My Art Deco Library Project

[Mister Cairo]

Folks, it has been a while since I last visited. Military duties, travel, farm projects, teen daughters growing up, one I just took across Canada to Victoria, British Columbia to university, you name it!

I am happy to be back, and to share my "middle age crisis" project, the last interior project in our (it was new in 2019) farm house - my library in Art Deco!

It has been a work in development since last December, but is coming to fruition now.

To start, the design "drawings". Worked with our cabinet makers using found original designs.

 

[Mister Cairo]

The library room in raw form. We are in our house over 6 years now, and this has been "on the floor" storage for books, photo albums, and assorted bins.

Cleared and being prepped for the cabinets, shelves with 4 sconces and gas fireplace installation.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
Will you keep the existing floor? I’m envisioning “oriental” rug(s) and big comfy chairs.
I’m looking forward to photos of the work in progress.

 

[Mister Cairo]

^^^^^
Will you keep the existing floor? I’m envisioning “oriental” rug(s) and big comfy chairs.
I’m looking forward to photos of the work in progress.

Keeping the flooring certainly for now. That is vinyl directly on the concrete sub-floor (this is a walk-out basement location).

My wife and I chose this for this room, our home gym (!), and our laundryroom/mudroom.

It is called "New York" and is a deco-inspired pattern.

I have in fact bought the chairs (reveal much later). 1920s French art-deco, reupholstered but original frame and springs.

Love the Oriental carpet theme, A-D incorporated various themes which blended kn beautifully!

On that point, the next evolution follows!

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
The brown wall-to-wall carpeting in our finished basement (it’s a complete living unit) was pretty well worn out when we bought the place, 10 years ago this month. But after cleaning it and covering most of it with oriental rugs and furniture it doesn’t matter much that the carpeting is old. It’ll probably be there 10 years from now, and it won’t matter much then, either.

 

[Fading Fast]

Folks, it has been a while since I last visited. Military duties, travel, farm projects, teen daughters growing up, one I just took across Canada to Victoria, British Columbia to university, you name it!

I am happy to be back, and to share my "middle age crisis" project, the last interior project in our (it was new in 2019) farm house - my library in Art Deco!

It has been a work in development since last December, but is coming to fruition now.

To start, the design "drawings". Worked with our cabinet makers using found original designs.

Those bookshelves look incredible. I can't wait to see the progress.

When we did our place about ten years ago, we, too, went back to original design books from the 1920s as our coop apartment was built in 1928.

 

[Mister Cairo]

Next step: the gas (propane - we're on a farm!) installation start up.

Of course, when art deco began to become popular, folks decorated their homes built in the late Victorian, Edwardian and George the Fifthian eras, so the original fireplaces were often surrounded and topped by art deco styles mantel pieces, side boards and decorative touches (tiling, etc.).

Here are some

samples I found in researching the look for my library:

 

[Mister Cairo]

Here is what I found, having deemed modern samples that I thought may have worked (clean lines, linear shaping) insufficient.

Being shown around showrooms, this one was not pointed out to me, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw it:

 

[Mister Cairo]

Inserts and fronts not in yet, as the cabinetry going around it is the next step, but this is the first physical advance in my library project:

 

[tonyb]

Any thoughts as to window treatments?

 

[Mister Cairo]

Any thoughts as to window treatments?

Doing research now. Likely will need custom work done, but very important! Believe it or not, re-watching Jeeves and Wooster (Laurie and Fry) is on my list!

 

[tonyb]

How about walls and ceiling? Paint? Paper? Color(s)?
The “library” in our generic 1977-built suburban rambler (genuine popcorn ceiling!) is in a dark blue. It’s a 10 by 10 bedroom with a convertible loveseat, so it can serve its original purpose should the need arise.

 

[Mister Cairo]

How about walls and ceiling? Paint? Paper? Color(s)?
The “library” in our generic 1977-built suburban rambler (genuine popcorn ceiling!) is in a dark blue. It’s a 10 by 10 bedroom with a convertible loveseat, so it can serve its original purpose should the need arise.

Funny you should mention that...

I have adored the colour of the flat in the Jeeves and Wooster tv series. Tough to copy.

I have used a colour, details to follow, in advance of cabinet installation:

 

[Mister Cairo]

Nearing the end of the main phase!

It took two guys an hour to unload the components into the library for final installation this coming Monday!

I cannot wait!

 

[Mister Cairo]

Day one of likely four to fully install the units.

Naturally a glitch, some material breaking away from a fireplace surround element so back to the shop lime Cindy Lou Who's tree for repairs!

 

[Mister Cairo]

Day two of up to four, and more progress though it looks more chaotic.

Cabinets in place and separators added, upper book case framing has been sized, trimmed and balanced awaiting imstall tomorrow, and fireplace surround partially completed and awaitong installation.

 

[Mister Cairo]

Day three was yesterday, and the cabinet and shelving project is, subject to some touchups and installation of the sconces, and dusting, done!

I am thinking of waiting until then for a final pre-furniture move photo session, so more to follow soonest!

Mr. C.

 

[Mister Cairo]

Quick update - the cabinets, shelving and fireplace surround are done!

Some trim yet to go around the front perimeter of the metal fireplace surround, reproduction 1930s Art Deco sconces to go in, and final placement of the FP faux-coal insert and screen.

MTF!

 

[Mister Cairo]

1935 calling...

Northern Electric refurb'd Canadian phone with power booster that just arrived (our farm's landline is fibre optic so the current was not strong enough to ring the bells!

 

[Mister Cairo]

So excited!

Electricians just left, and my sconces have been installed! These are reproduction 1935 slip shade sconces.

The originals used to create molds were made by MidWest Mfg. Co. of Kansas City.

Not cheap, and with Canada and the US of A having a tariff tiff the King charged me huge above and beyond the usual sales taxes (those were charged too!).

Each has its own switch but I had roughed in a wall dimmer switch which I'll use. So they are simpky "on" all the time.

I have 40 watt bulbs in, they can handle up to 100 w.