Let's talk fireplaces and fire surrounds

JUST LOOK AT THAT FIREPLACE

Now, one thing we don't have in this house is fireplaces, and so you might think it's an odd thing to feature in my Let's talk series. But I haven't always been fireplace-less. In my previous house I discovered some original fireplaces which had been boarded up.

A magnificent - and lucky - find, and as you can see (on the right) the one in my old front room took pride of place (and let me just say it was the early 90s, so please excuse the rest of the decor!) Those tiles were original too, one was cracked, but still gorgeous and worth keeping.

When we moved into 139a, it seemed odd not to have a fireplace and it's one of the things I miss from my old house. I know that sounds odd, but even though I know we don't have space for one here, every now and then I can't help but find myself lusting over a beautiful antique fireplace, such as those on the Westland antiques site. 

Last summer I was able to get my fireplace "fix" while on holiday in the Loire during our visit to the Chateau de Blois, remember this post: Ceilings, fireplaces and fancy floors?

Today I'm sharing my top 3 pieces from there, so you can join me drooling over some of their gorgeousness.

1. A Victorian Cast Iron Fireplace Surround

This is my absolute favourite, and proves once again that I have expensive tastes! MOH won't be surprised at all. But I think he'd be easily persuaded by its classic charm. He's the traditionalist in decor, while I tend to go for the more modern styles - but I think this one would please us both.  It seems quite large at 1.75 metres wide, but I think even with its £3,800 price tag, for the right space it would really make a room, don't you think?

Photo credit: Westland Antiques, see more details of this item

2. A Victorian Cast Iron and Steel Tiled Firegrate

Yes, this one has a nod to the fireplace photographed above.  In fact looking at it again, it's closer in style than I expected it to be. Black is a more classic look than my self-renovated version with copper paint. I'm sure all of the fireplace affectionados are gasping, but it worked for me. 

This is most likely a similar size at just under a metre wide, and easier on your purse too at £1,500.

Photo credit: Westland Antiques, see more details of this item.

3. A Louis XV French Rococo Style Portoro Marble Antique Fireplace

Now I've shocked myself with this choice, as I wouldn't describe myself as a marble kind of girl. But I think it's fair to say, this isn't your usual kind of marble. It dates from the late 19th century but with its black and gold Portoro marble looks decidedly modern. 

Reading more about the marble, it's almost certain that this came from the quarries on the Island of Plamaria, in the Gulf of La Spezia in Italy. That's probably unremarkable to you, but we stayed just outside of La Spezia when we visited the Cinque Terre a good few years ago. Coincidences like this amaze me, there are hundreds of items on the Westland site, and yet I've stumbled across one that comes from somewhere I've visited (or very close by at least).

This size of this one is between the other two at 1.5 metres, but with the largest price tag of £6,800.

Photo credit: Westland Antiques, see more details of this item

As well as the cast iron and marble items I've shown you (and many more besides) there's also antique stone and wood fireplaces, and many more architectural and garden items too; the site is a complete treasure trove and one I think I'll be going back to over and over again.

So what do you think of my fireplace and fire surround choices?  I've decided I need a new house to suit them!

* This is a collaborative post but all views are my own.

Would you sell your kitchen?

Or indeed, would you buy a second-hand or ex-display kitchen?  We sold our kitchen back in 2013 on eBay, and well, it felt odd. I mean, how do you put a price on something that's been in place for years, has had plenty of use and usually you'd expect to throw into a skip?

We didn't realise selling kitchens was even a thing, for all of the reasons I've just given.  But when our kitchen planner suggested it the idea appealed, not only to offset some some of the cost of our new kitchen, but also because there wasn't too much wrong with most of the units., and so if someone else could make use of them, then that was a good result for us.

If the units weren't that bad you might be wondering why we were replacing our kitchen at all.  A couple were starting to show wear and tear, and the inbuilt dishwasher needed replacing and we knew that as the years went on it'd only get worse.  We didn't want to be in the position of having to put in a new kitchen when the time came to move, that felt a waste, and well, we'd rather enjoy the new kitchen ourselves. 

That said we didn't have a clue about how to price this. As you can see there were a few units, as well as two tall larder cupboards that aren't shown. We quickly learnt that we'd priced it too low, when it was snapped up almost immediately on eBay. But it was a price we were happy with and we had time constraints on when it could be collected. Our kitchen fitters removed the old kitchen and our buyer collected it the same day. 

