Tuesday 5 April 2016

Covering up ugly

Hello. I was sitting in my comfortable arm chair reading the paper this morning while enjoying my coffee, when I looked up and thought, that fire surround is really 'orrible. It's ugly, it's drab, it's dull, and it's boring, got to do something about it. It's got to go. 
I could get it taken out and open up the fireplace again and have a real fire. It would cost a couple of grand maybe, which I could afford to pay for, but to be perfectly honest, I don't want to spend time foraging for firewood, buying bags of coal, and cleaning up the mess afterwards. It's much easier to turn the knob on the gas fire and get instant heat, so I'll stick with that. 
So, no major works will be taking place, no money will be spent, I just need to tart it up. How to do that?

Slap a coat of paint on it. My friend Helen gave me some white emulsion, left over from a house redecoration she did on her rental property. Waste not want not, give it to me, I will use it, I said. This is the undercoat, not finished yet, I have a plan for it. Watch this space to see the transformation.

I quite like living on my own, I can decorate using any colours I please, don't have to ask anyone for their approval, or ask if they can live with it. The only criteria is that I can live with any changes I make. And as I am easy going, that's simple. I like colourful, so this is what the fireplace is going to be.

Thanks for your comments on yesterdays post, interesting to read them.

Must go, Rocky wants to go for a bimble. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

23 comments:

  1. Ooh can't wait to see it all finished. We've got something similar and were thinking along painting lines rather than replacing.

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  2. If it were me I would beef up the sides and make a bigger mantel top with thicker pieces of wood or trim and then paint it all white as well. I like the look of the white stones and did you paint the brass black? I love to follow your projects!

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    1. Hi. I haven't touched the gas fire, Lana. It's brass, chrome, and black.

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  3. Look forward to seeing what you do next. Living alone certainly has its compensations it's good to be able to do what you want and not be answerable to anyone also you can cook and eat when you like. But saying that I would rather have my husband here.
    Hazel c uk

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  4. well I had a feeling you would add color,, I cannot wait to see what you do!

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  5. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

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  6. Regardless of what you do next to it, this is already 100% better, Ilona! And yes, a gas fire mightn't be a thing of great beauty, but it's practical and I'm all for that!
    Margaret P

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  7. I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation!

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  8. Looking forward to seeing your fireplace transformation!

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  9. Smiling and shaking my head. I have a friend who painted her bedroom walls to look like a room in a tumbling-down stone castle with the same colors as your stone work.

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  10. hmmmm....looked OK to me, however this will be interesting to watch developments.

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  11. Oh I bet it will look wonderful! Looking forward to more photos😃

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  12. It already looks better, looking forward to your next steps. You always come up with interesting ideas.

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  13. Looking forward to seeing the transformation - it already looks good. I had to move house and the place I'm in has an open fireplace. It's good exercise to get stuff to burn. A fire makes me happy too. Natalie

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  14. I would never have thought to paint it. It looks great. X

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  15. It looks better already - interested to see what you will do! That is one of the great advantages to living alone,no need to negotiate colours on walls, we spend a lot on match-pots and always seem to end up with a variation of cream! I would love a bit of teal on my walls!

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  16. I do so agree about being able to please your self if you live on your own . I wAnt a new book case in order to sort out the muddle my books are in , hubby agrees that the books need sorting but I am not allowed to buy a book case he will make one he says , I have no idea when work will commence and now there is something wrong with the chainsaw so the bookcase dropped down the list he ho .

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  17. I cannot wait to see what you come up with, Ilona! You inspire me with your art projects.
    Sorry to be late reporting my March mileage -101 for a total thus far of 274.

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  18. What a difference just one coat of paint has made. We built a fireplace like this in the 70's and it took us weeks to get the stone blocks just right. When we left the house-it was a rented local authority house-the inspector made us take the whole thing away and make good the walls. I was very upset as we thought it was a thing of beauty! Catriona

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  19. Look forward to seeing the after pictures. Dawn

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  20. I like Lana's idea too. But I would do the woodwork cream. It looks nice as it is though.

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