(or at least I think that’s what the weird bird thingies are). Continue reading
fireplace covers
Mid-Strip
For the Why Did They Paint Over This? file:
I decided to take a break from stripping the bedroom walls and strip the front parlor fireplace cover. This poor thing has been relegated to the basement since before we bought the house, as the previous owner replaced it with one of those awful Home Depot brass monsters. Here it is in its gaudy paint scheme (which incidentally matches the paint scheme of our front parlor/living room. So. Much. Muppet Flesh paint!)
I wasn’t expecting much from this cover, until the paint started coming off. Unlike the one in our bedroom, which is just black cast iron, this one has a little something-something going on:
Fireplace #1
Of the 5 fireplaces in our house, two have ugly brass covers. Luckily, all the original cast iron covers were still stashed away in the basement. Yesterday we tackled the fireplace in the garden apartment. It has the least ornate mantel.
This is the best photo I have of it in it’s “as purchased condition” (The flower arrangement came with the house).
The ill fitting cover obscures most of the original tile. You can also see the open archway on the left that was replaced with the awesome set of free French doors, courtesy of the Internets.
Just removing the modern cover and replacing it with one of the original cast iron ones made a huge difference in my opinion.
Up next: a fresh coat of paint and some serious tile cleaning.
A Pink Brownstone in Brooklyn 