Out with the old, in with the new: the fireplace edition

When we bought our house, we did a major overhaul. Although in great shape, the house hadn't been updated since the 60s, save for the rose coloured carpet, that probably went in at some point in the 80s. One thing we didn't touch, during the renovation, was the faux fireplace.

Gravitating towards the mid-century modern trend in home decor, we felt the fireplace was a good fit with our esthetic. The downside was that there was no actual heat source.

Fast forward three years... We decided it was time to get a real fireplace. Unfortunately, that meant the end to our faux mid-century stand-in.

We decided that the replacement should be roughly the same size. Not only did we like the proportions of the faux fireplace, but getting something similarly size would mean that we could keep the existing hearth.

For the new fireplace, we wanted something modern. The pre-fab units in store just weren't doing it for us. Obviously, we turned to the internet for inspiration. Hello Pinterest! I curated a board of great fireplaces, which made the decision making process a bit easier with my husband. Everything was in one place. 

The mantel had to be custom built, not only to fit the space, but also to fit the look we wanted. In the end this is what we got. 

My favorite feature is the distressed pine mantel.

Actually, my favorite feature is probably the steady stream of heat this baby produces. Our cats are now slaves to the fireplace, constantly napping in front of it, in a zombie like state.