Upon moving into my Portland home, I instantly longed to strip the decades worth of paint build up from our original craftsman dining room built-in. Traditionally a craftsman home will be built with mostly local materials and being in the PNW I knew this home was built with an intended appreciation for it's natural wood elements. Unfortunately over the years all of the cabinetry and trim work on the windows, ceilings, and floorboards, had received the landlord special several times over; and so I began to strip back decades worth of paint (a task I had never attempted).  I undertook this project for my own desire to allow this antique wood a time to breathe and be admired as I am sure the craftsman who built it had intended. After weeks of stripping paint, I uncovered old growth Douglas Fir. It was exceptionally beautiful and we allowed this “unfinished” quality to contrast with our intention for the dining room. Though the architecture of the craftsman style built-in may have called for traditional decor, it's unfinished quality left the desire for something more romantic. I intended to create a dining space viewed by candlelight, informed by old world influence but with a touch of modern sensibility — a 19th century gothic revival era dining room that had been left to deteriorate. The gloss of the chocolate brown paint was chosen to mimic the look of fleshy leather and place emphasis on the texture and imperfections of the old walls. We hung a late 16th century original oil painting depicting a dimly lit Christ figure in the style of Caravaggio, famous for his use of chiaroscuro. We filled the built-in with tarnished vintage silver, spilling metals and candlesticks which glowed and reflected the space. In an ode to 1970's victorian and gothic period films, I added in two 70's modern mirrored lamps which exaggerated the reflective quality of the room.