Some Interior Photo's of Our Home (Elegant Lady B&B Nichols NY)

It's been dead as a doornail on the message board the last few days, so I'll throw a post up. Hopefully get things rolling again.
Here are some interior photos of our house - we have a B&B in Nichols NY (upstate near Binghamton/ Elmira)- "The Elegant Lady B&B" it's a Queen Anne - built around the turn of the century (the abstract was lost - we don't have a definite date). We bought the house in '94 at a bank foreclosure - it was a wreck. It had a slate roof that leaked badly - lots and lots of water damage inside. We put a new roof on, built new porches & balconies, removed the asbestos siding and painted it, gutted it, new wiring, plumbing, mechanicals, ductwork, insulation, windows, walls, ceilings, we had to make & finish some new trim to match, reworked the 2nd floor layout for a B&B (we added 4 bathrooms) and moved few walls & stairs. We've come a long way - but still have a few projects left. Our ceilings are our trademark - each room is treated differently (a couple are still awaiting treatment). We've done 90% + of the work ourselves. The carpentry, plumbing and electrical is mine. My wife is very artistic and has a good eye for details & decorating - that's her department. She has also done the painting, papering, ceiling treatments, and window treatments. Our goal is to finish before we die - not sure if we're going to make it.
She also does ceilings for others as a sideline - if anyone in the Northeast is interested. A decorated ceiling adds a lot of drama to a room- as the Victorians well knew.  woodwright

Wow!  Love that DR ceiling--thanks for sharing...Charles.

Quote from: woodwright
A decorated ceiling adds a lot of drama to a room- as the Victorians well knew. 

As Christopher Dresser put it: "If one part [of a room] only can be decorated, let that part be the ceiling."

I agree w/ Mr. Dresser. It's the only surface in the entire room that's view is not obstructed or interupted by furniture, doors, windows, or artwork. Decorating your ceilings takes the room to another level. Just as nice wall treatment, floor treatment, and great furniture all play an important role in creating the right finished look - a decorated ceiling can play huge role and can really create that wow factor. 
For anyone that has never "done a ceiling" - it is a lot of work and a challenge -working overhead, upside down, and fighting gravity (try holding your hands over your head and see how long it takes before you have to put them down) - not to mention the strain on your neck. But the payoff is huge if done well. The pain is temporary - but the finished ceiling will last for decades and be admired time and time again. I generally scaffold off the entire room to a comfortable working height (hold your hands over your head where you'd like them to be to work and have someone measure from your hands to the ceiling - the scaffold should be that height/ distance above the floor) - it makes it much easier, safer and more productive than moving ladders all the time.   woodwright

Quote from: woodwright
It's the only surface in the entire room that's view is not obstructed or interupted by furniture, doors, windows, or artwork.

Dresser makes exactly that point in his writings!

You are spot-on as to scaffolding being the best way to decorate a ceiling with the least physical (and mental) discomfort... Our first ceilings were done from ladders, which, as I am sure you know, can only result in heartbreak, tears and recrimination.  :-[

Gorgeous rooms, I could sit and look for hours.