HH Town House Living

Putting a brief pause on the subject of lighting, I wanted to provide more of an intro to our house, and I felt what better way to do that than to take you along as I decorate our mantles for Christmas! If you can believe it, this beautiful old Victorian home has five mantles! It’s incredible. I remember sitting with Tyler on the sofa of the lackluster dump we first lived in together, and we dreamed of one day having a fireplace.

Well, ask and you shall receive. Each mantle is treated as a blank canvas, and with each new season I decorate it afresh. No better time than Christmas! It is something I look forward to as soon as September hits. In our home, the morning after Halloween, all fall decorations are thrown out the window, and chants of “take out the garland” ring throughout the house.

The Living Room Mantle.

So, cue mantle number one: the Living Room. This mantle is the focal point of our home and gathering place for quiet winter nights, family meetings, chess tournaments, date nights and more. The fire is an essential part of that. When we first moved in, all the fireplaces were bricked off. Criminal! It gave the house a sterile feeling. Fireplaces are meant to be alive! We knew it was an essential project to put the fireplace back in working order, but even casual inquiries as to how we might attempt this revealed roadblocks at every turn. People kept telling us that it couldn’t be done. It seemed there was a campaign against our dream! We had three different fireplace guys check it out. The third man explained to me that it had been bricked off, and he couldn’t tell how far the bricks went up the flue, and that attempts to unblock it could cause the whole house to fall down. I smiled politely and nodded, but inside I was thinking, “Nope, you’re wrong.” I had already seen a fire in this fireplace. It was already mine in my heart. I knew Tyler wouldn’t let it go either. We are getting this baby open if we have to open it ourselves! My heart told me, it could happen, it should happen, and it would happen! So, Tyler took a jackhammer, and for a solid weekend on his hands and knees, he dug out the brick. Voilà! Tyler unearthed a flue, and the hearth, and we installed the gorgeous wood burning stove that you see here.

I’m calling this the “Grand Mantle.” It is the most epic of the mantles, with elaborate marble-carved leaves and acorns, and an original curved iron frame with an angelic bust surrounds the stove. The gorgeous black slate hearth we added to replicate grand hearths in England!

For Christmas, I love to pack it to the brim with greenery, and my favorite mini trees. I LOVE these tinsel trees I found a few years back. I’ve added glowing pine cones and copper mini fairy strands. Above rests a gilded mirror, a gift from my Aunt. The gorgeous clock was a recent addition from my Mom and belonged to my great-great-grandfather. I LOVE it. It absolutely was made to be in this house. Doesn’t the spy glass votive look like it belongs in Sherlock Holmes’ study? I love this whimsical touch to spark our children’s imaginative spirit.

This gathering space is a dream fulfilled, and will always be a reminder to me that what we have seen is possible in our hearts can be made a reality in our lives as well.

For next time… The Dining Room Mantle. Stay tuned!