ur home is a new build, which sadly now a days means no architectural style, cloned front yards & white walls. We don't have to worry about fixing pipes here and there, but we sacrifice that for charm. If your house was built in the last 20 or so years you might understand what I'm saying. We are living in a concrete jungle ... ANYWAYS now that I am done venting about suburbia, I will show you a relatively simple idea that makes a very big architectural statement.
A Fuax Fireplace Mantel ...It adds charm, structure and a place to hang your stocking come Christmas time.
How its done:
1. Figure out where in your home you'd like a statement: a new shelf, a way to make an existing fireplace pop, add character to a bare room ...etc.
2. Find your fireplace: We found our after just a few days of scouring Craigs List (oh how we love our Craigs List! ). It cost $100 and is an antique solid wood mantel that came out of an old hotel in Prescott , AZ. Key words to search on Craigs List: fireplace, fire place, mantel. You could also have luck on eBay, at an antique store, or at an architectural salvage yard.
3. Paint or Polish: Don't be afraid to get creative! When we got ours it wasn't painted (wish we had a picture). We chose to paint it a simple white since we knew we would want to put lots of crazy items on top. But get crazy......I can imagine a bright pink fireplace in an all creamy girls room as a major punch, or you could even paint it the same color as your walls if you don't wish to make such a big statement....the possiblitites are endless....
4. Installation: My husband & Father in law did this.....I'm not that cool :). They anchored some pieces of wood to the wall first & screwed the mantel itself to those pieces of wood.
5. Add Jewelry: I always think of accessories for a room as the jewelry of the room. The mantel is a great place to display your main decor for whatever holiday season or time of year you are in!
P.S. If you are planning on hanging your tv above your mantel, cut holes on the top and the side with a large drill bit. This is for chords to enter & leave, as shown below. We installed a power strip inside the mantel on one side, so ther was something for the different electronics (Blueray, Wii, Tv, etc.) to plug into.......so there is only one plug coming out of the mantel & plugging into the wall. Keep this in mind when looking for your mantel :). We found one that has gaps on the sides, so we are able to store our DVDs (very common). Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment