Preserving the Charm
Entering the living room through the
Dutch front door transports guests
back in time. The room is tiny, reflecting
bygone architectural sensibilities. The few
embellishments include the hand-painted
tiles surrounding the cast-iron hearth.
But the room’s unpretentiousness
appealed to Jim and Kathy. “We walked
in the front door and we knew. We knew
right away. It has that charm that you just
don’t see,” says Jim.
The room is also festooned with
some of Jim’s nautical art collection,
including a 31-foot stars-and-stripes
pennant that was flown from the mast
of an American whaling vessel. The
dark-stained original hardwood floors still
gleam – there’s even a section that led to
the original cellar.
The home’s overall color palette is
mostly neutral, but it is hardly mundane.
In fact, when it came time to paint the
downstairs hallway, Kathy used the
facade of a small antique drawer as
her source of inspiration. She took the
reddish drawer with distressed blue
undertones to Kim Metheny of Metheny
Weir Painted Finishes in Larchmere to see
if she could replicate the color. Metheny
envisioned a new application for the
decorative finish she typically uses when
she repaints furniture.
“We’d never used Chalk Paint by
Annie Sloan on walls, but it’s great for
plaster and plaster walls. It’s so perfect
for older homes,” Metheny says. Despite
the name, there is no chalk in the paint.
Metheny explains that the paint dries with
a chalky feel and then is coated and buffed
with a wax that’s designed to enrich the
paint color. “It takes 21 days to cure, but
once it’s cured, it’s really hard and durable.
It protects the surface for years to come,”
Metheny says.
The Holcombs also used
Metheny Weir to finish the walls
in the dining room, which were
painted a cement color and share
the same subtle sheen and textured
look found in the hallway.
PHOTO: DEBORAH EDWARDS