The Ultimate Haunted House

In the spirit of Halloween, I figured I'd share one of my favorite houses with you guys- the Webster Wagner Mansion in Palatine Bridge, NY. Whether or not this place is really haunted, it sure looks the part! Built in 1876, the home was built for inventor Webster Wagner, who invented the sleeping and parlor cars for the railroad, in addition to a ground-breaking ventilation system. Basically, he was largely responsible for improving the comfort of railroad travel. Is it somewhat ironic that after he built this home, he died in the same car he invented, in a fiery train crash in 1882.

Today, the mansion is in a terrible state of decay, but surprisingly is not abandoned. It is actually currently lived in, though the owner is somewhat of a recluse. A few years ago, half of the porch collapsed, followed by a portion of the third and second floors collapsing over the parlors due to water infiltration. The mansion is still standing, but on its final legs. While its future looks grimm, I hope someone will come along and save it..it would be sad to see such a part of local history lost...

Beautiful Damage

So, this past summer I was walking around the antique flea market in Bouckville, NY (VERY yummy), and came across this forlorn little lampshade. It wasn't really for sale by itself, it just came with an older floor lamp that it really didn't go with anyways. But I was struck. For me, the star was this shade. I snatched it up for $5 and carefully carried it back to my goodies pile.

Now some people have thought (and likely will think) I'm crazy. You should have seen some of the looks I got carrying this thing back! But I don't care- I just love it to pieces. And JUST the way it is. That's what makes it so good! It started out as a fringed lampshade (1920's?) but has practically become this (IMHO) work of art! I mean its just like this wierd sculptural faded floofal from another time....like shredded or faded elegance... That pink floofal in the middle is fantastic and I love the edges of fringe that remain along the sides. It really has this abandoned building kinda feel to it...

While I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it, I gotta do something good...I'm open to suggestions! I don't want it to be a lamp again (besides, it would burst into flames) so I'm thinking of just hanging it somewhere...maybe over a table over something?






P.S. here's a sneak peak of a 50's pink dinette I got at the same flea market! Isn't that pattern outrageous?! There probably won't be any pictures soon since its stored in Upstate NY at a friend's house (where I'll be moving), so a taste it the best I can do for now! With that being said, I know officially have too many dinettes and need to sell off the excess children! If anyone's looking for a 50's dinette in the Maryland-ish area, let me know! (I have a couple in storage and a nice red one ready to go).

Update on Life and a vintage patio set!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for forever! This past year has just been...well... packed isn't a strong enough word! In addition to surviving being an architecture student, I've just had a ton of other stuff going on as well.. This summer I helped a friend do a couple art shows and also volunteered to help an architecture firm do an exterior conditions report on a really cool house I have to post about some time... I also found the house that I'm going to be renting after school! I have to do a post coming up- I'm so excited! Its a little 1860's former parsonage in a village in Upstate NY. It needs a ton of work, but has a lot of potential! I'll be renting from my best friend up there, who lives in the old gothic church next door!

And then this semester is going on.. This is my first break, after our big first-half-of-the-semester project. To give you an idea of what studio is like during the final days of a project (the charette), I was working literally nonstop for a week, all day and night at the architecture building, and the last 3 days I slept 2 hours. Not a very pleasant experience! Besides the fact that I don't remember what i said during my presentation, I actually had a very good review, so I was happy. Here's a picture of me from last semester with my charette hat on, and a model from a previous project..

But anyways, during the charette I actually picked up some vintage yum-yums on the way to get art supplies! I was on the highway when my vinta-vision kicked in and spotted this adorable vintage dinette set at a yard sale! ( seen from the highway through trees in a neighborhood behind some bushes!). I instantly found my way to the yard sale and snatched them up for a tidy $35! I was thrilled as I was looking for a set just like this actually! And $35 is my kind of price! I'm thinking of painting the little armrest wiggles a color, or maybe even striped!