The Breakfast Room

I just got back from a short getaway and I had to share this.  My wife and I went to Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore House.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, George Washington Vanderbilt, the son of shipping and railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt, built a house in Western North Carolina just outside of Asheville.  It is the largest private home in the country.  With four acres of floor space (yes, the floor space can be measured in acres) it is hard to argue.  I highly recommend you visit.  It is an amazing experience as the house is just breathtaking.  Long story short it is an amazing place.  (I also recommend you take the "extra" tours beyond just the basic house tour.  You get to see places in the house that others don't see and it is quite interesting.  But be sure you can do stairs without issue as you will be going up and down stairs all day.)

What does this have to do with leather?  Well that is the really cool part.  My wife and I took the basic house tour twice (we had a package deal that included unlimited basic tours during your stay and a complimentary audio tour) and the second time we did the audio tour.  Well the fourth or fifth room you enter is "The Breakfast Room."

The first time I went through I was fascinated with the two Renior paintings on the wall that I didn't notice much else.  The second time we went through I had the audio tour and the first thing it mentioned was the walls.  Every inch of the walls above the chair rail is hand tooled Spanish leather.  I went in for a closer look and was absolutely blown away.  When they say "hand tooled" they mean it.  This isn't just a pattern some guy did with a stamping tool.  (Like our basket weave in our checkbook entry) This leather was tooled virtually every single inch.  It was absolutely remarkable.

I just thought I would share that.  I tried to find a close up of the walls for this entry but there really isn't one on the net that I could find.  (As is standard with historical homes you are not allowed to take pictures inside the house.)

That is all I have for today.  I'm working on an entry about the various tools I use and that should be posted soon.  The store is doing quite well and if you are still looking for something for a friend or relative check it out.  (Or give them tickets to Biltmore, that would be cool too.)  Until then, Happy Crafting!