Almost There....

Peter has sent me lots of photos of the fast paced work that has occurred over the past week in order to allow us to move in by Christmas, even if there is ongoing external work. Here they are lifting all the plinths and balustrades up to the top terrace ready to be installed next week. We still have to find a design for the urns to go on top of them (as the last post on Chiswick House demonstrated, one can never have too many urns!).

While they had the crane there they also lifted up some of the heavier items of furniture which we would never get up the staircase or in the lift.

Peter has started to put together some of the furniture. This is the Chinese bed in the Blenheim Suite The chinoiserie wallpaper gets hung this week, and then the sconces will be fitted and the room will be finished.

Below: The balloon chair in matching silk and the Chinese mirror.

Unpacking the bedside tables for the Master Suite...

The skeleton of the kitchen being assembled. We have been told it will be finished in time to cook Christmas dinner.

The balustrades for the landing upstairs...

 They have to be this close together to ensure silly people don't fall through them!

Below: The oak floor being laid in the ballroom.

The red silk upholstery being put on the dining room walls...

Peter and our friend Dirk have also been getting some of our furniture out of storage. Items like this dining table, which came from Westminster Abbey, have not been out of storage since we packed up our home in London and shipped them to NZ seven years ago! 

Unpacking boxes of things we haven't seen for this long really will be like Christmas. I get home on the 20th, so there will be a lot of late night interior decorating going on before our international guests arrive on the 23rd. Never mind, I pulled together our London apartment in time for a house warming in 24 hours, and we have had 7 years to plan for this moment. Believe me, I know where every single piece of furniture, every vase and every painting is going. All I will need is a strong pot of coffee...