More Brass

Okay, so I may have overdone it this time.  I've been wanting to get a fancy/nice music stand for the music/library room for some time.  Fortunately I found one at a consignment store that was both in budget and in keeping with the other brass/gold objects in the room.

I picked up the candle sticks for 99c and the crab ashtray complete with antique ash for only $5.99.

But then I spotted this beauty; a folding peacock fireplace screen.  Trouble is, as nice as it is, I think it's just a little bit too Victorian for the room (funny, because it is a Victorian house, built in 1907).  But it's starting to look a bit grannified, if you know what I mean.  So the screen will probably stay folded and in a corner because you can't return consignment store goods.

And because the thermostat has broken for the furnace and it's only 55 degrees in here, we thought it best to light a fire.

Looks way better without the screen, oh well, anyone want to buy it?

Stacked Wood

On my search for mantel inspiration shots, I couldn't help but notice that I was particularly drawn to fireplaces with stacked wood either by the side of them, in them or even on top of them.  I especially love the contrast of rough wood against crisp white wood and/or marble mantels.

You can see all of the images and sources on my Pinterest board here.

Christmas Decorations 2011

Some pictures of my Christmas mantel, and a glance at the new bookcase which is still a work in progress.

New David Trubridge Coral Light in Music Room

The music room is slowly coming together.  I finally hung the new light fixture that I bought months ago from a flash sale on Fab.com.  I took a huge risk with this one.  It's really hard to judge what something will look like from a tiny picture on the internet.  And I have to admit it was one of those impulse buys.  Fab.com was having one of its designer sales and they were featuring the lighting of David Trubridge.  I had never heard of him before, but something struck a chord with me about how organic and interesting his lights were.  And the fact that it was about to sell out (and it was over half price) may have had something to do with it.  But I love to juxtapose traditional with modern elements to make rooms feel a little bit unexpected, so after calling Damian and getting the OK I put it in my shopping cart.

Fast forward to Sunday morning, having just finished tiling the fireplace, this was the next task on my list.  The light had arrived in a neat, little box, unassembled.  The instructions stated that it should take 40 to 60 minutes to assemble.  OK, believe that.  I had seen this light on another blog, and they said it took them 4 hours!  I was determined to beat that time.  So I set about assembling it.  It took a lot longer than the 40 minutes, and I can only equate it to building the lego death star.  And it kind of resembles it also.  I'm sure that it's not everyones cup of tea, and it is really big (31.5 inches diameter to be exact), but I love it.  It also casts a fabulous pattern on the ceiling and walls when turned on,  might be a bit distracting when you're trying to play the piano, but cool none the less.

It's made out of bamboo and has a lovely, organic and natural look to it.

I bought it in the caramel color.

One down only 12 more to go!

 Three hours, one massive splinter, and incredibly sore thumbs later, et voila, the death star has arrived!

It casts great shadows on the ceiling and walls.  A bit like a disco ball, but more tasteful, I hope.

And I had to include this last shot of the fireplace, because the light was shining so nicely on the brass surround.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who voted for me in the Apartment Therapy Room for Color Contest 2011.  I came 3rd in the Western Division with a lucky 333 votes!

Fireplace Reveal

It's finished and I'm thrilled!  It's even more beautiful than I imagined.  Now why didn't I do it sooner?  The only trouble is it looks so elegant and crisp that it makes the rest of my house and furniture look like crap now, but isn't that always the way when you remodel something?  And without further ado, I reveal the new fireplace in all it's marble glory.

I haven't styled it properly yet, but I'm definitely leaving my Francis Zimbeaux ink drawing up there.  I'm probably going to frame it in a thin gold frame to match the mirror.  

I scored the mirror at a consignment store for only $90; it's huge and it really makes a statement in the room.  The chandelier is being replaced with something more modern and a little unexpected.  I just have to assemble it first.

And here's the sofa that I recovered earlier this year.  I love how the chevron echoes the herringbone tile on the face of the fireplace.

See those boxes in the corner?  Yes, big plans.

So I took a risk painting the fireplace white, while the rest of the trim is stained.  I couldn't find any pictures on the internet with this combination.  I think it looks lovely and breaks up all the brown.  I also like how simple the mantel looks without the extra scroll detail.

And below are some inspiration pictures that I had pinned to my board on Pinterest.

from here 

from here

from here

from here

To see what the fireplace looked like before go here.

And finally, the competition at Apartment Therapy is still going strong.  I'm currently 3rd, and would love it if you would check out my entry and vote if you like it :)
http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/color/2011/entries/3559

Thanks xxxx

Fireplace Progress

Real progress has been made on the fireplace remodel, yay!  It's been physically and mentally tiring, but so worth it.  I've just got the grouting to do and voila.  Now which grout to use?  I read that you should use unsanded grout on marble because sanded could scratch the surface, but I find sanded to be much easier to work with (it tends to settle nicely in the joints).  I think I'll have to do some more research.  In the meantime, here's some sneak peek piccys.

I had a bit of a crisis moment on Thursday when I thought I didn't have enough of the herringbone tile.  Warning to you all, 12 by 12 tile is not exactly 12 inches.  I'd ordered 4 square feet thinking that I only needed 3.  But it soon became apparent that I may have to order some more which would delay the project by a week.  It was also really tricky lining up the sides with the top because nothing is square!  In the end I managed to piece together the tile like a huge jigsaw puzzle.  So you'll see the grout lines aren't exactly perfect in some places, but hoping that it won't notice once it's been grouted.

Here's how much tile I had left over, I really don't believe in waste! (but next time I think I'll err on the side of caution and order more than I think I'll need).

So for a less than $200 and a little bit of time (OK a lot) and some stress, I've managed to create what I think is an elegant and timeless fireplace surround.

See if you can spot what's missing from the mantel.  To see before pictures go here.

*update*

Here's some recent pictures of the mantel