All fired up

Just before Mr Q and I headed down under for the Christmas break, we had a new fireplace fitted in our living room. Although it is nowhere near as cold as it was in December, we are enjoying the instant warmth of our new fire.

Before

This is what our living room looked like on the morning of the installation. We live in an 1890s house, so this 1950s fireplace (although the height of fashion when our predecessors updated the house on moving in) looked out of place.

After a day of extreme noise, cold and dust, this is the end result...

After

The wooden fire surround is an early 20th century mahogany surround which was an absolute bargain on ebay. The cast iron insert came from a specialist fireplace restorer in Manchester. It is an Aesthetic Movement original from the 1870s or 1880s which has been beautifully restored, with a bespoke living flame gas fire made to fit. I love how the arch at the top of the mirror matches the arch on the cast iron insert itself. I could take the credit for matching them, but in fact it was a case of pure serendipity. It took Mr Q and I several hours of prowling the fireplace warehouse to pick this one out. We both made compromises from our initial choices, and thankfully we are both delighted with how this looks. There is still plenty to be done in here - new carpet, new curtains, new plaster and paint, but I am beginning to see our vision coming together.