Decorating on a Dime: Restoring the Elkhorn Inn
We’re excited to introduce and feature Elisse Jo Goldstein-Clark of the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre. This historic Inn has been called “the gallery you can sleep in”, and it’s truly a mecca of thrift shop finds, coupled with fine art and craft, and antiques. Elisse shares both her experience and fabulous finds for which she used to help restore this awesome landmark.
The Dining Room
The dining room chairs were $7 each and came from a K-Mart McDonald’s! After the devastating floods of 2002 and shortly after we bought the building (which we saved from demolition, restored, and opened as the Elkhorn Inn), the nearby K-Mart closed and sold everything to the bare walls. We bought every chair they had for $7 each, and recovered them in a deep teal, one of the three main colors I selected from the Persian rug and the Italian brocade drapes, the focal points of the room. The other two colors I chose were a crimson red and a deep teal, and I carried these colors through the other rooms on the first floor, as well. The display cabinet in the corner was $25 and bought at the flea market on Route 52 near Welch, WV, and the vintage drop leaf table ($10), record cabinet ($5), and drink cart ($5) were bought at Catholic Charities in Eckman, WV. Because the building had an Italian architect and is rather “palatial”, we chose to lay a pale pink marble floor (inexpensive Chinese marble- almost as cheap as kitchen tile!) I chose Naples Yellow for the dining room and hall walls, and cream for the wood trim, and carried those colors through the rest of building, as well. When I was an art student in Italy I dreamed of someday owning my own “palazzo” and decorating it- and I finally got my wish- thanks to my husband’s ability to restore a flooded mess of an historic building- in the mountains of southern West Virginia! The trick was how to get the palatial, luxe look & feel I wanted (throughout a huge, 28 room mansion) on a truly tiny design budget! I jokingly refer to myself as the “eBay Queen of Landgraff, WV”, as eBay has become my source for fabulous things at bargain prices, including fine upholstery fabrics, Italian tassels, vintage quilts, chandeliers, lamps, and other décor items. And whether we’re in WV or on the road, my best design sources are the Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul, Catholic Charities, and flea markets! We are Always on the lookout for vintage furniture, dishware, lamps and other fabulous things! It helps that I’m married to US Army Retired “Restoration Dan”, a man who can literally fix anything, including rewiring my “bargain” vintage lamps and Italian tole chandeliers.The Gift Shop
The vintage Sofa was $75, the two Drum Tables were $70, and the Bentwood Chair was $25; all were purchased at Landmark Antiques, a collectibles/used furniture store in Bluefield WV. The Hutch was $10 and was purchased at Catholic Charities in Eckman, WV. The chair (that we had recovered to match the sofa) was $45 and came from “A Few of My Favorite Things” a small used furniture/collectibles/antique store in White Sulphur Springs, WV (now closed). I purchased the $650 Neiman Marcus chandelier for $75 on eBay (it had a bent arm, which “DIY Dan” straightened in 2 seconds). I designed the room around the crimson walls, buying the crimson/cream striped drapery fabric from Harry Zarin’s in NYC and having the drapes made locally. I had the sofa and chair reupholstered in cream Ultrasuede (the cheapest fabric the upholsterer had!) by the local upholsterer who covered the sofa and wing chair I mentioned above. The totally fabulous hand-made designer leather animal-head tassel tie-backs came from eBay ($45/pair): a decor store was going out of business.The Fireplace Lounge
The vintage Sofa & Wing Chair were $175, and were bought at “A Few of My Favorite Things”, a small used furniture/collectibles/antique store in White Sulphur Springs, WV (now closed); both had torn/stained upholstery and had to be recovered; I bought the cream and teal wool mohair velvet on eBay and had a local upholsterer recover both pieces. I then bought the teal and brown silk velvet & tassel trim on eBay, and had a seamstress make the down-filled pillows and throw. The vintage drop-leaf side table ($25) between the sofa and the chair was purchased at Landmark Antiques, a collectibles/used furniture store in Bluefield WV, and the corner table ($10), a vintage sewing machine table, was purchased at a junk shop in Bluefield, WV. I designed the room around the deep teal walls and the copper “Napoleon Bee” drapes; I purchased the drapery fabric from Harry Zarin’s in NY and had local seamstresses make the drapes and pillows; the Italian tassel tie-backs came from eBay.About the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre
The historic, “Coal Heritage Trail” Elkhorn Inn, on US Route 52 in Landgraff, WV, between Eckman & Kimball, is just 18 miles (30 minutes) from Bluefield, WV/VA. The award-winning, restored 1922 Elkhorn Inn has train-view guest rooms, balcony and patio, is on trout-filled Elkhorn Creek, has great bird-watching, and is on some of the best ATV trails in the eastern US! The Inn provides Bed-&-Breakfast accommodations in 13 air-conditioned/heated guest rooms, a meeting/conference room, & fine dining, meetings, & special events in our elegant dining room.Elisse’s background starts with her Fine Art major at The Cooper Union in NYC, and she also studied fine art in Italy with Prof. Maurizio Martelli of the Florence Academy of Fine Art, and at the Art Students League, NYC with Avil deNight. A watercolorist and illustrator by profession, she is an Official Artist for the US Coast Guard (CoGAP), with 35 paintings and illustrations in the national art collection of the USCG (if you “Google” Elisse Jo Goldstein many will come up on the http://www.uscg.mil/ website). Elisse also has had a contemporary art gallery in Germany and New York City before restoring, with her husband, and then designing, decorating, and opening the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre, an historic Inn in Landgraff, WV.
