When we moved into our Cape Cod style cottage two summers ago, we had a long list of goals & projects we wanted to tackle and very little patience. The house had been well-cared for and preserved over its five decade existence but very few things were updated. At the top of our list (along with painting all the rooms and removing the popcorn ceilings) was a fireplace surround makeover.
Pictured above is the fireplace as we found it, two summers ago. As you can see, the fireplace is the most important architectural feature in the room and it is visible from the front door, and every other room downstairs. With such a prominent place, I knew we had to change it a bit, to make it the best it can be. The scale was a bit off and the molding and brass screen didn’t really go with the clean, timeless, rustic look I was after so, a couple of months into our move, while we were installing French doors to the adjacent bedroom, I asked our contractor to remove the dentil molding and we fashioned a simple shelf with wood scraps we had in our garage.
I shared the transformation on the blog at the time and you can read about it HERE, but it was only a cosmetic change and the shape and scale of the mantel was still off, and I wasn’t happy with it.
It took a while to distill my ideas for this room and figure out what to do with the fireplace. In the process, I studied hundreds of fireplace surrounds from different architectural styles and the one style that seemed most appropriate, and the style I kept coming back to time and time again, was one often found in New England’s Early American cottages. The simple design and minimal ornamentation paired with the integrity of the materials have held their appeal for centuries so I decided to go with that. The inspiration image that guided my design was this beautiful fireplace mantel designed by G.P. Schafer Architect. It is a view of the breakfast room in an award-winning project – the William C. Gatewood House in Charleston, South Carolina – and the fireplace surround had exactly the look and feel I was after.
I only had one problem: Who was going to build me something like this? I could not find anything similar in salvage yards nearby, and all the prefab options I found were very different in style so I abandoned the project for a while. Until last weekend that is. Our contractor’s tools were still in our garage and my husband has become very comfortable around them so, when I mentioned the fireplace makeover to him on Saturday, he just grabbed a blade and a crow bar and started taking apart our mantel, bit by bit.
He carefully removed all the molding, leaving only the base structure of the original surround in place while I quickly drew him a sketch of what I wanted. We then added two strips of wood and beading on the inside of the surround, leaving 6″ for code clearance around the fireplace box. (Previously the clearance had been 9″, which was unnecessary and only made the fireplace look bigger. )
Because the original fireplace surround felt out of scale in our little living room, I wanted to visually reshape it and make it look slimmer and taller. To do that we added a column on the existing base frame that left a 2″ reveal on the sides, using 1×6 stock we already had in our garage, and leftovers from other projects.
We added plinths to the base and top, and cove molding that hides the rough seams.
And… we’re almost done! The fireplace surround is ready for caulk, primer and paint (another weekend project) but I love how it turned out so much that I started playing with things I had around to place on the mantel, and I couldn’t resist sharing a peek with you!! Isn’t she pretty, even without the paint? I am so happy with it, it is exactly the cottage style fireplace mantel I was dreaming about for this room – simple, clean, timeless, and a bit rustic.
One of my favorite details is the shelf, which we managed to round at the corners (left corner below) using a wine glass for tracing the curve, followed by two straight cuts and 40 grit sand paper on an electric sander.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post. And if you did, stay tuned – I’ll soon share images of the fireplace once we’re done painting!
Wishing you a great weekend!
The new fireplace mantel looks great, Eva! But the smile on your hubby’s face tells it all!
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Thank you, Diana! I’m very happy with the outcome (and in awe of my husband’s hidden carpentry skills :))!
xo, Eva
It looks good so far. It will be beautiful when you’re done.
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Thank you, Maureen!! Happy weekend!
xo, Eva
Mission accomplished! It looks perfect. You both must be thrilled with what you visioned and what your husband accomplished!
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Thank you so much, Pam!
xo, Eva
YES! You have such great instincts. The scale and shape of this new surround is exactly what the cottage calls for. Fantastic.
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Thank you, Susan! It feels right now, and that’s what I was looking for!!
xo, Eva
I can’t wait to see it painted and a pulled back shot. So exciting to see your vision come to life! I had a few projects like that in my house that I dreamed about for years before they became a reality. I’m so impressed that you and your husband did this all by yourself.
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Thank you so much, Lauren! We are very happy with the results ( and equally surprised that we figured out the construction part ourselves… :)) It’s a first! )
x0, Eva
Can’t wait to see the finished photo. I love it.
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Thank you, Gina! Stay tuned, I’ll share more soon!
xo, Eva
I so love your capacity to see what could be, and in this case what ought to be. Such a lovely change, that compliments the beautiful simplicity of a cottage. How special that your husband got to make this happen with you!
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Thank you so much, Melissa! I’m thrilled with the outcome and very thankful to my husband for figuring this one out… (Also busy making a list of new and exciting projects for him to tackle 🙂 )
xo, Eva
This is so inspiring, Eva! Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you, Sheena!! So glad you found this project inspiring! xo, Eva
Wow! This turned out so great, you have a great eye. Brava!
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Thank you so much. Deb!
xo, Eva
Looking great so far. Can’t wait to see your vision come to life!
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Thank you so much, Juliet! I promise to share more soon.
xo, Eva
I love it. I know what you mean about actually FINDING something that looks like that — almost impossible. You are so lucky your husband was able to bring your vision to life. It will be perfect.
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Thank you so much, Linda!
xo, Eva
This looks great. He did a beautiful job.
Karen B
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Thank you, Karen! I’m very grateful for his help.
xo, Eva
Beautiful! Love early American homes!
Beautiful! I am so impressed with the vision and talent of you both.