you can see them both peripherally, what you’re about to see is not how it looks. Everything appears farther away than it actually is.
Below is the best I could do, but the chandelier looks crooked (it’s not), and elements in the foreground look larger than they are.
The image above is similar to one higher up, but without the lights on and with brighter natural light. I also put this image on Instagram. I’m amazed by the kindness of the people in the comments. I even heard from someone at Gracie.
It was a hot one today, but there was a lovely breeze, and it wasn’t oppressively humid.
Oh, it’s coming. This is only early June. Speaking of— TODAY is the two-year renoversary! Yes, the demo began on June 5, 2023!
While I did take an Uber three times today, I also walked home through the Boston Public Garden once. The roses are not only gorgeous to look at, they’re intoxicating. Their perfume is unreal!
Okay, back to resting.
Edit: June 10, 2025Â
Melanie’s portable work table can be found here.Â
Below is the wallpaper paste Melanie uses.
xo,
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79 Responses
Laurel, so glad to hear that you are feeling somewhat better. Your recent “Gracie” photos are gorgeous! So luxurious and sophisticated yet inviting! You and I had a brief discussion of our DSPS ( thank you for that information) I feel a little less of a slug around family and friends. I by accident listened to a video ( in the weee hours, haha) by Stefan Burns (Scientist) and he happened to mention, in a lot of scientific jargon, that the earth’s magnetosphere has a strong effect on the human body, one of being our sleep patterns. The sun’s particles are in everything in our earth and can definitely change our circadian rhythms! He mentioned that walking barefoot in the grass helps the body to absorb the particles needed to restore our circadian rhythm! Also getting in substantial daylight/sunshine. This sounds a bit hokey to me but hey he is a scientist and my circadian rhythm is a mess. Haha. Thought that you might enjoy this piece of information. Maybe read this at bedtime to help falling asleep! I’ve cut 15 minutes from my awake time so it’s something!
Wishing you well! Catherine
I am so sorry to learn you are not feeling well. I am glad to hear that you are listening to your body and resting. As you know all too well, one of the benefits of living in Boston is the access to great medical care. You mentioned that you have great doctors. My 86 year old mother has spinal stenosis and it only took one visit to Dr. Jay Zampini at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to rule out surgery. She gets cortisol injections a few times a year.
As for the Gracie panels, and beyond how pretty they are, what fascinates me is how you were able to choose from so many options. For example, in addition to Gracie there is Fromental, Zuber et Cie, Du Gournay and others to choose from. I have been looking at wallpaper, and mural options in particular, for four years. I order samples and when I receive them I immediately dismiss some of the options but there are far too many that just don’t seem perfect enough to move forward with. This sounds a bit pathetic but the samples are not for the same room. I have been looking at wallpaper and murals for two guest bedrooms, a powder room, the primary bedroom, and a laundry room. I have a similar problem with paint samples. I grew up with Benjamin Moore as the preferred brand. Over the past two years I am exploring so-called healthier paint alternatives, for example Clare, Alkemis, and Portola with low or zero VOCs.
Your superb taste and ability to execute on your decisions inspire me. I hope you feel better soon.
Laurel,
I haven’t been commenting because of my own complicated health problems, including back surgery and then an emergency back surgery.
Please give yourself a break. You should be seeing a neurologist. My pain began as sciatica a year ago. I thought it would stop, but at the end of June realized I hadn’t left bed for a full month. Then it took a couple of months to get a scan and visit a neurologist. I won’t fill in the details here.
As far as the Gracie panels, they look stunning and so very much like your renderings. Your apartment is truly a jewel box and you are still not finished.
Hi Ramona,
I’m so sorry for the ordeal you’ve been through. My issue is not sciatica and not neurological; it’s a musculoskeletal inflammation affecting the sacroiliac joint. I’ve had it before and went to physical therapy which helped a lot. There is constant deep ache with breakthrough sharp pain and muscle spasms. In addition, my bowels decided to join the party and all I can say is yes, I am giving myself a break.
Cale is here for 24 hours. We walked gently, in the pouring rain, (actually rather refreshing) got a smoothy, did a bit of shopping, had a healthy dinner at home, and watched a movie. Otherwise, I’ve been resting, resting, resting. No hot sales. No blog post. At least not tonight.
I am listening to my body and it is screaming at me to take a bloody break before I break altogether!
Absolutely beautiful panels! So sorry about your back, take care and feel better soon!
Thanks for all your postings!
