I've been lucky enough to work on a few custom projects for clients and I recently completed one that I just love!
A friend of a friend asked if I could create a "privacy wall" in their entry way. They had opened up the whole main floor years ago, but now realize they wanted to create a more intimate space. We talked at length about what they needed...tossed around many, many ideas (sliding partition wall, solid wall etc etc). I knew what they wanted and had a vision...but couldn't quite come up with an exact solution. There style is very much vintage eclectic...which is right up my alley...so we knew we wanted to incorporate some vintage and salvaged items. The search was on and it proved to be more difficult than I thought.
Like most great problems, this one was solved by patience and research. I looked high and low for just the right piece or pieces to create some sort of partition. I looked at shallow cabinets as an option. I looked high and low...for high or low book cases that might work. Nothing seemed right.
Until one cold March morning...when into the Flea walked one of my vendors, carrying these spectacular stained glass church windows. Search. Over.
You know when you get that feeling that "this is it!!".....I just knew that these windows could be incorporated into a partition that would not only be functional, but also be downright gorgeous.
Like a puzzle to be solved...I now needed to find the other pieces that would encompass this wall. After re-measuring the space I realized I needed something approximately 7 feet by 2.5 feet to fill in the bottom portion. Bingo! Exactly the size of a door! You may or may not know about my penchant for reusing doors, and this is exactly the opportunity where one will fit perfectly. What I love about an old door is that it really looks exactly like a panelled wall. The detail and quality of wood is better than anything you could build new and the character cannot be beat.
A trip into my meticulously organized storage container (aka the shed in my backyard where I throw everything into and hope it doesn't fall on me when I open the door) provided a door with these exact dimensions, give or take a few inches. You can barely see it...waaaaayyyy in the back!
I decided to flank the wall with two end pieces (made from vintage timbers) that would serve to provide stability, frame the panel and also fill in the extra length we wanted.
When I started to think about a structural partition wall I kept coming back to the idea of columns..because they would give structural support (the very purpose of any column) and also lend some real character and set off those windows amazingly well.
Again, the search was on....I have joined quite a few Facebook groups devoted to vintage and found an antique dealer that posted these columns.
After all the pieces had been found it was just a matter of putting them all together. I added some trim and base pieces for support and structure and then installed the whole thing....white-washing it to unify all the elements.
The result? A truly unique and beautiful wall that is functional, but also a focal point for the space. It changes the feel of the room and creates that intimacy the client wanted in the front room. I love it when a plan comes together!
Stay tuned for the next project...I've got tons of things up my sleeve just in time for the new outdoor Leslieville Flea season.
