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Rooms Blog

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Dining Room

PhantomScreens

About the Dining Room

Lovingly restored with new wallpaper, artwork and furniture, the dining room shows the transition between architecture styles. The Arts & Crafts fireplace brings a touch of modernity to the Victorian style.

Click and hold on the white slider bar below and drag it left and right to see the transformation!

 
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Dining Room - Stories From the Past

The dining room was really only used for more formal occasions and celebrations.

Both the Ford family and Miss Myrt remember having their meals more regularly on the lattice screened porch at the back of the house, but as Miss Myrt recalled, Sundays at 257 Rapier were always a little bit different. “We’d open the dining table right up”, she said as her memories drifted back,“and have company and white tablecloths!”

The fireplace in the dining room is one of the only true Arts and Crafts elements in the home, with its square pilasters and archetypal square capitals, simple layered mantel and cream tiled surround.

The floor furnace that has been removed was a favorite spot for children to burn marks in the bottom of their slippers – before they were caught and reprimanded!

The dining room can be separated from the adjoining living room by the six panel 8’ tall double pocket doors - which surprisingly still roll out easily today.

 

Gentleman's Parlor

PhantomScreens

About the Gentleman's Parlor

Paying homage to the gentlemen of the Ford family, this room is packed full of the antiques kindly loaned by the Fords. Like all the windows on the home, the full-length front windows feature Phantom’s retractable screens.

Click and hold on the white slider bar below and drag it left and right to see the transformation!

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Gentleman's Parlor - Stories From the Past

Originally the front bedroom – with its unique corner closet and floor-to-ceiling windows onto the porch – was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. James Morgan when the home was built.

More recently it was Thomas Ford Jr.’s bedroom, before he moved into a care home when his health began to fail.

Miss Myrt recalls that she slept on a cot in this bedroom with her parents, because her brother and Grandma occupied the other bedrooms. But it wasn’t all bad – when Mr. and Mrs. Morgan went to church on Sunday evening Miss Myrt’s Grandma would come and read her favorite bedtime stories to her. 

Again the bedroom features one of the three matching Victorian style fireplaces which are in each bedroom.

All the fireplaces in the home were originally coal burning but before the furnace was installed the home was heated by gas heaters in front of the fireplaces.

The chimneys are now all capped below the roof level and the coal box cavities are too shallow to house a modern day gas insert without disturbing the surrounds.

Guest Bedroom

PhantomScreens

About the Guest Bedroom

The guest bedroom features a floral theme and wallpaper – along with repurposed security gates to form the headboard and fireplace feature.

Click and hold on the white slider bar below and drag it left and right to see the transformation!

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Guest Bedroom - Stories From the Past

Up until today, the middle bedroom has always been a bedroom used by children, whether by James Morgan Jr. (Miss Myrt’s brother Jim) back in the 20s and 30s, or Florence and Dee Dee, Thomas Ford Jr.’s daughters. 

Decorated with pretty floral wallpaper in the 1950s, it featured both a closet and Victorian style fireplace. 

Dee Dee Ford recalls her and her sister attempting to clamber through the transom to see if they could get a peek at their birthday presents being wrapped. However, they never discovered whether they would fit through the transom - because their dad came home unexpectedly and they had to scramble down so they wouldn’t get caught!

Room Tours
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Front Porch
Foyer & Hall
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Kitchen
Dining Room
Gentleman's Parlor
Guest Bedroom
Bathroom & Laundry
Garden

Bathroom & Laundry

PhantomScreens

About the Bathroom

An old storage area and walkthrough pantry was transformed into the new main bathroom – with its original clawfoot tub.

The clawfoot tub is one of the things that was on Esther’s must-have list for a bathroom in her Southern home – and the one at 257 didn’t disappoint. Although neglected after many years use, it will be resurfaced and replaced in the new family bathroom.

Click and hold on the white slider bar below and drag it left and right to see the transformation!

 
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Bathroom - Stories From the Past

Now sadly lost to history, there used to be a white wicker chair in the bathroom.

Not only was this used by the Morgan’s house help when keeping an eye on the children or when she had a few minutes rest between duties, it was also used as the family’s “naughty chair”.

Miss Myrt remembered being sent to sit on the white wicker chair in the bathroom when she had misbehaved (which was quite often according to Miss Myrt) – like sticking her tongue out at Grandma Morgan!

 

Bonus hidden laundry room!

Room Tours
RAS_151113_2626.JPG
Front Porch
Foyer & Hall
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Kitchen
Dining Room
Gentleman's Parlor
Guest Bedroom
Bathroom & Laundry
Garden

Garden

PhantomScreens

About the Garden

Symmetry is key to the Victorian styled garden. Combining elements of formality to contrast with the relaxed Southern feel, the garden is a little private oasis which perfectly offsets the new back porch’s casual living style.

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Garden - Stories From the Past

The garden and adjoining lot to the house have seen many changes over the years.

Mr. James Morgan had a complete workshop set up in the garage – although Miss Myrt says he never used it: “My Daddy never picked up a hammer ... he was an accountant!” Behind the garage there used to be a chicken coop, as well as a lavatory for the house help.

We even found an old clothes line still with clothes pins on in the undergrowth when clearing the yard. The adjacent lot was purchased along with the house to provide some space between neighbors. One long and warm summer Miss Myrt and her friends created a badminton court on which they played and laughed all summer long.

She also recalls fondly her brother Jim climbing the pecan tree to collect nuts for Grandma Morgan and raining them down on her five year old self to make her scream and run to her daddy for protection! Surrounded by sweet gum and water oak trees and lined with aspidistra plants, the garden and garage have remained pretty much untouched for many years.

 
Room Tours
RAS_151113_2626.JPG
Front Porch
Foyer & Hall
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Kitchen
Dining Room
Gentleman's Parlor
Guest Bedroom
Bathroom & Laundry
Garden
Back Porch