Laurel, First I hope you are planning on writing a book about this experience, putting everything down in one place where we novices can appreciate the journey and maybe learn something!
Second, do you worry about the Gracie panels fading with all the bright light on then, especially the one on the left? is there anything that can be done, other than blackout curtains, to kekep it from happening?
We have so much light pouring in from high windows that our floors have faded over the last 20 years. To the point where I’m trying to figure out how to have the refinished without having to move out of the house!
Well done!!
Hi Jean,
I’m working on it, but there’s no quick fix. The next post will explain the complex issues that have to do with living in a Boston condominium in a historic district that faces an alley and where one window is attached to a fire escape, thus dealing with egress codes. However, I am formulating a plan.
In the meantime, the sun is quite high in the sky and not shining in directly as I’m too low to the ground and the other buildings are putting me in shade. Come October that will change. After my sofa arrived in January for the first several weeks, I was covering it with a sheet during the late morning early afternoon hours when the sun was pouring in.
Hi Laurel. Everything you do is beautiful, and your home is no exception. Love the Gracie panels. Wish we could see it in person. Cameras have a way of distorting things. Once you have everything completed, you might consider hiring a professional photographer to get the best representation.
So sorry to hear about your back. Both my daughter and I have permanent back injuries. Back injuries are very painful. From our experience, if your back doesn’t get better in a week or so, I suggest that you see a chiropractor – you may have knocked a vertabrae out of alignment. If so, that can impact your nerves, and pain killers don’t help with nerve pain. Sure hope you are feeling better soon!
Hi Linda,
No worries. I’m under excellent medical care. :]
I feel so vindicated as a person with “delayed sleep syndrome” (Google it! Tbere is actually such a thing). My schedule is finally falling asleep between 3 and 4 a.m., and waking after about 8 hours. I’ve been ridiculed, berated, and even lost a good friend who refused to call after noon, when I explained my morning problem. So, I’m gratified to know there are a good number of us true night owls out there!
Laurel, your home is absolutely stunning, and is a testament to the value of having a plan and a vision. The colors, the serenity, and the classiness are perfect. Can’t wait to see the final “final” of your bedroom, baths, den and kitchen.
Best of luck, too, with your back. I suffered a compression fracture one year ago, not getting a final diagnosis until after my PCP referred me to a spine specialist and he ordered an MRI. Sometimes you have to push the MDs into getting the care you need (and deserve).
Hang in there!
Ann Fulton
Richmond, VA
Hi Ann,
I am sorry about your friend. That must be very painful.
Congratulations! So beautiful!
Praying you recover quickly!
Watching Melanie work is mesmerizing, she looks so confident and competent! Laurel, I’m so glad you found her to take care of such a treasure! Because looking at those Gracie panels is also mesmerizing… I can picture you sitting on your beautiful velvet couch, nursing your poor back and just gazing at all those incredible details. Drinking in all that beauty is also a good medicine – for the eyes and the soul, if not quite for your back! Thank you for sharing all this with us. Sending my best wishes for a super speedy recovery!!
The panels look lovely, and the color of the sconce shades are perfect with the background of the panels. I really like the yellow chairs and think they look great where they are.
Hope you recover quickly!!!
Hi Laurel,
I’m sorry your back has gotten worse. At least you’re resting in a beautiful space. Hopefully you’ll be feeling better soon.
Laurel….Absolutely stunning! This needs to be in a magazine!! Prayers that you get to feeling better!!
The paper is very beautiful and so is your home. Everybody, if you haven’t already, watch Laurel’s time lapse video on Instagram. – Yikes! My admiration for Melanie’s skills and your trust in them is huge.
Laurel,
Your home is simply breathtakingly beautiful. Congratulations on achieving your vision and thank you for sharing it with all of us. I love reading your blog posts.
With gratitude,
Sharon
You deserve every second of joy this masterpiece of a home can give you. Living through more than a year of construction (and, indeed, destruction at times) you maintained a vision and it is even better than we could have imagined. I’ve heard gardeners don’t move often because they invest so much of themselves in their gardens. I think you might feel the same about your home. You have earned every millisecond. Thank you for letting us come along for the ride.
Absolutely stunning! Everything in your room is beautifully considered and you do indeed deserve to live within such beauty. You must be sitting in the space feeling wrapped in delight. And yes, place a lovely plant in your Chinese pot!
Stunning. Gobsmacking. Wow! Congratulations. Simply exquisite.
Laurel, I’m very concerned about your uncovered windows. Left that way, the sun will come in strongly and start fading those very expensive wallpaper panels very quickly. In fact, the sun will start fading everything–floors, rugs, and fabrics–quickly.
