Pepper Design Blog

Pinterest Challenge: Faux Stacked Log Fireplace Facade

Update: our faux fireplace screen made it into This Old House! Check out the details here.

Six ish months ago we had to turn the gas off in our fireplace… which was such a downer as there’s nothing more amazing than flipping that little gas switch and watching a beautiful, blazing fire set the mood for your living room. Perfect for chilly nights that call for family games on the living room rug or for a late night Netflix. But alas, this is an older home with old fireplace issues and we had to switch her off.

Hopefully one day she’ll blaze again.

Until that day it’s time to turn the eye-sore innards of this old fireplace (black bricks, metal curtain and goldish top plate and all) into a prettier focal point for the room. Enter Pinterest Challenge, Winter 2013.

I love these little challenges because they provide the motivation to cross a big project off of the massive to-do list, and usually I can justify choosing a project that I more love and want to complete, and less of one I must do because it’s next on the priority list. Here are a few past projects that we’ve tackled around here, including painter’s tape wallpaper, gold chevron napkins and an ombre stool for Liv (one of my favorites) among others.

With a little motivation, a week to track down materials and a great inspiration picture, I had an idea of where to start.

Oooo I love the above image! What a great way to utilize the empty space in a fireplace while still keeping a room cozy and comfortable (fireplaces and stacked wood have a way of doing that…).

Our finished project… drumroll…

I would be very happy if you thought we went and stacked a bunch of logs in our fireplace and called it a project! But I promise it was much more than that. The goal here was to build a faux log stack facade that we could remove when we were ready to use the actual fireplace, and replace the next day once the fireplace was cool again.

The hope was that the screen would give the depth and perception of a a bunch of stacked wood, but really it would be just a few inches thick and somewhat easy to pop in and out.

What do you think? Are we fooling anyone?

Now on to building the screen!

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Fireplace Faux Wood Stack Facade

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Materials: ~50 variously sized log slices, plywood cut to the shape of your fireplace opening, black matte paint, wood glue (or nail gun) 

I ran into the first big road block while tracking down the actual logs. You’d think that this would be fairly easy… but turns out smaller logs (unchopped) in lighter wood colors (such as birch rather than oak or redwood) are not always readily available in these desert parts of San Diego. Who would have guessed.

I really lucked out when a friend of ours suggested eucalyptus and then found a huge pile of firewood for the taking! And he generously handed over variously sized logs for me to include in the project (thanks, Dave). Other resources that might be useful? Craigslist and Etsy (turns out you can even purchase sliced logs for the right price).

Kevin chopped up my logs into 3″ slices and I began assembling my faux stacked wood.

The backing for our fireplace screen is a piece of plywood measured, cut to size and painted black.

I considered spray painting it but we had only a satin finish in the paint closet, so I used up a bit of leftover chalkboard paint that we had on hand (from this and this project) to achieve a more matte finish (the above is still wet, but once this paint dried it was more than perfect).

Our nail gun is out on loan at the moment or I would have simply lined up my log slices, laid the backing over the top and fired away to secure the slices to the backing and to keep the logs from moving, but instead I lathered each slice individually with a thin coat of wood glue and allowed the entire project to dry overnight (that stuff is tough). When we get the nail gun back I’ll add extra reinforcements to ensure that none of these logs come sliding down, especially with toddlers at play.

I opted for a 3″ depth on the log slices (rather than 1/2″ or something easier to manage/less heavy) so that they would add more depth to the fireplace and (hopefully) make the black backing a bit more invisible. In person it’s obvious that this is a faux fix to our little fireplace conundrum, but it’s a neat faux finish at that! 

Should I paint out that gold top plate a darker, oil rubbed bronze color?

That might be step two to this project, looks kind of nice!

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I’m linking this project back to Katie’s, Sherry’s, Megan’s and Michelle’s Link Parties today!

PS all Pinterest Challenge projects are sorted here, and all living room projects can be found here.

Wardrobe Style Boards: New Years Eve

Happy Thursday! Maryam and I have added four new inspiration boards over to the Wardrobe Style Board gallery, you can check ‘em all out (as well as sourcing info) over here. Today’s post is sort of a part 2 to last week’s part 1 for winter fashion.

New Years Eve is just over a week away! There’s nothing like a little bit of sparkle and this adorable navy mini would pair perfectly with a comfy, slouchy top tucked in. Match black booties with lace tights for a fun, night-out-on-the-town look.

Here’s a nontraditional winter outfit that pulls together both the comfy cozy of a soft flannel and sweater with capri slacks and a cute fedora. Swap out pumps for flats to run errands or pair with dressy jewelry and heels for a date night.

Maryam shares two of her favorite winter looks:

“I love the idea of this sweater tunic. It is a beautiful blend of a print and a little pizazz. I would wear an outfit like this for a family party, parade or Christmas light viewing.”

“More formal holiday parties and/or New Years Eve celebrations are the time to go all out. Asos has a fabulous variety of glam dresses to chose from. Decide quick, so you can get your treasures in time to par-tay!”

There’s our wrap-up to the Style Board Gallery for 2011 – whether you have a night in with friends or a big date night out planned for your New Years, hope that this provides a bit of fun inspiration!

Wardrobe Style Boards: Happy Holidays!

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Ours was fairly low key with quite a bit of catching up on our to-do lists plus a Christmas party on Saturday. Speaking of Christmas parties,  Maryam and I each put together two December-themed style boards of what’s inspiring us this season. (To check out the full list of boards, jump out to the Wardrobe Style Board gallery.)

Maryam’s up first!

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Hello again!

I am guessing you’re probably spending time with your loved ones, decorating the home and adding a little tinsel here and some shimmering lights there. In the midst of all this wonderful holiday cheer (or madness), you may have forgotten about you…As in what you’ll be wearing for the possible events to come. So I thought I’d share a little of my sparkling style inspirations for this season.

Shimmering sequins abound these days, and I am all for it. Glitzing up a bit can really change your mood. I wanted to show a few different ways you can be both bold or subtle with your sparkle use.

Grabbing yourself a pair of sequined flats is a sure fire way to subtly elevate a simple outfit and take it to chic town. Plus, if you’re out in an uncomfortable situation, you can always tap those toes together and mutter “there’s no place like home.”

More formal holiday parties and/or New Years Eve celebrations are the time to go all out. Asos has a fabulous variety of glam dresses to chose from. Decide quick, so you can get your treasures in time to par-tay!

With love,
Maryam

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Alright, the baton’s been passed back to me. I’m jumping on the sparkly bandwagon this Christmas as well and agree that it’s the perfect time of year to incorporate glittery shoes, handbags and tops into your everyday wardrobe. I also have a love for all things matchstick cords and am really adoring this giant navy chunky sweater. A go-with-everything watch (like this classic Timex) is on my Christmas wish-list.

Shabby Apple sent me over the below skirt and I’ve been coming up with clever ways to wear it for winter. I love the look of a baggy top tucked into a high-waisted skirt and this particular skirt is so flattering! I’d match it with a sparkly boat neck like this one or a navy loose knit sweater. That plus knit tights and a bright clutch and I’d be set for a Christmas party.

We’ll be sharing one more style board post (and four more fun ideas) next week… with New Years Eve in mind!

As always, you can find sources and prices for the above in the gallery. Thanks, Maryam! (Oh, and for more sparkly style posts by Maryam don’t forget to check out her blog.)