I believe that if you take the time to curate items you love, and appreciate the features of a building that make it what it is, you can create a wholly unique and beloved space.Īt the McLain House, this was the approach I took to lighting. But when it comes to the things that would fall out, like furniture, and the superficial elements meant to be ephemeral, like paint color, go wild. Things like floorplan, windows, doors, stairways, fireplaces, tile… basically anything that if you picked the house up and shook it, the things that wouldn’t fall out, should stay. That means the character defining features of your building, of the era in which it was built, should stay.

When it comes to designing a historic space, I believe it is imperative and frankly, morally requisite, to honor the historic details of your space. I also love modern furniture, folk items, and the occasional target find. But… if this spirit wants to perhaps play a little party trick when I have people over, I might not be so mad about it 😉įor those of you that know my work and have followed along for some time, you know my design philosophy is pretty resolute, for anyone new, allow me to explain. Absolutely no scaring me, and I most certainly don’t want to see anything. I’ve had another conversation with my house, and new ground rules have been laid. So Maybe the Mclain House is a Little Haunted Additionally, the contractor in question has confirmed he heard it too. Since this podcast has come out, I’ve had a couple of other spiritually open friends fess up to noticing a little something something around the piano. I don’t know if it’s the piano, the contractor, or something else, but I tell the full story in the Wheeling Haunts podcast linked below. Again, not wanting to seem like the crazy lady in the crazy old house, I don’t mention it, but there is a noticeable feeling when this person is working in my house. A day or so later we’re talking in the kitchen once again, and two notes play. Just one note, and I thought maybe I imagined it. Almost without noticing, I heard one of the piano keys. This past summer, I had a contractor in the house and we were chatting in the kitchen. Generally, it collects mail and not much else. It almost always works, until recently…Ī few months into living at the house, I brought a piano into the hall room. Like I said, I work in a LOT of old buildings, and I’m quick to have a brief conversation with no one in particular when I’m on the job and get a weird feeling. I recommend everyone do this with their old house or building if they feel something that’s making them uncomfortable. Here are my ground rules: Don’t scare me, I don’t want to see you, respect that at night or when I’m home alone I REALLY don’t want to know you’re here, and I tend to lose things a lot so if you can give me a hand with that, awesome. I’m doing my best to honor all of that, and quite frankly this house was damn near falling down so let’s be cool with each other.

I basically just said out loud, “Hey, I recognize I’m a small part of this home’s history, I fully acknowledge there might be some others attached to this space as well, that’s fine. When I bought the house, and again before we moved in, I had a conversation with it. So when people are surprised that the house isn’t “haunted” I always explain that there’s a good reason why. I’ve seen mediums, I believe in energy, and I’ve been known to buy a crystal or two…Basically, I am the kind of person you would expect to have a house ghost. I teach yoga, do reiki, and meditate religiously. I’ve been in hundreds of old buildings, so I’m no stranger to creaky stairs or creepy attics. And up until recently, I’ve always said no. These dynamic wallpapers feature stunning graphics, animation, and sound effects from your favorite video games, bringing the virtual world to life on your desktop.“Is your house haunted?” This is probably the most common question that I get asked.

Animation wallpaper of royalty so cool