MahamYe

Originally Written Feb 18

Yippee! Hidden Cornices!

Well, things on the renovation have come to a standstill for the CNY holiday. The workers have taken their goose and gone to Nantong for Spring Festival. I must say that I’m not too saddened to see the goose gone since he has been dangling from a laundry line from the second story balcony for the past several weeks in anticipation of being cooked for the big New Year dinner by Mrs. Lao Chen (the head contractor’s wife). I suppose it has been thoroughly marinated by Shanghai’s acid fog.

Before the holiday, we did a walk-through with our architect and happily discovered some of the original cornices that had been hidden under a drop ceiling in one of the upper bedrooms. We had long wondered how the ceiling molding had originally looked in the downstairs living room, so it was quite exciting to find a bit of it still lingering. It is very similar to what we had planned to use, but it was reassuring to see that we are on the right track.

A lot of the demolition work has been completed so now construction can begin once everyone returns. Before leaving town, our architect gave us a list of decisions that we must make in the coming weeks. Things like the placement of electrical outlets, lighting options, fireplace, radiators, etc...need to be finalized as the process unfolds. The toughest decision will be the entryway, though. As it currently exists, the living room/dining room is a closed separate space, but we hope to open this a bit to give an enhanced sense of space and bring light to a shadowy hall that leads up the stairs. We just have to determine the most functional and visually appealing way to do it without losing proportion. One option is to widen the existing door. Another idea is to totally open it and use built-in decorative shelves to separate the space. Either way, since we will be deconstructing a load-bearing wall, we will need to install an iron supporting beam. That is the piece that has to be ordered ASAP in order to proceed. Decisions. Decisions

Our next goal is to wangle an invitation from our next-door neighbors to see their home since it has not yet been renovated. We would love to see some of the original architectural features such as the banisters, cornices, etc. We are hoping a big box of oranges and a wide smile will engender an invitation inside. The other two homes that were built by the original family (one for the father and the other two for the sons) were sub-divided and multiple families live there. Just peep at the staircase would totally thrill us.

Stripped Banister. We are working to bring the original wood out that has been hidden under layers of lead paint throughout the house.

Major Transformation to soon occur.

Anyway, not much progress since everyone is still in holiday mode...but full force ahead come March 6.

Melanie