Interiors:

Objective: Cleydael was the summer home of a very wealthy couple who were in their mid 40's to early 50's when the house was completed in 1859. This was a less formal house than their plantation on the Potomac and was designed specificially to catch summer breezes. It is built in an earlier style than what was trendy in the late 1850's, and is broadly late Federal to Greek revival. This clue to the conservative tastes of the owners, their ages at the time the house was built and the comparative informality of the house, have led us to conclude that the right way to decorate Cleydael in interpreting the house as it might have been in 1865 would be in a style more reminiscent of the 1830's-40's than of the latest, trendy high Victorian style, using older, less fashionable furniture similar in style to what they might have brought from their main house to a summer retreat, but with a few "modern" pieces from the 1850's-60's. Luckily, this worked with the furniture we already had, which is mostly Empire with a few earlier and later pieces and a lot of "shabby chic" compromises. (hey, I was shabby before "shabby" was chic!) Still SO much to do -- we're not there yet -- but we're making progress.....!

Parlor

Going with an Empire/Greek Revival era feeling, we went with chrome yellow walls, to set off the green brocade drapes that the previous owner had made for an upstairs bedroom, but we felt were too formal for a bedroom and belonged in the parlor. This worked with the green upholstered furniture we already had.

The ceiling fan was replaced with a repro ceiling fixture designed to look like a gasolier. This is a fudge as Cleydael did not have gas. However, as reproduction oil chandeliers are very hard to find and very expensive, it was a necessary compromise.

The woodwork and fireplace, previously painted beige, were painted white to lighten up the yellow walls.

Perhaps the most dominant feature of a Victorian interior is the center table. Not yet having a purpose-built Empire center table, an 1840's folding top gaming table has been pressed into service. The lamp on the table is a Sandwich glass whale oil lamp converted to kerosene, with a ca. 1850s beadwork lamp mat underneath. (Sigh. Some day we'll be able to afford an Astral lamp....) The firescreens were bought in England and were affordable because they are a "marriage" of Georgian walnut tops on Regency rosewood bases. The pictures inside the shields are ca. 1790 painted silk accented with stumpwork embroidery.

The secretary desk came from a plantation in Louisa County and was owned by a Confederate veteran whose grandson served as sheriff of the county. In early Renaissance Revival style, it is documented to 1868, a slight fudge for interpreting this house as 1865. However, as this furniture was starting to come into vogue earlier in the 60's and as the Stuarts were a wealthy and cosmopolitan couple we decided it was almost a plausible fudge -- and too nice a piece to pass up.

The bookshelves display a small collection of Greco-Roman and Palestininan antiquities and some plausible fakes, plus a leather bound 1840s set of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels.

The Eastlake chairs are obviously out of period and are a placeholder until a sofa gets back from the upholster, after which they will be banished upstairs.

The painting of a lady in neoclassical dress is a recent eBay acquisition and dates from ca. 1800. It arrived with about 20% of the gesso having come off the frame and we're currently putting the frame back together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

The chest under the painting is Welsh, ca. 1780 and the Staffordshire mulberry platter in the "Foliage" pattern dates to ca. 1840. The piecrust table in the corner is repro, bought in England. The Staffordshire dogs were an auction find from my days in England, acquired for ca. $12 and the Regency era sarcophagus shaped tea caddy was a similar UK find.

The sofa was practically free from "upscale resale" because it had been covered with hideous 1970s upholstery, and was reupholstered in a dark green moire. It is generally ca. 1830s in feeling, the heavier sort of Empire, but the shape of the arms makes me think it's early 20th century Empire revival. Never mind, it works.


A later view, once some proper Victorian clutter
had been allowed to acccumulate:
Kathryn and BobDog in the parlor

Other views of the parlor with reenacting friends

late Victorian / Edwardian
Decor of Previous Owners
The Before Pictures:

The previous owners were also antique collectors, but were more "into" late Victorian / Edwardian. The parlor was used as an informal sitting room and housed a sewing machine and computer, because there's simply nowhere else to keep modern things. We're solving this problem by remodelling and extending the unsympathetic 1900 - 1920 kitchen and screen porch wing to sometime larger and more sympathetic in style and scale, which will serve as a combined kitchen and family room and provide a containment area for modern conveniences such as television and comfortable sofas.

A picture of the parlor right after the first lot of furniture arrived, before the painters got to work, showing the previous color scheme and the natural wood door surrounds in the hall. The things hanging from the ceiling are the pulls for the ceiling fan, which will be recycled either in the new family room or in one of the attic bedrooms. This picture at least shows the Empire chair to advantage and show how much we've gotten done so far. (SO much more to do!)

Moving Day!
Photo Album, Page 3: Go to Interior, Page 2 to see the dining room and hall.

Cleydael is a private home. please respect our privacy and do not visit without an invitation. (Unless, of course, you're somebody we know, in which case y'all come!!
-- but phone first and give us a heads up and be expected to be handed a paint brush!)

Cleydael's History:
History & Owners |  Architecture | The Stuarts | What's in a Name? | | Calverts & Stiers
Lee Connections|  | Other Relations | African Americans | Booth at Cleydael
Jo-Anne Coe: In Memoriam
Photo Album |  Location | Links
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Contact us: WhigRose1860@aol.com