Belfry Chamber

Belfry Chamber at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House; Photographed by David Bohl (b. 1949).

For Beauport’s Belfry Chamber (1912), Sleeper chose the pattern “Décor Chinois” by the French wallpaper firm Zuber. Beneath the room’s steep gables, the scenic paper formed an imaginary bower; Sleeper even went so far as to cut additional birds from unused panels, pasting them on to increase the paper’s liveliness. The room’s hooked rug, woodwork, and maple furniture harmonize with the wallpaper’s palette, while its suspended red signal lantern provides a surprising contrast. At nighttime, the fixture washes the walls in a warm red glow.