Saturday, May 16, 2009

show house


The Saturday before Mother's Day Barb, Mike, B and I toured E.B. Green's Wallace Estate. Since 1981 the Junior League of Buffalo has presented a Decorator's Show House every two years. An estate is selected and transformed by area interior decorators, artisans and craftsmen. This year the mansion selected was designed in 1929 by Buffalo architect E.B. Green for David Wallace. This is my fourth or fifth show house tour. This estate is by far the smallest I've toured but still impressive. Here we are walking down LeBrun to the house.


We arrive right at opening time but a line has already formed.


Waiting in line I can't help but think of the old Gothic novels that my dad liked to read. This house looks rather foreboding. No wonder FLW caused such a stir when he designed a prairie house for Darwin Martin.


Front door entrance. Sorry...put your camera away. No photos allowed.


Side door outrance. The thing that impressed me most was the slightly worn, yet vibrantly colored tile floor in the solarium. Clay tiles in shades of turquoise, burnt orange and yellow laid out in an intricate pattern. I told B that this was the tile I wanted for my kitchen. This tile floor was repeated in the breakfast room only this time in shades of aqua, green, yellow gold and black. I also liked the historic Art Nouveau glass tiles in most of the bathrooms.


I also coveted these screens for the eating area of our patio.


While the guys waited on us Barb and I browsed the boutique. I purchased this pottery piece designed specifically for holding beaded necklaces and earrings.

1 comment:

Momma_Dee said...

When you live in the desert and see pictures of soft, lush green grass your feet yearn to feel it beneath them.
When I saw the piece of pottery, I thought it was a gift shop and was shocked to see earrings that looked just like ones I have made.