The Barrister's Study

Summer school ended on Friday and J had an overnight business trip to New York on Monday. Since I don't have to go into work for the whole day I started a remodel of his study thinking it would be a nice surprise. After 5 tubes of caulk, 1 can of Good Off, and two gallons of paint  it was suddenly Thursday. J's surprise makeover wasn't really the great reveal I hoped for, but he still appreciated it.

Here is the study before we moved in:

And

Like the rest of the house this room has a fireplace that J uses quite often. Since he spends so much time in here he wanted his internet radio and TV so that he can listen/ watch the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. 

Before we really redecorated my dad and brother came over to help J mount a flat screen above the fireplace. Usually he really wants to decorate in the time period of the house but I guess the flat screen doesn't count. 

Watch out. City Boy with nail gun. 

My brother and J didn't think the horsehair plaster would support a TV, so they nailed 1X4s to the top and bottom of the mantle. They then nailed ship lap to the studs and mounted the TV to the wood. Since nothing in this house is remotely level (we don't use levels ever. Our eyes work much better) they had to put trim above and below the ship lap. In retrospect I would've asked them to use a single piece of wood because in the winter the individual pieces of wood are noticeably individual, but that would've been a nightmare to cut. After the TV was mounted we put up pre cut and pre assembled moulding boxes on either side to mimick the mantle decor below. 

After :

Grandfather clock made by one of my former students in woodshop. 

Club chair by Bombay company via Joss and Main. The twin to that chair is behind J's desk. 

Painting windows is my least favorite thing. Especially when you've got 24 pane windows. I've found the easiest thing to do is to paint over the dividers and don't worry about the glass. The thicker the better. Once dry use a flathead screwdriver to scrape as much off as possible and then finish up with a paper towel and goof off. The screw driver works so much better than a razor! 

Valences and curtains from a consignment store. They're very high quality and match a Morris chair and ottoman I had recovered for J in our old house. The fabric has elephants wearing saddles on it. 

J went to school in Saratoga and we always purchase a racing season poster for the important years in our relationship. 

Obviously all dens need a comfy seating are to watch TV!!

We also both rowed crew.  This coffee table is made from an old shell. I bought it here. 

There's a lot of stuff going on in this study. Horse racing, crew, and barristers. 

This is part of a series of three pictures and is from Vanity Fair. They were in J's dad's office back in the day. 

While historically one would paint the moulding a color and keep the walls a dull white I changed it up. It is more modern, but I think the room looks far less dank. The dehumidifier that is emptied 3 times a day also helps with that.