Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate & Wreath Making

I just want to say, ahead of time, that I am sorry my camera takes such lousy photos because Fair Lane is just beautiful.

The wreath making class was great. It was also wonderful to finally meet Yvonne, a fellow blogger and her friend Diane.

My wreath making skills are not stellar but my bow came out pretty. I promised you photos of the wreath making but I was so wrapped up in wire and foliage that I forgot to photograph the process. I promise.... I will do this when I make wreaths with my sister when she returns from the great white northern peninsula.

But while you wait for wreath making photographs, please visit Yvonne's Etsy shop. She has made some FAB-U-LOUS wreaths out of vintage glass ornaments. I can't wait to try my hand at this process. I fore see hot glue burns in my future.

Yvonne's Etsy shop with vintage ornament wreaths.
So instead of wreath making, I will walk you through the areas of Fair Lane that were open to us on Saturday.

Walk this way....This is the the front of Fair Lane, as you walk up the driveway. Originally, Ford spoke with Frank Lloyd Wright about designing Fair Lane. Wright eloped soon after the meeting and the design was taken over by Marion Mahoney Griffin, a student of Wright. Design was to follow the Prairie School of Design but soon became too extravagant. Griffin was replaced soon after construction started with another firm. The design changed to a mixture of English castle and Wright-Midwestern prairie features which I think makes it so very interesting and unique.The home is made of limestone blocks. This photo shows the front door that leads into the foyer.
This terrace is to the right of the entry.
Here we are in the living room, which I thought was smaller than I would have imagined for a home this size.
A Christmas tree currently decorated in the living room and situated in front of a painted carved wood insert to the left of the fireplace.
Isn't that a clever way to decorate an unused fireplace?
The formal dining room at Fair Lane.
The home also had an indoor swimming pool that was filled in and is now used as a restaurant. In it's day it had heated marble benches......can you imagine on a cold winter day going into the pool area and sitting on a warm marble bench? Ahhhh.....to have unlimited funds.

Vintage lighting porn. This ceiling light fixture was in the walkway leading to the swimming pool/restaurant area. Look at the star fish ornamentation in the center of the shade.
I love this 'rad' radiator cover in the sun room over looking the Rouge River.
Hardware porn.
This inferior photograph is of the massive carved fireplace in the music room where the wreath making class was held.
Henry Ford's estate is truly unique. It will soon undergo a massive restoration and will be closed for several years. Also, ownership of Fair Lane is reverting back to the Ford family from U of M Dearborn. It will be very interesting to see how Fair Lane changes after the restoration. I'm guessing they will remove paint from all the currently painted wood and return it to the original stain color.