This time I want to take you downstairs and show you our staircase area. We do run up and down the stairs several times a day; keeps us healthy I guess! Do you have to climb up and down too?
Maybe you remember that I did point out the first door in our hallway, going to the staircase area.
Okay, here we opened the door from the hallway to show you...
Railings all along. We did that for my Mom when she stayed for 6 weeks with us in 2005, together with my Dad. She had just had a knee replacement and we wanted to accommodate her as best as possible.
That's the same year we got our Infiniti FX35, so Mom could get in and out of the car effortless.
Turning around, you now look into the hallway and see the shiny tile baseboard.
In the USA, a staircase usually is a very 'lazy' one and by far not as narrow, nor steep as in Europe.
We also have solid oak planks; Bruce Liberty Plains 5 inch natural white oak here on our treads and risers.
Downstairs are the same white tiles that came home with us in a container from Italy.
To the left, near the hallway door...
To the right at the top is a fully beaded South African Zulu Knobkerrie (weapon...).
Samba Balls from Tijuana, Mexico and some Indonesian art...
Left you see straw art work form Indonesia from brother Martin and we had it framed at
Irok gallery.
Our entire home is like a museum in a way!
When my dear Mother-in-law was already in her 80s she did make this petit-point work from their home that got destroyed during the war. Lots of airplanes in the air. Also a doggy; guess that meant it went to heaven.
It was a very old home from the 17th Century but it is lost due to the damage of WWII.
My Mother-in-law also did cross stitch these mushrooms.
It hung at the practical training College for Mushroom Growing, in the Netherlands where my husband was the founder and principal until he became VP Training & Development for Campbell Soup's Mushroom Division in the USA. But Pieter of course would not leave that behind!
Only a very tall person has to bend his head, going down the stairs...
The wall to the left with a special mushroom framing, it is from linen cloth.
At the top is a poster with a poem about a pear tree that did not bear fruit which we got from my brother Martin's wife Betsy.
Below to the left you see the door to the laundry room and the other one goes into the garage.
Here you can better see the solid oak risers and treads...
Those railings helped me a lot early 2010 when I became paralyzed and shortly after.
Pure Irish Linen it says...
Full with tips about mushrooms!
Our Whirlpool Water Cooler/Heater; either way! On top is the Primo interchangeable bottle.
A cat painting done by my sister Diny Van den Munckhof in 2005
A mushroom batik from Bali...
Automatic moving sensor for light on/off.
We had it framed with a pink matting that is used in the pillow's color as well.
Diny did carry this painting over when she and her significant other stayed with us for 4 weeks in October of 2007
We had these cabinets made for storing all kind of baking and kitchen items like my waffle irons, mixing bowls and French Demarle Flexipan silicone molds.
There is also a 30" Miele Convection Food Warming Drawer with dual heating system.
Got this gem in December of 2008 and it helps me for serving dinner for larger groups.
Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center Los Angeles, CA
Husband Pieter did build me the outlet for using this and he put tile atop so that way I can place hot bowls on top of it.
That's my foot mirroring in the shiny black glass...
Now looking from the garage door towards the door to the Rose Suite hallway...
To the right the door knob is from our laundry room.
My Dutch rack for holding all my cleaning tools off the floor.
You also can see that husband Pieter did add a tile baseboard here as well.
The framing around the glass panels of the laundry room has yellowed over the years. That door is from 1990 and the one to the garage husband Pieter did build in early 2005 when he placed that wall here, to divide the garage from the staircase area.
Yes, my worker bee has done it all; a true handy man with golden hands! I am blessed.
Next to the human door to the garage you now also see the cat door...
Only in winter time they come into the house and now they are on the driveway, in the gazebo and in the garden or wood garden.
That was another round of tile baseboard!
I use cotton mats since they're easy to launder and function well.
Related link:
{Our Hallway} | previous post by me showing you also tile baseboard
Irok gallery | link to museum quality framing and art gallery
