Continuing with the reno, we changed the fireplace stone, mantel and fireplace insert. I have to say, the old fireplace I actually liked it, but it wasn’t altogether the rustic feel I was going for. The stone itself is valuable. It is Credit River stone, and it is no longer being quarried. We carefully took it off and saved every brick.
This is the before:
The location of the fireplace didn’t change. There is a window immediately to the top left of the fireplace. Also, do you notice the wall on the left? That is where the previous kitchen could be found. We took that down, and we have our new 11 ft island where this wall used to be.
So back to the fireplace, this is what we did now.
The fireplace is flanked by 2 large comfy leather chairs, the pet cat is holding the Brandy for my husband to come home! The window to the left of the fireplace allow a lot of light and you see the trees outside. Also, the mantel is a hand carved beam from the railroad. The stone goes all the way to the top of the 12 ft new pitched ceiling we added. It is a statement, and a stately vision. I just love the way it accentuates the height of the room. We went from regular 8 ft ceilings to a soaring 12 ft pitch. I LOVE it!!
The stone work was very deliberate too. We could just have it done like regular bricks and mortar, but we wanted a rustic look. That meant the stone mason had to smooth each bit of the mortar by hand. It was painstaking work, but I think they did an amazing job!
Tell me what you think! I’d love to hear from you!