Two Shades of Grey

First, the very discoloured cream doors of the wardrobe fitment in our bedroom.  These have been in situ since the late 80s when our predecessors installed them.  At first we toyed with the idea of a large Edwardian triple robe, and, indeed, saw several which would have worked quite well.  Inertia is a strong force for us, however, and the years passed by without us doing anything about it.

Recently, I read a comment from a lady who was downsizing, about how she had had enough of "brown furniture."  That would be "brown" as in "wood-coloured", I suppose.

Anyhoo, we thought the time had come for these doors.  My husband ordered some MDF and, much glueing, clamping and five coats of paint later, we have the "After" picture.  He ordered a narrow, lightweight mirror for the central panel.  We scanned the Farrow and Ball paintchart and chose Dove Tail and Elephant's Breath, not quite realising how these colours read differently depending on what is nearest to them.  Here, they are definitely pale grey and  even paler grey, but we are very pleased with the sleekness of the effect.  My husband did have some fun coming up with alternative names: Monkey's Elbow and Duck's Bottom, for example.

 

 

 

Reflected in the mirror, you can just see the beams behind our bed.

I have been enjoying the "Great British Sewing Bee", although  people sewing beautifully makes less interesting television than eccentrics sewing badly but creatively.  I was constantly struck by the effect of time limits on the tasks.  Of course, sometimes the home-sewer is up against a deadline, and this will induce stress.  I well remember my mother finishing a dress late into the night, sewing a little floral trim on to turquoise organdie.  But often home sewing projects run on for weeks, months, years...

One of the tasks was to make a man's shirt in four hours - but it was a shirt with no cuffs.  When I was at university, two of my housemates were getting married.  It was a winter wedding and the bride had chosen a burgundy fabric for the bridesmaids' dresses.  She planned to make the bridegroom's shirt from the same fabric, but time rolled on and they had booked to go to a ball on the eve of the wedding.  While they were out I took the pieces of the shirt and made it up, working late into the night.  I had no sewing machine, but the ladies' college just across the road, St Hugh's, had a sewing room, which I "borrowed".  I wonder if they still have it.  I do remember that I somehow put the buttonholes on the wrong edges of the cuffs so they fastened back to front.  He wore it to the wedding, though.