I am working on a steel and oak mantle for a customer with a 1970’s house that has painted brick and a fireplace insert. The customer is very particular about style and use and having every piece fit in with the age of the home and her overall furnishing aesthetic. She actually sat in my office while I drew up the initial proposal design and later tweaked my gusset concept a little.
She wanted something industrial, but not too stark. Something that “would not be out of place in a mill or a factory at the turn of the 19th century.” Challenge accepted! I decided to go with steel c-channel and steel webbed support gussets, with a dark stained white oak rim inset that will match the antique French furniture in the room. At 9″ X 56″ X 3.25″ the mantle is heavy, weighing in at almost 70lbs. It will not be the focal point of the room, but more of a subdued matching and bonding detail – one that you could park a truck on 🙂
The initial test fit went really well and I was given leave to move ahead with the final coat of paint, installation of the the lead brick anchors (there will be 5 – 5/16″X5″ lag bolts holding the mantle in place), and with the application of the oak rim, which will protrude 1/4″ out from the steel c-channel. The will be a 3″ ceramic fiber blanket inside the mantel to keep the top from getting hot when the insert is going full-bore on a cold February evening – no one wants cooked photos or melted candles.
The backward facing hooks are a specific detail that was wanted specifically for Christmas stockings. There will be a hand-forged bar, with a Ram’s head end to match the fireplace set that will thread through the stocking loops. with the bar. All the stockings can be moved at the same time when there is a fire wanted during the holiday season. There will be forged hooks on the adjacent wall that the stockings can be hung on when the fireplace is in use. When the stockings are not on the wall, the hooks will be used for fireplace accessories like a broom and a small bellow set.
During the other 11 months when stockings are not present, the bar can be the base for other decorations like a fireplace screen or sash or garland and will look great just sitting under the mantle
As you might can tell, what started as a conversation about a “simple mantle” ballooned into an entire bespoke custom system, all driven by the customer and paid for before work even started. She is a long-time client that has my cabinets, some custom furniture, and many forged accessories, so I gently priced the mantel, the bar, hooks, and the installation at $2,700 and the check was written with a smile.