Looking back at these photos I'm struck by a couple of things. Firstly how tidy our kitchen was, but I think this is an illusion and we'd cleared the worktops to make it look super smart in the pictures, like you do and secondly how dated it looks compared to our new kitchen. We loved this kitchen though. I loved how it didn't match, and that's something we've replicated, but with lighter colours. 

From this kitchen we also knew that we didn't want tiled splashbacks and you'll know instead of the laminate board used here we've gone for a glass splashback instead. And one of my absolute musts was to have the boiler enclosed. It used to be, but then the boiler was replaced for a new model and the existing cupboard didn't work, that left us with a sparkling white appliance amongst a row of bottle green base units, and really jarred with me, e-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e I saw it. 

I do wonder what became of our kitchen though. I know the person who bought it was hoping to use as much of it as he could, but that it was going into a smaller space. It's unlikely that it would end up in the same horseshoe formation, but I imagine there's so many combinations that would have worked, that it would be like a life-sized jigsaw puzzle. 

I've recently become aware of a company that could not only help people sell their kitchens, but also help people buy used and ex-display kitchens, which if you want to get value for money sounds ideal.  The Used Kitchen Exchange are a family business who specialise in just that and was founded after they purchased a pre-owned kitchen themselves. So they have first-hand experience of buying a kitchen online and also managed to bag themselves a bargain at the same time, and the realisation that enabling people to source quality kitchens at a cheap price from a sustainable source was possible.

The Used Kitchen Exchange also offers a free kitchen valuation for kitchens that meet their criteria, and as part of their service they offer free professional photography, free advertising, the selling part (obviously) and ensuring kitchens are professionally removed, packed and delivered to their new owners.  There's more information about the full process on their website.

And they've saved thousands of tons of carcinogenic MDF from going to landfill. You can't say fairer than that, can you? 

Oh, and if you see ever see a kitchen with bottle green gloss base units and cherry wood wall units, let me know as it could be my old kitchen, and I'd love to see it settled into its new home!

* This is a collaborative post, but all views are my own.

The loos at El Pastor in Borough Market

Food was needed after our look around Shakespeare's Globe and as usual MOH had a virtual list of places nearby that we should try.  And if I'm honest, a virtual list is being kind, usually the conversation goes something like this: you know the place, I showed it to you when it was in the paper [six-nine-ten weeks-months ago] and I think it's around here somewhere, do you remember it's name?

Thankfully though this time we had the name of the restaurant, they type of cuisine and a road name too. We were in with a chance of actually finding it. The other thing that usually happens is that it's so hip and trendy, that everyone else is there too and there's either a queue to get in or a wait for a table that's in hours, not minutes. So I never really get my hopes up, as by the time we've decided to hunt a restaurant down, I want food and it's close to a "feed me now" moment.

We were luck though. We arrived and there was a table outside that we could sit at, so we did. Less than a quarter of an hour later a queue started to develop...

It was great to sit outside amidst the hubbub of life in Borough Market, and it was equally as great to see the hubbub of the market again after its closure following the recent terrorist attack. 

It was another of those restaurants that serves small plates which are ideal for sharing. But also the type of restaurant where you're never sure quite how much to order either. And if you're wondering what type of cuisine, then it's a taqueria, so plenty of tacos, tostadas and quesadillas as well as carafes of mezcal (think tequila but different). I can't tell you the difference, but my mezcal negroni was very nice and well, potent, and sadly I stopped at one...

There were plenty more tacos though as we had another round of ordering once we'd eaten the first lot, and unusually for me I skipped pudding, and that was before I'd bought a cake in the market, although there was always a *small* chance this would happen, so I wasn't missing out really.

And of course I wondered what the loos would be like, so off I went with my camera phone in hand.

I wasn't disappointed.

Yes, that's the wallpaper. Modern art and magazine covers styled into a wall covering that certainly matched the personality of the restaurant.  Industrial lighting complemented the bold decor in the small space. It's a perfect of example of how being bold in a small space can really work.

And if the loos weren't enough of a treat, as I left and had a look around the restaurant, on my left were these crittall-style art-deco type doors. I suspect originals, and definitely rather fabulous.

What do you think about bold decor in small spaces?  Do you need to be brave, and are you brave enough?