There are certain pros and cons to living in a rental. No yard work. That's a pro. Someone else pays for stuff to get fixed. Another pro. Dated 80's architecture. That is most definitely a con. Case in point, this lovely fireplace:
Now don't get me wrong - we love having a fireplace. A wood burning one, too. It's the placement (right by the front door), the tile (mottled brown & black), the diagonal wood surround, and that miniscule little rounded corner excuse for a mantel. Even our key bowl hangs over the edge a bit.
So I got an idea in my head that my dad could build a slip cover for this thing that could be removed when we leave. You know how much I love the idea of a slipcover!
I emailed my dad a picture of the mantel then a photoshopped version of what I wanted. He likes a good problem to solve. He was a math teacher. :)
He had some barn wood laying around so he brought it with him when he and my mom came to bring a bunch of our stuff from storage (THANK YOU!!!).
I should have taken during shots, but I didn't. My mom and I went thrifting. Anywhoo, the barn wood he brought was WAY better than I had expected. He let me choose between the weathered grey side or the weathered white painted side. WHITE PAINT. It is a super nice contrast with the stained wood surround. And here's the finished product:
Isn't that SO much better? And it's removable! Now I can experiment with styling the thing. It's deeper, so more stuff fits on. He made it thick enough so that it just hits the top of the light switch by the door.
I LOVE the weathered paint. This is the real stuff, no faux here.
Before:
And after:
Much better! Oh, and pay no attention to the
More on that pearl embellished sweater stocking to come...
Today I'm participating in this excellent party:
6 comments:
Just came over from Miss Mustardseed and thought your mantle was great, but I was wondering if you checked your paint for lead. You can get the test kits at a paint store or a big box hardware store. This is just me but if it did have lead I wouldn't throw it away just put a good coat of poly on it. Most barn wood we have found has an oil based paint so we have been lucky, hope you are to.
Actually, I have thought about the lead paint. I have some poly I can cover it with, and I'll probably do that. I'm not in a big hurry to do it, though, since we don't have any kids and it's up pretty high. Thanks for the heads up!
This is so clever...looks really great now. Saw you over @ MMS!
Came over from Miss Mustard Seed. What a great mantle! It really makes such a difference!
Hi Erin, haven't seen your blog for awhile but I'm subscribed now so I'll be sure to get your updates. Great idea for the mantel too. I did brush some light tan paint on it like the walls as we have a brick fireplace and the mantel was oak. Too dark. I love the idea of a "slipcover" tho. Hmm. Wonder if I can talk Scott into making me something. Your mom told us about the stocking. Awesome. I want to do that. Glad you're moved and hopefully you can get settled. I'm still trying to unpack and find stuff from our August move. Merry Christmas to you and Vino! Miss you guys.
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