I feel more than a little guilty about my Victorian house. I've had it for 21 years, the first of my collection but it has become neglected as I 've spent time on newer, more colourful projects.
Having decorated and filled it in the Victorian style it holds less interest than other lighter and modern styles. It feels gloomy inside, difficult to see things and rather depressing.
Yesterday the bathroom painting fell from the wall, the 20 year old pieces of Blue-Tak finally dried out and gave up their hold showing the discolouring to the wallpaper from the years - just as real life, I guess.
The Victorian house holds two of my favourite miniatures. My most treasured is the gate legged table with candy twist legs that my father made me in the early eighties. When he was very ill he made it on a tray on his lap and died shortly after he'd given it to me.
The other is a smoker's bow chair made by
Colin Bird which I bought from him at his first London Kensington fair. It was the most expensive single item I'd bought but as the chair was a replica of one my grandfather sat in I just had to have it. Colin's furniture is exquisite and worth every penny.
The ground floor of the house has been a shop with toys and children's clothes but I've never been satisfied with the look of it. Too much wood panelling and wooden floors - too dull and uninteresting.
I'd removed everything from the shop this week, not knowing quite what to do with it when Oly came to visit and she came up with one of her brilliant ideas! I'll let you know more as it happens!
