…a bad homemaker!
Would that I could get started on that fireplace project! But a week that included school holidays, and snow and sick days for the fam meant it turned out to be a good week to get some other things done.
It’s fun to play with new projects, but a look around the house indicated (strongly) that there was some basic maintenance neglect happening. SO before I get to move ahead with the fun stuff, there’s some piper to pay this week.
A complete cleanup of a closet or two, tub scrubs, floor washing, room cleaning, item purging and a little reconfiguring of the family command center ruled the roost this week…and may spill into next week (I’m rarely jazzed about cleaning, so if I’m on a roll, it’s best to let it happen).
BUT…
I did promise a sneak peak of my overmantel mirror project. And if you’re nice enough to follow this blog, I should be nice enough to keep a promise made in my posts (or at least let you know why I haven’t :)).
SO…
While I DO like these kinds of overmantels,
I’ve decided to use something more mirror-y…because all the Dirrs (pronounced “Deer”, despite how it’s spelled) miss being able to peek into the kitchen from the upstairs (and vice versa).
I like this style,
http://www.trimteamnj.com/gallery/fireplace-mantles/
but looking at the way our fireplace is constructed, the original mantel is not very deep (AND a large mirror is $$$). Also, to build outward above the mantel just eliminates my ability to put vases, or items of any depth on the “shelf”.
Instead, I’ve decided to create an, ahem, “Fauxvermantel” (see what I did there? lol). Ideally It’ll have the same kind of feeling, but without the projection.
I started out being inspired by so many tutorials I found that showed how to recreate Pottery Barn’s Eagan mirror…which looks like this:
and thought I might go in that direction. However, we have a window wall to the right of the FP and I think all that grid might be too much grid (or grille, grill, mullions, muntins, bars, divided lites…a rose by any other name).
I DO, however…like the idea of the mirror tiles. (This observation caused my mother to make some major eye rolls…as if I had personally invited the 70’s to make a comeback.)
But take a look at the mirror tile in this design that I found on Houzz during my overmantel search:
The bevels really make it interesting. The mirrors make it light. The tiles make it economical. The trim work makes it overmantelly (you can credit me with that word invention).
The only other “make it” …is a command to myself. And I’ll let you know as soon as I do!