Please put up some type of protective covering asap, either over the windows themselves or over the Gracie panels. Old sheets will do.
Then get someone in to apply that protective window tinting film that helps block UV rays.
Very elegant, yet heartwarming! To wake up each morning to see this lovely sight must be heavenly.
Yet again, you have chosen perfectly. Very Laurel- perfect! This outcome is so beautiful, and I’m sure that I’d gawk at it continually, if I were you.
Now, I can’t wait to see what onward and forward brings!
Feel better. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The Gracie panels make the room. What a fabulous vision you have for color and design. This room is spectacular.
Swoon-worthy, dreamy, exquisite: these are all words that come to my mind as I gaze on the beauty of your photos. The Gracie panels have elevated your already amazing space! The last two photos with the Gracie panels look like something straight out of a high-end interior design magazine. I adore your yellow chairs and am so glad it sounds like you are keeping them as is. I really love every element of your place, but just want to gush a bit about your coffee table. It’s exactly what I would want in my home; I’m in love with it :]
I hope your back is feeling better. I have quite a bit of personal experience with back issues, so I’m afraid I feel your pain. Sending healing prayers your way!
Wow, I’ve been waiting a long time to see those panels and they were worth the wait. So, so pretty. I think the yellow chairs are perfect – but you knew they would be, right? In your mock up there is a beautiful scene from the opposite wall reflected in the mirror. What is happening with that? I think you may have mentioned it (maybe not putting it there?) but I can’t remember. Hope the back pains go away. Sometimes they just do, as mysteriously as they came.
Just breathtakingly, exquisitely beautiful. I would pour a glass of wine, put on some opera, and sit and savor it.
Exquisite, it’s been amazing to watch everything come together. I wish you many happy and healthy years in your stunning home!
I’m still trying to figure out why something so personal as someone’s sleeping habit is something one’s friends would shame them about or care about if they are functional and successful? Don’t they have bigger fish to fry? I am a huge night owl late night TV binge-watcher, and am shameless about it. But, then again, I am ridiculously self-centered in the best possible connotation of the word, and simply see my schedule as my best way of functioning at peak performance since it doesn’t affect anyone else, and I deliver to all.
STUNNING, Absolutely Stunning, Laurel !!! Yes, it is yours, and so deserved…Happy for You!!
The Gracie panels are definitely worth the extra time, cost and effort. They are a mixture of happy and elegant! Beautifully done. Now I’m anxiously awaiting the decisions to be made on the window treatment. I’m hoping for luxurious silk.
Breathtakingly beautiful! The panels are my favorite color too! actually everything, yellow, aqua or celadon
enjoy the swoon every time you walk into the room!
I love the yellow chairs…unexpected but look lovely. Your home is gorgeous! If you should ever move again you better take those Gracie’s with you!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Gorgeous!
Oh Laurel – the whole room is STUNNING! If I were you, I’d bask in the beauty of it all too (and you worked very hard for this; those Do-I-deserve-it issues need to be banished pronto). I’ll probably bookmark this entry and return to it anytime I need a visual treat. Congratulations!
Love it!
Oh My Laurel, they are unbelievably wonderful!
Laurel, what a light filled, joyful looking home you have! Beautiful and serene. KIM
Ah sleep, what a rare and wonderful thing. Arg…. But, those panels. How beautiful. Your home is absolutely gorgeous. I love your way with color. You inspire me as I’m constantly editing my space and finding ways to creatively challenge myself with color and pattern.
That fireplace with the Gracie panel on the right and that dining room table AND that lovely yellow chair look swoon-worthy. In your shoes, I would spend all day lounging in that room just drinking in the loveliness. Every penny you spent on this and all the stress over getting the details right was worth it.
Any word on where that work table came from? (I suppose it’s too late now to find out.)
Amazing. What adhesives were used? With the hand paint was there a protective coating applied during installation?
You deserve every bit of pleasure from those stunning panels and your gorgeous home! You’ve worked hard to bring such beauty back to Boston – enjoy! And rest the back!!
Hi Laurel,
I’ve been looking forward to seeing your panels up. And they do not disappoint. They’re gorgeous. And I bet they’re even better in person. Congratulations!
I hope your back feels better soon.
Oh. My. Goodness. They are stunning. I can just picture you grin every time you walk in the room. I hadn’t expected you to keep the yellow upholstery on the chairs, but now that the panels are up, the yellow just works in the most fantastic collected way! So thrilled for you!
