How to Make a Brick Hearth Look Shabby Chic
Most fireplaces dominate the room that contains them, so they typically become the most obvious expression of your taste and personal style. If shabby chic's your style, your fireplace hearth is a great way to show it off, from vintage fireplace tools to a variety of shabby chic accessories. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Masonry drill
- Drill bit
- Wrought iron pot hangers
- Cast iron pots
- Apple crate
- Milking pail
- Creamery can
- Rag rug
- Rug beater
Instructions
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1
Use a chisel and hammer to create a chipped and peeling look for any painted brick facing and hearth. Be careful not to chip the brick itself, but give the paint a weathered look.
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2
Drill holes in the cement between the bricks for wrought iron pot, pan and utensil hangers along the front of the fireplace and above the hearth. Stagger them to accommodate items that are short and wide, such as a cast-iron frying pan, as well as those that are long and narrow, such as a hearth corn popper.
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3
Scout farm and barn sales for an old tin milking bucket that can do duty on your hearth as an ash can. A banged-up apple crate makes the perfect shabby chic wood box.
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4
Collect assorted cast iron pots and pans to hang on the pot hangers. If you prefer to stack your cast iron pieces on your brick hearth, slip a small rag rug or braided rug beneath them for a splash of color against the black.
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5
Hang old metal advertising signs on hooks beneath the mantle. Anchor a corner of the hearth with a battered wood-and-iron antique, such as a bottle capper or boot dryer.
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6
Use an old creamery can on the hearth corner to display such tall, loose items as a worn corn-whisk hearth broom, vintage umbrellas, wood-handled rug beater and walking sticks. On the opposite corner, keep a small wooden step-stool and top it with a large wicker basket filled with colorful fabric scraps, balled yarn and knitting needles.
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7
Decorate the fireplace screen with a variety of antique church and funeral fans when the fireplace isn't in use. Push the screen to the back of the hearth and place a large glass vase or an herb basket filled with fresh-cut flowers on the hearth during the summer months.
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