Library Restoration

RESTORATION HIGHLIGHT – Library, 2018 – 2023

Restoring Lucknow Mansion’s library was a multi-year project to recreate the room’s appearance from the Plant era. Beginning in 2018, Castle staff removed the modern wallpaper and searched for traces of the silk wallcovering seen in historic photos of this room. The room remained in this state as the restoration team sourced appropriate materials and sought contractors who could bring the space back to its original glory.

In February of 2020, the restoration process was kick-started when the team from Peter Lord Plaster & Paint demolished the Inglenook’s modern ceiling and replicated the original plaster cove ceiling. Once this project was complete, a restoration specialist stripped and refinished the wood paneling. The goal was to match an unaltered section of woodwork found in the doorway to the secret room. This wood frame was coated in colorless shellac and had not been exposed to the layers of amber shellac added later to the rest of the room.

With the wood refinished, the ceiling received a fresh coat of paint to match traces of original ceiling paint found elsewhere in the home. Our team also painted the walls a neutral tone. This paint was meant to give visitors a better sense of the original color scheme until we were ready to cover the walls with fabric. Photos of the library taken during the Plant years show a silk damask fabric, and we needed to source an appropriate material to recreate that look.

The sofa and banquettes also received some attention. These seats had been reupholstered at least twice since the Plants purchased them. During the research phase of this project, the restoration team discovered scraps of the original mohair on the underside of the sofa. After sourcing an appropriate fabric, Rollins Upholstery covered the pieces to recreate their original appearance. Rollins also dealt with the Martha Washington armchair and window seat cushion, covering both with a floral-print fabric similar to that visible in historic photos of the room.

Next, we turned our attention to the window treatments. Using historic photos as a guide, Cooper Lace (Amherst, MA) replicated the lace sheers that once hung in this room. Caldwell Design (Wolfeboro, NH) provided custom-made damask curtains for the windows and doorways.

To complete the library’s transformation, we commissioned a custom silk damask wall covering. Photos from the Plant era gave us the pattern, and a single photo from the Tobey years provided the color. In early 2023, the team from Soft Walls Associates, Inc. (Boston, MA) installed the fabric wallcovering. The fabric is stretched over cotton batting and affixed to a wooden lathe frame. Adhesive was used to attach the gimp all the way around the perimeter of each wall.

With this large-scale restoration complete, we continue to make adjustments to the space – sourcing and displaying artwork and accessories that best reflect the appearance of this space when Tom and Olive Plant lived at Lucknow.