We had no idea that this fireplace has such a wonderfully carved stone mantel. This room hasn’t been used since the early 1930s, and it had been wallpapered 2X by then, so the stone predates that quite a bit.

We can’t wait to gently peel back the rest of the art nouveau wallpaper to reveal the stone in all its glory. Isn’t this wallpaper stunning? There’s a William Morris preraphaelite thing going on.

We’ll definitely frame a swath and hang it on the wall of our art studio.

But here’s the most astonishing find: a name scrawled into the wall over 100 years ago!

Who? What? When? Why?

Our 3rd floor art studio was once the servants’ quarters back before this grand home was cut in two. There’s still a system of bells leading to the 3rd level of the house from downstairs. Was our graffiti artist a maid? A butler? A cook?

We discover these historical curiosities little by little as we renovate. Each clue we uncover creates more questions than it answers…

Such fun!