Something For The Weekend

As someone who loves looking at what others have done to their houses I thought I would share our own renovation.  Those who have read my blog for a while may remember me bleating about a broken boiler last January, and being a wee bit cold.  After suffering a cold house for 4 days I resolved to install a fire place by the time next winter came around.   At the time we had this hole in the wall filled with logs, when we bought the house it 'boasted' a gas fire with a wooden shelf, supported by curly iron brackets as a mantlepiece. Not attractive.

The fire place had never been used for a real fire, so we had the chimney swept and tested.   The sweep didn't look a bit like Dick Van Dyke, he didn't dance, at all.  I'll admit to a certain disappointment. He was also camera shy...

  Then the day came for our fire to be fitted. It was a messy. 

The house was built in the 1950's, the room itself is not large, so a contemporary plain fireplace was chosen. I know wood burning stoves are the thing right now, but for this old romantic nothing beats an open fire.  

The finished result looked great, the rest of the room did not. It needed a bit of TLC.

The original Mahogany floorboards - previously covered with carpet, were repaired, sanded and lacquered, the walls were painted a colour that warms up the north facing room.   The hearth rug came from a Scottish  company called Anta,  recommended by http://semiexpat.blogspot.com/2011/10/shopping-hunting-gathering-and-cooking.html. on my post http://lilacinmay.blogspot.com/2011/05/rugs.html.   The wooden coal scuttle you can see by the fireplace was a bargain find on e-bay.

I've had fun arranging things on the mantlepiece.

 It makes such a difference to the previously cold, bland room.  It almost makes me look forward to the colder months.  Winter weekends will never be the same, and if the boiler should break this year (heaven forbid!) I will have my lovely fire as a stand by.

  

 Have a grate weekend.