Fireplace for My Dream Library! Welcome to the 93rd Metamorphosis Monday!

A Mantel Dilemma for this Met Monday...



The Tassel House Give-a-Way:

The Tassel House giveaway is still going on...but it ends tomorrow!
Here's a little sampling of the Fall and Holiday tassels that were recently available at The Tassel House.





How to Enter:

Angela is giving away a $25 certificate for you to use toward any tassel you find at The Tassel House. Putting your name in the hat for this giveaway is super easy...here's how:

1. Visit The Tassel House and choose the tassel you would love to use your gift certificate toward if you should win.

2. Leave a comment on the Giveaway post naming your favorite tassel. That's it!

Remember, you don't have to be a Blogger to participate in Give-a-Ways. Best of luck to everyone!


Metamorphosis Monday:


I need your help today...tell me what cha think! On a previous Met Monday, I took you into my living room that I am hoping to turn into a "library" some day. (You can read that post HERE .) I have plans to put floor-to-ceiling, built-in bookshelves all down the wall on the right side of the room.



A few months ago, I found one of the main components for this metamorphosis, these 85 year old cabinet/niches you see below, I called up my contractor and he came by to take a look.



He had concerns about having enough space to build a wall in which to sink the two cabinets since space is limited due to how close the window is to the cabinet on the right side. Also, he was concerned about it being deep enough for a fireplace between the cabinets. (Ignore the mantel you see there now...it's too wide and too big, so I won't be using that one.) I suggested having the fireplace jutting out a bit into the room with the niches set back a bit. He wasn't sure that was such a great idea.



Fast forward to a few months ago when I attended the monthly board meeting of my garden club. We meet each month in this wonderful historic home pictured below.



We always have our meetings in the dining room of this beautiful home. Each month I like to treat myself to a peek into the adjacent rooms. I love to just soak up the beautiful furnishings and architecture. I had forgotten how the library looked...it's just what I had tried to describe to my contractor. Note how the fireplace sticks out a bit into the room.



And notice how tight the space is between the cabinet over by the window. Yep, this is just what I needed to show my contractor. :-)




Yesterday, I may have found another component to building my library. I was shopping in A Classy Flea and came across this old fireplace mantel. I measured it and I think it's just the width I need to fit between the cabinet niches and to allow for shelving on the right side of the room. Also, it is pretty much the exact same height as the cabinet niches...how cool is that?!

Those two columns you see leaning against the wall to the left of it go on the front, on either side. Since it's pine, I wouldn't feel too bad painting it to work with the cabinet niches and the built in bookshelves. I plan to strip the paint from the cabinet niches that will be on either side and repaint them before they are installed, too. The mirror is really old...very chippy and looks terrible...which is one of the things I think I like. (LOL) I asked how old it was and they didn't know. Anyone have any idea? It's pretty plain, but it does have the columns up top and on the bottom. The price tag said it was antique with its original mirror and columns.



So what do you think? It's priced at $395 but they would most likely take 10% off, maybe a little more if I'm lucky. :) I've been looking for one similar to this with a mirror built in...and I think this one is the right size. Should I go for it? Or, should I just have my contractor build a fireplace mantel to fit the space and hang my own mirror above...don't think it would cost much more...might even be less than trying to build this one in. What do ya think?


Don't forget to leave a comment on the Giveaway post naming your favorite tassel from The Tassel House. Looking forward to viewing your wonderful Before and Afters!


Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

I'd love it if you would include the MM button in your post, to make it easy for others to find you MM post. To do that, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the MM logo on my sidebar.

Please include a link in your MM post back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Why is this important? When you include a link back to BNOTP, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other awesome "Before and Afters" linked for this Metamorphosis Monday. If everyone links back, this maximizes the visits for all participants.
Please do not add your link below, until your MM post is actually published to your blog. Please DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks! :-)

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course.



Thanks for joining in for Metamorphosis Monday! Please don't forget to link back to this post in your Met Monday post so the regular readers of your blog will find all the participants linked here for Metamorphosis Monday.