Corners of my home

The scanner is not hooked up so these first two images are photos of photos. This was the corner of my living room. After the first wave of deconstruction. The other side of the fireplace was in the front bedroom. You can see the solid wood construction of this 100 year plus house. The fireplace hole goes to the ground - apparently they built the fireplace first and then built the house around it.

This particular project was the dirtiest of any we tackled. We bought the house and have now spent 15 (almost 16) years working on it. Some of the rocks we pulled out of this fireplace were bigger than 5 feet long and weighed significantly more than two men could handle.

Once we tore this out, we filled in the hole. I wanted a freestanding heater instead of fireplace. What I did not anticipate was how horrible the floor would look. My floors are random width pine tongue and groove. We could not match the floor in this area and it looked horrible. We also added a door to the left and closed in the door to the right.

Why?? Because you either had to go through the front bedroom or outside to go to the bathroom from here. Incovenient at best, and since I may or may not make the bed and fold the laundry, slighty uncomfortable for guests.

This is the result of all this work. Pardon the clutter in the left corner - by the door - it is always hidden because the entertainment armoire is always open. The brick floor goes all the way across the 17 foot width of the room and out from the wall 6 feet. Once you get that mass warm in the winter this room is wonderfully warm and cozy. My life is far from organized. I guess I could have primped this area, but in an attempt at full disclosure, I simply closed the doors to the tv and took these pictures The little red and silver chest is an inexpensive unfinished cabinet that I spray painted. It holds beads and jewelry findings. The lamp is there because Molly sits by the heater to do her beadwork. All of this will move to the studio when it is finished.

The shelves up high hold the stereo speakers and some knicknacks. I have several of those little stars that were used as brickwork or stone work supports. Love those so much.

The curio on the right end of the mantel is empty. It is a recently aquired estate sale piece. 9.00 for it. It is wood and curved glass. The glass was covered with stickers. The outside was nasty and there were rat droppings in the cabinet. About an hours worth of cleaning and there it sits. I have no idea were its final destination will be, but I like it there for now.

Look carefully and you will see the drawers that MaryAnn got for me. I have done nothing with them yet. Still stewing over that detail.

A detail picture of the mantel. This thing was nearly black when we started. I had Mr. Charles keep it (a habit he had to learn) and took it to be stripped. I was hoping to just stain it. Turns out it is a tramp art piece. Made from several varieties of wood and was just not pretty. So I painted it.

The brick for the wall and floor is a driveway paver. It took me 6 months to find what I wanted. Old brick was too brittle for the weight of the heater. New brick looked - well - new. These are layed upside down and have that irregular, burnt, old feel I wanted. This is the one decision I am most happy with in the entire house. Easy to care for and distinctively different.

The arts/crafts style lamp is a candle lamp and the oil lamp is new.

One more view. This is centered behind the stovepipe. But the way all the seating is in the living room, you actually can see it clearly from any where. A yard sale frame. The manual beaters and masher are Charles grandmothers. The arch shaped glass frame is the front of an old clock. I just love how the pattern shows up on the dark walls. People thought I was crazy just to hang empty frames on the walls.

There you have it. I little bit of history. A glimpse of my daily life. Hope you enjoy.

Have a wonderful day.