The Benjamin Wales House

For Thanksgiving I spent the week in Hallowell, Maine, a quaint little town along the Kennebec river and right outside of Augusta.   We stayed in the Benjamin Wales House, which is a beautiful historic home restored as a B&B.

The Benjamin Wales House, which was built in 1820,  has some of the most amazing details and charm that I have ever seen in a B&B: 11' tall ceilings, original wide planked hardwood floors, fireplaces in virtually every room, four huge bedrooms with private baths, a parlor for breakfast, a billiards and piano room, and even a small library.

And this doesn't even include the furniture and all of the handpicked intricate touches!  Almost everything was found at auctions, and there has been no small detail left out.   I hope the pictures will speak for themselves.

The second day we were here we woke up to 10" of snow outside and we couldn't even open the door to get out of the B&B!  It created such a beautiful winter wonderland!!!!

This first post will focus on just the downstairs........ 

The Benjamin Wales House during the snowstorm of 11-23-11

 When you first walk into the house you are greeted by a grand spiral staircase.

I will talk more about these stairs, and the ingenious artwork going up the walls, in my next post.  Promise :)

On either side of the hallway with the spiral stairs there are two twin foyers; one designated as the breakfast room with little breakfast tables along the wall, and the other as the billiards/ piano room.   Here is the breakfast foyer. 

Every morning was an amazing breakfast of fresh fruit, a hot-off-the-oven homemade muffin unlike any muffin you've had before (fresh blueberry, fresh raspberry, fresh banana walnut), and crispy bacon and eggs, pancakes, or french toast.  It was amazing.

 The breakfast foyer has the CUTEST collection of salt and pepper shakers!!!!!  Here are just a few:

The room also has a gorgeous chandelier that is kept on at night for those who come home late, and vintage paintings that would have fit oh-so-perfectly in my suitcase.

Across from the breakfast foyer was the billiards and piano room.  The walls are a gorgeous red which was difficult to get a consistent picture of.

Often you would hear classical music coming from this room and meandering through the heat vents of the house into all the other rooms. 

Beyond the twin foyers and under the spiral staircase is a small reading room/library, with rich purple walls, gold tin ceilings, built in book cases filled with books, and a gorgeous chess set.

 We were the first of the group to arrive and had the B&B all to ourselves.  Once the rest of the group arrived and we literally took over all the rooms of the B&B, the owner opened up a dining room so we could all eat together.

My next post will focus on the upstairs of the B&B: the four guest bedrooms/suites!!!  They are so gorgeous!!!!

Featured on Luckett's Blog!

Wow - has my head been in the sand or what?  I have been so out of it, that I did not even realize that Luckett's featured me on their blog!  This thank is way overdue, but I mean it all the same:  THANK YOU!!!!

Check out the blog entry here: Luckett's Store Blog

Catchin' Up

Its been a little longer since I have posted than I would have liked, but I promised myself when I started blogging that it would be a hobby and I wouldn't let it get in the way of life.  The last few weeks life has not given me too much free time; I have taken care of a loved one after surgery, went out of state for a little bit, and have been battling a virus sent to me straight from the depths of hell.   But the blog has always been in the back of my mind, and I wanted to share with you a few new things I have added to my home over the last few weeks.

My first fall in my new home has been delightful.  Watching my trees change from gorgeous greens to bright yellows and vibrant reds has been exciting!  I have four big trees on my yard, and each one is changing into a color drastically different from the next.  Having to rake all those leafs, however, is not quite as exciting..... 

 I picked up these hand towels from the Old Luckett's Store.  I love the numbers!  So cute!

I still haven't found a furniture set for my front porch - I have been on the look out for those perfect rockers that you just can't wait to relax in with a warm cup of tea.  However, every outdoor rocker that I have seen that I have liked has been well beyond my budget.  So, for now, I put out this weather chair with a brown crate as a side table.  Its just temporary, but I find it charming every time I walk up the front steps!

This was a really neat find!  I found some old film reels and hung them above my television set.  They are worn and chippy, and have numbers engraved in them to show the time length and footage of the film.  They are really neat!  You can also see the old buffet table that I turned into an entertainment center for my tv, and the old chippy step stool underneath that I use for my VCR, cable box, and Wii. 

OK, I know this one is a little ... unique, but I freaking love it.  It is an old drawer from a card catalog.   I now use it to hold my excess toilet paper behind my toilet.  It gives it an unexpected, industrial, and fun feel to the otherwise traditional bathroom.   I love how you can see the grain in the front wood panel, the original hardware from the drawer, and the inside of the drawer actually has old ink stamps from the library.  So neat!

On Monday I am going on a road trip to Hallowell, Maine, and staying in one of the most charming B&Bs I have ever seen.  If the owner is OK with it, I am hoping to post all about this beautiful and historic B&B!  Stay tuned!

(Would-be house robbers be warned: I have a pretty awesome house sitter who is going to be guarding mi casa while I am away  :)  )