Friday, December 17, 2010

Mantle Dreaming

I think I've got me a Christmas break project. Last year it was an overhaul of our guest bedroom, and just wait till you see what I'm dragging us into this year...

We visited a good friend's new cafe in Geelong a few weeks ago (Ginger Biscuit Cafe, Highton if you feel like a drive it's definitely worth the trip!). Appealing to the older generations who live nearby, the cafe has lots of retro touches - Lynne has lined the walls with all sorts gorgeous vintage finds, from mirrors, teapots, to salt'n'pepper shakers and old cookbooks. She even gets donations to add to her quirky collections from her faithful clientele.
What stood out most to me though, was the faux-fireplace surrounded by couches near the entrance.

Lynne's husband is a builder and he knocked up an Art Deco period style mantelpiece frame and with a vintage screen in front, you wouldn't know it wasn't the real deal! It absolutely adds to the atmosphere and it popped a brilliant idea into my head straight away!

I'm always drooling over mantelpiece shots from Young House Love, Apartment Therapy, A Beach Cottage et al - especially this time of year as the festive decor comes out of the closet. Since we've rearranged things in our living area, I knew we have a perfect spot to put our faux fireplace - the blank area has been giving me the creeps for a while now.

As soon as we got home I raced to eBay to see what was up for grabs in our local area - I was pleasantly suprised with these couple of beauties starting at around $10:


... so am I the proud owner of a new old mantelpiece yet? Stay tuned....

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