When we moved into our derelict Victorian wreck 12 years ago, I had the fireplace knocked through in the front room. I left it as rough brick, painted it green, put our old grate in it and filled it with fairy lights. It was beautiful and I loved it. Roll on a few years and our very old telly in the corner lost the will to live and as I sadly put it in the front garden for the council to take away, my children started working on me to buy a big flat screen tv. I love telly as much as the next person but I hate big flat screen tvs. I think they’re dominating, aesthetically unpleasing and a bit sinister. Anyway, it was 3 against me and I reluctantly gave in and bought the horrid thing. That was about 5 years ago and I’ve barely been in the front room since, literally.
Then I was chatting to a lovely marketing lady Chloe Goddard about decorating fireplaces at Christmas and how I was making my mini vintage bunting in Autumn/Winter colours and how they’d look lovely edging the top of fireplaces and she suggested I do a mock up and take a few photos.
That was just the push I needed so while my kids were all out I moved the hideous creature (flat screen tv) from the focal point of my living room and reclaimed my beautiful fireplace. The creature is now on a shelf in the alcove behind a curtain and is no longer the undeserved centerpiece of room and as a result the room feels welcoming, serene and cosy again.
Mini vintage bunting around the fireplace
Ceramic floral jugs, candles, mini vintage bunting and plants in the fireplace.
If you don’t want a fire but still want the focal point of your room to look lovely then just paint it with emulsion and put a few nice things in it.
