Mantel Makeover

My love for architectural pieces run deep. I've always been drawn to chippy old doors, windows, shutters, columns, moldings, mantels, corbels, and so on. . . but ever since we took a buying trip to New Orleans a few years ago; I've just completely been drawn to more architectural salvage and historic pastimes of older houses and buildings. 

As a matter of fact, one of my favorite TV shows is The Bronson Pinchot Project on DIY Network where Pinchot and a crew of contractors renovate his house in Harford, PA using only salvaged architectural pieces to transform gorgeous spaces to live in. If you haven't seen this show you should definitely check it out!

We found this mantel last week and thought it would be a perfect candidate for a makeover. Come to find out it's a lot older than we thought, which is always a plus in our business! Right away I began layering the paint on and didn't really have a plan as to what I wanted it to look like, except making it look aged. I ended up using five different layers of paint to achieve this look.  

The details on the mantel seem quiet subtle in the before photo, but now they really seem to stand out since I layered on the painted and heavily distressed it. I could easily see this being repurposed into a headboard or a bookshelf.

Thanks for stopping by! 

I'm linking to Liz Marie, The Shabby Nest, Create Craft Love, Jennifer Rizzo, Simple Home Life, Redoux Interiors, Too Much Time on my Hands, Nifty Thrifty Things, Funky Junk Interiors, and French Country Cottage.