The panels are absolutely gorgeous, and work beautifully in your living room. Congratulations on all your work–it’s just fabulous!!!
The panels are breathtakingly beautiful, and the whole room just took on a brand new life! I know you are overjoyed!
Exquisite!
Laurel, the room is exquisite and each addition amplifies everything else ten times over! I am currently on prednisone so I am reading this at 2:30 AM ( keeps me awake) and will be watching an old episode of twilight zone in half an hour! Lol also, I’m spazzing out a little bit about the beautiful jar on top of of your beautiful dining room table. I hope you have something soft underneath it! I’m so happy that you have your beautiful dream come true!
The Gracie panels are stunning! Your home is classically beautiful. You deserve to be proud of all the work you’ve put into it!
I’m smiling with, and for you! Gorgeous!
This is beautiful. I wasn’t keen on the chinoiserie panels, but now they’re up, they’re absolutely stunning. Plus, I’ve always admired your yellow chairs, Laurel, and I think they’re perfect here. With the verdure cushions they link up to the bottom of the panels, and they also link the rug to the rest. Non-matching is a good idea, the room needs that bit of something different. You’ve simply got everything right!
I know you like those people yellow chairs, but I feel theyre distracting. How about an off white?
I love the panels and these are my favorite colors! Can you tell me the wall color. I am sure you have disclosed before, but I can’t seem to locate it. Excellent taste and amazing job! BTW I am fellow night owl as well; seems like there are more than you think!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I like the actual mouldings better than the more elaborate design in the sketch. The sketch feels just a little too fussy to me.
Hi Anne-Marie,
I do too!
WHERE did your installer get that table??? I would love to get one like it!!
Please don’t stress over your sleep habits. Frankly, no one outside of busybodies or Church Ladies cares. We care about the quality of your posts, and you just do whatever it is you have to do to keep posting!
I LOVE how your fireplace turned out, too. I think these have been the clearest pictures of it.
Hi Brigitta,
The answer is coming soon!
Hi Laurel,
Don’t be too hard on yourself for your sleeping habits. At least you’re sleeping. I go through periods where I can’t shut my mind off & can’t fall asleep. Or I wake up an hour after I’ve fallen asleep & can’t get back to sleep. I always keep a bottle of melatonin in my nightstand.
I’m excited for you getting your panels up. They’re going to be a beautiful addition to what you’ve already created. I’m hoping to see pictures in Sunday’s post.
Laurel, I’m so excited to see you are finally getting the Gracie panels installed. Don’t kick yourself in your sleeping habits. We all have a natural sleep cycle (chronotype) and while it may be possible to modify it somewhat I don’t think you can completely change it since it’s not part of your natural circadian rhythm. Besides I’ve read several articles that indicate that person who is a
“wolf” chronotype is more intelligent than others!
Have you ever considered traveling to a country that is in sync with your sleep schedule? 4 am EDT is 5 pm in Japan. Going to sleep at 5 pm may not be late enough if you don’t want to be an early riser. Maybe New Zealand would be a better option since 4 am EDT is 8 pm in New Zealand.
I am an early riser and married to a night owl. Most nights hubby doesn’t go to sleep until after 1 or 2 am. I found that when we travel to Europe, Asia or New Zealand this messes with our sleep schedules but we both gradually adjust to more sensible sleep schedules over the course of a week or more. This could be an interesting experiment for you. Maybe take a trip to Hawaii where 4 am EDT is 10 pm in Hawaii.
I look forward to seeing the installation of the Gracie panels. Thank you for the link to Melanie the master wallpaper installer.
Hi Anastasia,
Well, I’ve traveled in the opposite direction and so you’d think that when I returned, I’d naturally want to go to bed earlier. I can’t recall because I’m sure I just got in bed. The time I went to Italy, I returned deathly ill with the worst virus ever. Traveling to Europe is very difficult because I can’t sleep on the plane, thus, I have to sleep when I arrive. When I went to England, I arrived at the hotel around noon, but my room wasn’t ready until about 3:30, so at the encouragement of the staff, I slept on a banquette in a vacant bar.
Another Night Owl here! My neighbors are in bed at 9pm. Not me, never. I think there is a special kinship between us Night Owls – something that the “normal” sleepers can’t understand. I love your home and all your tasteful choices. It’s beautiful.
Laurel, it’s going to be so beautiful!
I, too, suffer your misery with sleep. Surely makes me feel lazy and guilty. I’m just rolling with it until my body needs change.
