A Staircase

I’ve been trying to get back into working on my art deco house.   I’m still having difficulty finding the energy and inclination to work on it, and I’m not sure why.  Work has been very busy, which I know is a good thing, but I actually seem to have less time for minis, not more, despite the fact that I have eliminated my commute.

Anyway, you may remember from the mock-up that to fit a proper rise and run on the staircase, I decided to have it turn at the bottom.

I took this pattern and cut the stringers from matboard, and the risers and treads from 1/32” thick strip wood.  After consideration, the original turned steps looked too insubstantial to support the remaining stairs, so I broadened them to fit completely beneath the bottom step of the main flight.  It didn’t look right to have a solid white chunk next to the steps, though, so I broadened the treads, and allowed the top of the landing to extend a bit beyond the stringer.  I also added some wood along the side of the bottom step and sanded it into a curve, then curved the edges of the treads, too. 

I contemplated adding some detail to the stringer.  This seems a bit much, and I would want to tone down the color if I add it.

While I debated additional decoration on the stairs, I worked on a stair rail.  The original plans call for dowels with wire strung between them.

This would have been OK, but I felt the living room was heading in a slightly more elegant direction.  I ended up falling in love with an art deco staircase rail from Finelli Ironworks:  https://finelliironworks.com/portfolio-items/art-deco-railing/?portfolioID=4321

I can’t make miniature wrought iron, but I used railroad lumber successfully to make the railings I wanted in the Merrimack, so I tried the same technique for this railing.  The larger circles are made from thicker florists’ wire; the smaller circles are jump rings.  It’s not a perfect match to the original, but I like it in this room.

I’m trying a simple cherry bannister, as in the original, but I’d love to figure out a way to make the bannister curve around like this:  http://photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.php?image=2233604 

By the way, the railing is not glued in place—it just balances nicely and stays upright for my photos.  😊  It’s too delicate for me to glue in place at this time.

Because it’s easier for me to work on furniture right now, I also made up the art deco cabinet from Red Cottage Miniatures and the art deco sofa and coffee table from SDK Miniatures.

I really like the cabinet, but I am bummed that, with the doors closed, you can’t really see inside.  I have great ideas for using more of my N scale swimmers for art deco bookends.

For some reason, I thought the SDK coffee table was an oval, but it is round.  Oval works better for me, so I cut down the top piece to an oval shape and gave it a faux marble finish.  The book on top is a coffee table version of A Note of Explanation, complete with most of the text and about half the illustrations.

The rug is not quite right.  It is only a print-out at this point, while I try to decide on the colors.  It doesn’t help that I am trying to recreate embroidery floss colors with my printer, but they are fairly close.  I think the purple, in addition to being a bit off, is too much of a muchness.  I think I need another color to warm the room up.  Below you can see the rug printout against the wallcovering with the actual embroidery floss I am contemplating.

I love the purple walls with the upholstery, but the room, while having the elegance I like, is feeling a bit cold.  I know accessories will help, but I think it needs more than that.

By the way, the photo on the left wall is “Chez Mondrian” by André Kertész.  It is from 1926, so perfect for the era of this house, and is one of my favorite pieces by him.  We have a print of it hanging in our bedroom.

Other than that, we are staying safe and relatively sane here.  We have had a birthday party on Zoom (that included an online museum scavenger hunt game).  The unexpected upside was that a friend who moved to another state a few years ago was able to attend, because on Zoom it doesn't matter where you live.  Unsolicited plug for Wicked Good Cupcakes, which got awesomely delicious cupcakes in a jar to all the party attendees in time for us to have birthday cake together while apart.  We are also planning a game night using JackBox games.  We will get through this.

Hope you are all staying safe and healthy, and that you are able to connect with loved ones near and far.