And We're Back! (With A New Project)

Bonjour world! It's been many (six?!) years since I last updated this blog. In a nutshell, life and work became crazy and difficult and terrible and full of change and renewal. Like many of you, quarantine life has afforded me some time to recall the things that I enjoyed doing and to refocus my energy. For those who enjoyed the Diary entries from my fictional 18th century counterpart, I suspect she'll be back shortly, so look out for more missives coming soon! 

One of the things I have been busy with in the intervening time is buying my first home and fixing it up. It's not a grand chateau or anything (although have you seen the prices of derelict chateaux these days?!? It's enough to make one consider really moving to France.), but it is home and it is mine. It's great in that it is quite enough space for me, but not too much space to take care of; however I have always felt the lack of a fireplace. I'm cold by nature. I was on a tour of Jerusalem a couple of years ago and my guide kindly informed me that cold hands mean a warm heart, I hope he's right. The idea of walking into my home after work on a winter's day, or coming in from gardening in the autumn, to a fire in the hearth is appealing on many levels. So fast forward to a few days ago when I was trawling the internet and stumbled across this absolute find from Vintage American Home.

It's not often that you can find a genuine 19th century antique fireplace for under a few thousand dollars (or pounds in this case); although if you're persistent bargains do pop up sometimes, as in some ebay listings. Just be sure to double-check on shipping costs or pick-up requirements. I've seen many listings where the shipping was more costly than the item!

The next step will be to acquire a fireplace insert, since the house obviously doesn't have a chimney and can't support a real fire. I'm leaning towards one from Wayfair at present, since I have had good experiences with several of their products in the past.

Now, obviously Greek Revival is a mid-19th century style, not in keeping with my 18th century proclivities; but the two time periods share a love of classical elements in part due to the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum beginning in the 1730s and 40s. This is why it is not uncommon to find fluted columns and laurel wreaths as motifs in both Neoclassical architecture and Greek Revival. 

The other reason, of course, is that on either side of the pond, both in Europe and in America, there were shifts in social identity. In Europe Rousseau's philosophies were influencing people to look to the past for examples of a simpler style to contrast the ostentatious ornamentation of the Rococo swirls and florals. The Revolutionary French government and its supporters likewise hoped to utilize the imagery of the idealized Greek city state to help legitimize the new regime. 

Meanwhile in America a new sort of gentry was trying to create their own style and legitimacy. Southern landowners saw themselves much as the elites and cultural aristocrats of their new nation, and as the United States moved into the new century they adopted Neoclassicism with their own twist which eventually developed into the Greek Revival style seen so often in plantation homes and civic buildings of the mid-19th century. 

When I saw the dentil molding, fluted Ionic columns, and wreath motif I recognized the Greek Revival style and thought it would suit my sitting room very well. Although it is quite a large piece at 47" x 58" it so happens that the room in question is by far the biggest in the house with a vaulted ceiling and one blank wall between a window and the back door, which is the focal point as soon as you step through the front door into the entry hall. The real bonus is that it had previously been restored with a bit of blue accent painting, which makes it perfect for my already cream and blue theme. 

The next steps will be to sand down the rough and chipped paint, repair the weak areas in the woodwork, and build out the box at the back to accommodate the full insert. It will actually be very hard to find an insert that fills the whole opening, but here a fault is actually an opportunity because I have a small collection of Delft-like blue and white tiles that I will cover an interior section with to create the perfect frame for my new fireplace.