...And when I say unused fireplace, I really mean chimney breast.
When I smooshed up this joint (and when I say joint I mean blog) in January, I created a place to write about smooshing up my other joint (my flat) too, because tbh it is where a lot of my financial, emotional and mental resource goes. So here, 9 months and 9 days after the page was first created, welcome to my first "design" post.
Eventually I am hoping to fill this area full of Ikea hacks, DIYs and obviously tours of my cool friend's houses (cos interior decor meets nosiness are the best blog posts ever), but for now a wall of mirrors, sort of.
We live in a humongous neo gothic mansion built in the 1850s, which has been converted into 5 flats over 3 floors. Our lounge has a chimney breast in the middle of one of the biggest walls, but with no lovely little Victorian fireplace, or sweet little log burning stove amongst exposed brickwork. Sob. The previous owners had their TV cabinet in front of it, but we don't have a giant home anyway, and I worried it just made the room look smaller. (Said the self proclaimed interior guru...)
My dream would have been to knock it through to make it into a working chimney, maybe run with the aforementioned log burning stove but we didn't have the budget to justify that work on something that was unlikely to raise the value of our flat by the amount it cost to do.
So I stalked pinterest for ideas for unused fireplaces. I loved the idea of a bookshelf inside, or filling it with flowers, but in the end decided on using a mirror in the interior as we didn't even have a carved out hole where the fireplace used to be.
2 years since its original conception and it is finally finished, it didn't cost a bomb and I am pleased as punch.
What do you think?
All in all, including the mirror above it (which we could of course take with us if we moved) it cost less than £500.
I can't take credit for fitting it, that was our handyman (it took him about half a day, and cost us about £70) but I did source all the items.
First I sourced an old Victoria cast iron plate on ebay for £50.
We used a made to measure pine surround to fit the cast iron which we ordered off ebay, and cost £45 including delivery. We bought it in 2015 because I take so bloody long to do things, but similar, and same seller here
The slate hearth was one of the most expensive parts, and we actually just asked a fireplace store round the corner to cut one for us. It cost £90.
Finally, we ordered a made to measure mirror to fit (we tried purchasing one off the shelf, but they always had screw holes or weren't quite the right size, coming in too short) which cost £50 including delivery.
Once everything was assembled and painted white, we styled it with this huge minimalist mirror from Perch and Parrow for £110, and various pots, plants and of course a little Jo Malone.
I really like that it fills the rooms with light, but even how you can see the room from a bit of a different angle. In the summer it has made the room feel lighter and airier and now as things are going a bit more Autumnal it add cosiness, even without the fire.
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| Or Eucalyptus in the middle of the fireplace? Wotcha think? |
PS. Not ready to say goodbye to summer yet and cosy up in front of a (faux) fireplace? There is still time - 2 bbqs to squeeze in before the summer ends (and a recipe for a chilli tequila cocktail)
PPS. And yes I was watching Chesapeake Shores. Hallmark soothes my soul.
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