The parlor of Langston Hughes' home in Harlem, N.Y. Credit: Jim Cummings-Barbara Harris
Langston Hughes’ Harlem Brownstone went up for sale August 2008 but is now permanently off the market. Stripped of its furnishings the three-story, 1869 Italianate is beautiful–all aged creams, grays and worn wood. Muted by time, the colors look wonderful in the soft sunlight. A nice balance of cool and warm. Isn’t the ceiling amazing? Look at the detail.
The photo below shows the room from a different aspect. The grays and creams appear deeper in this light. I’d love to know what the place looks like now. From what I understand only the façade is protected and may not be changed. Not sure if the gorgeous moldings, ceilings and other detail are in danger of being destroyed.
We have some great old details in our Baltimore row house, but nothing this. My husband purchased our place ten years ago, before we met. William is not much of a preservationists, but I’ll say he’s coming around. We were married at the Government House in Mt. Vernon. The night before the ceremony my two brides maids and I had a slumber party of sorts. We stayed in the most beautiful suite . The cast plaster ceilings were stunning. William vowed that, if they had been in our home, he would have (eeeekk) scraped them off. We’ve come a long way.
The patina on this place has me all fired up. I am going to buy some aged grayish-white paints for the walls and save the remaining original ornate brass door knobs and lock plates from my husband’s wrath. We have a neighborhood Benjamin Moore Paints dealer, Budeke’s Paints in Baltimore, Fells Point. I love this paint shop. Great service, knowledgeable staff. Hoping to get the glowing walls pictured above I picked up two light grays, one warm and one cool, for the living room:
Benjamin Moore Intense White, OC51 a very light, chalky gray with a slight bluish-lavender cast. Maybe the color of rushing water around river rocks.
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist, OC27 a light gray with a lavender cast. It’s creamier earthy than airy. Both paints are from the company’s Off White collection. I’m off to paint and will post the results. Thanks to preservationnation.org and harlembespoke.com for the pics.
Tags: color, color scheme, Gray, Living Room, Paint, Style