Looking forward to seeing those Gracie panels UP!
BRENDA
You are in good company, Laurel, as I have the same sleep schedule. My grandmother, a brilliant writer, always slept from 4 am-noon, so it runs in the family. It was not fun waiting for Grandma to wake up on Christmas morning, but as a teen I’d love to visit, as we’d stay up watching Nick at Nite, with my grandfather periodically yelling down to get to bed.
I know it’s inconvenient and something we try to hide, but there are many of us with delayed sleep cycles. I’ve also found that when I try to wake up earlier, regardless of what time I go to bed, my health suffers. So, I figure late sleeping tendencies are a feature not a flaw.
Laurel, I’m on the same sleep schedule as you and I’m figuring that every year when we go through the idiotic time change, my body never catches up or adjust. Hence my natural body clock is not in sync with everyone else. Ugh! So, thank you for making feel there are others with this same problem. We must unite!!!
I’ve enjoyed watching the beautiful restoration of your home and I can’t wait to see the beautiful Gracie panels installed!
Hi Catherine,
Yes, the time change. Ugh, especially losing an hour. Although I think they’re both awful. Yes, there is an element of shame I have felt. One friend said to me. “You can’t be somewhere by 10:00 AM?” Well, I can… but it’s painful.
Hi Laurel, Like Barbara above, I too am a night owl married to an early bird. Difference being we have somehow been able to make it work for 38 years so far, lol! We each get a bit of our alone time which is nice. He’s usually asleep by 9:00 and up by 5:30 latest. I can never go to bed before 12:00 and often I force myself to try and just lay there reading on my iPhone until I finally conk out. I have to get up by 7:30 or so which isn’t fun but I get by.
I absolutely can’t wait to see the Gracie panels hung! They’re going to look fabulous I’m sure! I’m looking forward to your next post.
Hi Linda,
In bed by midnight would be fantastic. My alarm went off at 7:46 this morning and I was in the middle of dreaming, but couldn’t fall asleep before 2:30. Still, better than 4:30.
Laurel- you are the ONLY person-other than me- who has the identical sleeping and waking habit. It’s just the way I’m built.I always thought there was something wrong with me (so do a lot of other people ). I feel SO much better now, knowing that someone else in the world is like me ! ! Of course, being single helps ! It was really difficult being partnered with a guy who couldn’t keep his eyes open after 9:00 pm.He woke up at 5:30 am to prepare for daily pickle ball,7 days a week. Gee, maybe that’s why I’m single now ??
p.s. I’ve just moved into an independent living residence where everyone (but me) is up by 6:30, dressed and dolled up by 7,dinner by 5:45 the latest, and in bed by 9:00 pm !! They think I’m nuts.
BTW-I’m from Boston-living in south Florida now. Be well,Barbara
The panels are going to look fantastic!!! Looking forward to your next post!!
Hi Laurel,
I am beyond excited for you to be at this stage of your renovation, getting the pretty things in! Each time I look at that staircase and think what a miracle you’ve accomplished, just changing *that* awfulness about your home… , let alone how gorgeous it is in its own right….. I am again in awe of your design sensibility and persistence. Bravo!
I know that sometimes with very fine papers as well as with murals, they are put on a canvas so that at some point they could be removed and used elsewhere…. (which is I guess how antique papers that go to auction are handled).. I was wondering why you might not have chosen to give yourself that option. Just curious. I can’t imagine you removing them for any reason, but I’m just trying to learn about these fine heirloom quality papers.
So happy for you to live in this very special home you have created!
Hi Marguerite,
I thought about it for a bit, but two things. They might not work elsewhere and the other it’s a huge additional expense. The other guy quoted $2,400 additional for the canvas backing. Ummmm… that’s not happening!
I have so loved reading your blog these past few years about your remodel. If money and time were no object and you and I were good friends, I’d give anything to just come sit in each room in your home for about 15 minutes to just absorb the beauty and detail. But alas, allow me to continue to dream of your lovely space on your beautiful street in your beautiful city.
Hi Donna,
Please come on by!
When I was in my 30s my mother shared letters she had written to my grandmother when I was a baby. (My mother was surprised to learn my grandmother had saved them.) Her description of me was “Peggy has a hard time getting started in the morning but she earns her keep late at night.” I’m now 72 years old and still can’t fall asleep before midnight. Night owls, unite!
Wondering if you are planning on installing the moulding above the mirror depicted in your sketch. Hope so
Hi Phyllis,
I’m done with the mouldings, and very happy with things as they are.