Sunday, June 6, 2010

A Perfect Fit (Deployment Project #134)

Last Friday I drove up to Leesburg, VA and met my good friend Kristi at Old Lucketts Store.

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The description from the Virginia Visitors website describes it this way:

The Old Lucketts Store, is a beautiful, 3-story landmark building that was originally built in 1910.  This historic building was once the post office, general store, then the Lucketts family home. The building has since been restored and is the home to over 20 antique dealers and is overflowing with vintage furniture, lighting, collectibles,  garden artifacts, linens, and accessories.  The Old Lucketts Store motto is, "You never know what you might find."

It’s true - - you just don’t know what you will find.  It was a quick slightly more than an hour drive there (of course, it took me 2 hours to get back home because it was Friday night DC traffic) but it was a pretty drive through Virginia country and through many Civil War battle fields.  (my kids were staying with a friend for the day, but as I drove, I was actually considering taking a “field trip” in that direction for the kids to see the battle fields and then we could somehow magically end at Lucketts! - - think they would catch on?)

I went not needing anything but knowing that I would find something I couldn’t live without!  Look what I found:

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An old fireplace mantle!  If you remember back at Christmas time, I had a big mantle fiasco, all stemming from the fact that in our rental home, we just have a big hole in the wall fireplace between two windows - - no mantle, just a big blank wall.    So when I saw all the mantles at Luckett’s, I knew I NEEDED one!!

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I know, it looks pretty rough here, but this is what it looked like when I brought it home.  I literally had a 1/4” to spare when I put it in the back of the truck (good thing the kids weren’t along because I had to fold their seats down!)  I was super impressed with the prices and selection.  There were probably a good 10-12 mantles there and 3 or 4 that I was seriously considering.  But this one stole my heart - - and didn’t break the pocketbook at the same time!!  The best combination!  I paid $65 for it.  I thought that was a great deal!!

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I brought it home, washed it down twice with degreaser and a mold and mildew remover.  The mantle cleaned up pretty well, and I really loved the crackly paint.   It looks like it had been painted about 10 times!!  Once I got done washing it down and it dried, I brought it in to check out the size - - you would not believe it, but it fit PERFECTLY!!!  Right between the two windows with just a 1/2” to spare and the opening was exactly the size it needed to be!!

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Do you see that little spot between the window sill and the mantle frame?

But, I didn't’ like the finish on it once I brought it inside - - it still looked really dirty to me, so I gave it a couple of quick coats of white paint.

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Then I hot glued white felt over the entire back so that it wouldn’t leave any rub marks or old soot marks on the walls.

 

Next, I needed to secure it to the wall.  I didn’t want my Christmas fiasco to happen again!!  I used two super heavy duty door magnets.  I screwed the large part to the back of the mantle (there was a perfect little indentation that they fit right in.  Then I screwed the metal piece to the wall.  I had to put a 1” block of wood behind the metal plate to make up for the trim that was around the fireplace.      Let me tell you, these baby’s are tight!  This mantle is not moving!!  It takes quite a bit of muscle to “disconnect” my mantle from the wall!!

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Do you see the small board with the metal piece?  The magnet is STUCK to that piece!!  The gap between the wall and the mantle is about an inch, but my curtains butt up right next to the mantle so you can’t see it from the side.  You can’t see it from the front because it is actually in the shadows and the fireplace surround is black.  The only place you can really see it is on the top, but once I accessorize, no one will notice that either!!

If this were our house, I would have just secured it directly to the wall, but since we are just renting, I needed to do something with the least amount of damage to the walls.  Plus, when we move, we can just pack up the mantle and put it in our next house, even if we don’t have a fireplace, we can still put it against a wall and have the architectural element there!

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I love to sit and wonder about the history of this - - what house did it come from?   How old is it really?  Oh, if mantles could talk!!!

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Just a few views of the living room with her new jewel!!

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23 comments:

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

Oh I can see why you fell in love with this mantel! What a beauty. And a super price too. Mine in my bedroom was a bit more than that. But I had fallen for it and it was coming home with me. And what are these giant magnet things? How cool, where in the store are they? I will keep them in mind.

Sarah AKA The Thriftress said...

The mantle looks fan-frickin-tastic! Like it was always there. And the price is unbelievable. I live in the DC metro and I have got to get to Luckett's.
Sarah

paisley penguin said...

Wow, what a great find! I am in search of a mantle for my fireplace to replace what we have but we may have to just build something. That's OK since we will be selling our condo eventually and if I found anything too cool I would want to take it with me!

fleurcottage said...

looks great! :)

Tina said...

How pretty! Someone gave my aunt an old mantle a few years ago and she didn't think anyone would want it, so she gave it to Goodwill. Needless to say, I REALLY would have liked to have had that mantle, especially in my house now. Congrats on such a wonderful find!

Autumn said...

It looks fantastic!!

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

I love your mantel! I have heard about this Luckett's place - wish I lived closer. Please visit my blog - today's post is about using architectural salvage in decorating. www.chattafabulous.com

becky d said...

The mantle is perfect! How fun is it when you find that perfect piece! I love it.

Handbags*and*Pigtails said...

It could not be any more perfect for that space. LOVE it!:)
Sarah

Sonnie said...

Love the mantel...you have a lovely home :)

Anonymous said...

The mantel is incredible! Your whole room is so cozy and inviting. It's 110 today in AZ so I'm closing my eyes and imagining how wonderful it would be to actually have a fire going with a nice cup of coffee or glass of wine.
Can't wait to see the mantel at Christmas time.

Faith's Place said...

WOW! I didn't even know they sold just mantles anywhere...that's awesome!!! It looks great in your den!!!!!

coryshay said...

Seriously fabukous as usual! You did such a great job! Man I wish there was a store like that in Utah!

Rick said...

Love that you recycled an old mantel and what a fine job you did. You're so clever, talented, and industrious. It and the room look awesome.

Anonymous said...

The mantle looks great! I have one that is similar but used it as a headboard. Plywood in the opening and a new paint job. I love it.

kristincita said...

it looks perfect! it looks great with the buffet/ TV console too. great find and the magnets are so clever!

Unknown said...

It's gorgeous and an amazing price.

Design Love said...

Just beautiful!!! Totally makes the room so much more cozy!

I'm new to blogging world..I wish I had your talent to sew! I am not so good in the fabric dept...I find bedding really hard to pick!
Great Posts!!

Cindy

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

It's beautiful...I love it!

I just found your wonderful site...I look forward to following along!

Enjoy!
Cathy

Pamela said...

Loving your new mantel!

Katie Olthoff said...

OOh! I love those drapes, too, and you are so smart attaching the mantel that way...that might be a good way to attach some random things I have leaning against the wall...an old wooden gate, for example.

MeganSAV said...

Just saw your mantel creation that someone posted on pinterest! I love it! I just bought an old mantel myself to refinish and am wondering a few things.. 1) How are the magnets holding up? (Love that idea becauase mine will be a faux fireplace and there are outlets behind it I may want to get to). And 2) did you do the hearth yourself or was that already in place?

Amy {Design Intervention} said...

Megan - The magnets are holding up FANTASTIC!! The only small issue I had was last winter when we used the fireplace, the heat from it slightly warped the mantle (because it isn't attached to the wall) but all I had to do was pull it away from the magnets and adjust (I didn't have to move the magnets, just re-attach to the magnets a little further over). I have been super pleased with the results and will definately use this technique in our next house!!

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