It’s finally summertime, and I won’t be lighting a fire in my fireplace anytime soon. So . . .
I’m really considering cleaning out the firebox and stacking it full of books for the summer season.
Why not put my love of books on display in a creative and unexpected way? I have such a large collection, it should be fairly easy to fill.
I really, really want to do this. I’m just concerned about cleaning out my gas fireplace well enough that I don’t soot up all my tomes . . .
source
I guess I’ll have to store all that fake ash stuff that sits in the bottom under the grate. Where on earth will I put that?
Maybe I’ll go to a yard sale and buy a bunch of really crappy books to line the bottom and outermost sides with. Then I won’t have to worry about ruining the ones I love.
Fireplace from a Bookshop in Lark
I know I’ll love it if I do it, but what a shame they’ll have to come back out in the fall. I guess it’s not much different than the trouble of putting up and taking down a Christmas tree, right? Do you think I should???
(Just to catch you up – click here to see what I did!)
Yes, yes, yes!! I really love the idea. Pictures are great! Thanks for sharing Kristie. Are you on the beach yet? 🙂 Have a great weekend!
kelly, i’m leaving today! yahoo!!!
I love your style but I totally hate this trend. Every time I see it, it makes me think of book burning and censorship and all that, and it makes me mad. Maybe I just have an overactive mind. I do like the aesthetics of the stacked books, but I hate that they are in the fireplace. So I vote no, but I’m sure if you do it it will look fabulous … I’ll just skip that post. 😉
(What if you stacked them under a minimalist console table or something?)
i like the idea of stacking them under the console table! i think what kinda works about the fireplace thing is that stacking them in tightly keeps them from toppling over like they would randomly stacked elsewhere. i’ll let you in on a secret: after i wrote the post the other day, i went ahead and did it myself! so it’s already done, and it looks FABULOUS! please, please take a peek when i post it! i would never burn a book 🙂
I’m TOO LATE! Was going to say, I think you should! The way you wrote this post it was so clear how much you like this look, and that is not to be denied 😉 And even though you’ve already Kristie-ized your fireplace, I was also going to say absolutely treat it like your Christmas tree. Why not? Don’t keep us in suspense – I”m dying to see what you’ve done. Have a great weekend Kristie. Enjoy the beach!
PS – can’t wait to see if you chose spines facing in or out!!!
Wow, I had not seen this done. It’s crazy & I like it! Thanks for enlightening me.
Warmly, Michelle
Unsure about this look but I can’t wait to see how you have interpreted it!
I love this look!…too bad I have a house with a gas fireplace with a permanently installed glass front. Can’t wait to see yours!
I don’t care for it. I would rather have a stack of books by the fireplace and a chair to read them there. I have lived in some apartments along the way where the fireplace was disabled in order to retrofit a very old house with a furnace, in such a situation I can see giving the area a thorough cleaning and making use of a space that is otherwise unusable in a way that adds interest to the room, but I wouldn’t do that in a room with a functioning fireplace. It would be a hassle to clean things up enough not to worry about soot all over my books, and to have to find a place to put the books when fall comes. If I do anything to my fireplace in the summer at all, I just put a bunch of candles in there so I can still enjoy a fireside feel without as much heat.
Not sure if I’m loving the idea of books in the fireplace, Though I am challenging myself this year to think out fo the box more. But, I am loving the ‘lace edged” sisal rug and want to know where to purchase one!