Implementation of Historic Furnishing Plans

Parlor, Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. A William Morris wallpaper pattern, “Venetian,” was identified from an 1890s photograph of the room, and the color was determined from a scrap found under a picture rail; the paper was block–printed in the document color for the project.  Velveteen curtain panels in designs by Thomas Wardle remained in the collection and both textiles and trimming were reproduced for this room.  The grille work was restored to the bay window and to the double doors leading to the parlor; portieres were made for both locations.  The yellow silk curtains and tassel trim on the bay windows duplicate the original seen in an 1890s photograph.  The color was identified from yellow silk used to line the curtain panels found in the collection.  The red silk–faced satin upholstery was re–woven following a sample found on a chair under subsequent layers of fabric.  The carpet and border were selected from a 19th–century carpet archives and custom–colored following a description in a 1913 inventory of the room.

Once the Furnishings Plan is submitted, the client may engage LCA Associates to implement the plan.  Implementation may range from supervising the recreation and installation of a single wallpaper, window treatment, upholstery textile, or carpet––or it may involve the installation of a single room or group of rooms, or the realization over time of an entire plan involving every space in the building.  LCA Associates assists its clients at the clients’ pace and as the budget allows.  It is not unusual for projects with a house museum to be on–going over several years.  Depending on the documentation, LCA will recommend commercially available materials or supervise the authentic reproduction of textiles, wallpapers, carpets, and window treatments from reliable mills and specialized crafts persons. All materials recommended by LCA Associates–carpets, wallpapers, textiles, etc.—are invoiced directly from the supplier to the client at the wholesale cost.  (References to recent clients can be provided.)