Two white geese nest in the corners of the ceiling, wings splayed, beaks trained on the massive 16th-century painting over the loveseat. A tanned warrior spears a serpent on the credenza. Troves of small lamps, fixtures, and candles spotlight French wall paneling, framed by draperies. Finely hewn baskets sit expertly askew, nestled aloft the entryway. A16th-century mantle features a Scottish woman, captured in antique portrait, mottled smile set in permanent approval. Brass, and silver, and china sardines. And that’s just the living room. Barry McElreath and Bill Bates, partners with Carol and Tom Kilby in The Rock House Antiques, have been a design team for the better part of 25 years. Their history with the mill’s pump house spans back even further than their design business: The house sits behind an old cotton mill—a mill Barry McElreath worked as a teenager, and helped close down in the late 1980s.
Reclaimed gilded French wall paneling surrounds and highlights carefully selected antique furniture, lighting, and paintings in the living room of the home.
Pumphouse 1122.indd 105
11/22/16 5:11 PM