1930s fireplace

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Hello

we moved into our 1935 built house a few days ago and boxed into the master bedroom and 2nd bedroom are these Art Deco fireplaces. they aren’t what I was expecting or to my taste as such however It feels so un natural to rip out original features as genetally I want to keep as much as possible. Is it possible to paint tiles succesfully? I like the shape of them but not the colours? And could/ should I put a surround around them ?

if so what style. HELP! Thank you

Featured Answer

Norma Wiles

7 years ago

I personally think they are ugly so would remove them .

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

ebony45
7 years ago
Please post pictures
C John
Original Author
7 years ago
Sorry it didn’t work first time
Related Discussions
1930s fireplace
Q
Comments (4)
Hello, I understand if you find it too dominant, but it's a shame you didn't post more images of your living room. How about keeping the alcoves, perhaps painting them in white? I personally do like this fireplace and would try to save it, and repeat some of the elements or colour in the room. How about leaving an exposed brick wall as the chimney breast? The colour of your sofa is very nice and I love the floor too! You could also consider adding a large mirror to that wall.
...See More
1930s lounge and fireplace
Q
Comments (17)
I would go for American oak boards - an amazing bargain and the long wide boards look great. We re-floored a three-story house in 2002. The house has been tenanted ever since, so the floors haven't exactly had much in the way of TLC, but they still look great. And of course, because it is solid wood, we can always just sand and re-oil if needed (though we haven't needed to yet). At the time, it cost less than £2000 for the timber for the whole house - a decent laminate would have cost twice that, even then. We bought a 1930s apartment overlooking Hyde Park in 2006. It wasn't in great condition but, under the grotty carpet, the original parquet was still there, and all the original panelled doors. We fixed it up respectfully and it was a great, and very comfortable, place to live. It broke our heart when we sold and the new owners gutted the place and threw everything in a skip.
...See More
1930s Bedroom Fireplace - Advice needed
Q
Comments (12)
Hi everyone! Just posting an update to show how it’s all progressing. Thank you all very much for your suggestions and advice! In the end, we opted to take the easiest possible approach. We re-used the old MDF covering as a backing board cut out a hole for so that the fireplace is visible, and tiled it out. We then made a “surround” for the “hole” (because the tiles wouldn’t fit and we didn’t fancy cutting any more than we necessary) and stuck it on over the MDF. I then painted the “feet” to get rid of the sludgy grey colour. I’m happy with the results! Certainly not practical or usable as a heat source in any shape or form, but I think it’s nice to look at, at the very least! Next step is to find something for the hearth, not quite sure what to do just yet!
...See More
Replacing missing fireplace tiles - 1930s - make a cast?
Q
Comments (13)
rachelmidlands Massive belated thank you. HESmith had the very thing - couple of emails and the tiles were in the post to me. Brilliant.
...See More
C John
Original Author
7 years ago
Jonathan
7 years ago
These fireplaces never had a surround so adding one won’t work. You can paint them but I bet you don’t like their plainness when they are painted.
Personally I think bedroom fireplaces limit furniture placement which is likely part of the reason why they were covered. You should only keep a fireplace if you love it.

Ps if it helps you feel better about it consider adding an appropriate coving to make up for removing this fireplace feature.
Sonia
7 years ago
These 1930’s tiled fireplaces are like marmite! I had 2 in my 1934 house but I personally did not like them so they were removed. Never, in the last 30 years did I ever regret my decision. However, some people love them.
carocat24
7 years ago
Compromise : keep one, remove one ... the blue/green one looks really nice and you could build a lovely colour scheme starting with that. The creamy one is identical to one I have in my bedroom. Honestly I don’t love it but won’t remove it because it is part of the story of my home, and it does add character to the room.
J C
7 years ago
My daughter painted an identical fireplace in a bedroom which she has now converted to a nursery..... an ugly yellow to a lovely mid grey and what a transformation - a feature which she ( and me) really disliked (she similarly felt she shouldn’t remove it) is now a very pretty focal point to the room..... you should try it, as if you don’t like it, then at least you’ve had a go at retaining it and will feel better if you decide to remove it!
Juliet Docherty
7 years ago
I wouldn't keep them just because they are old, keep them if you like them. They will divide people, it's personal taste. If I bought a house with them in, they wouldn't put me off, but I would remove them.
GardenFairyGodmother GFG
7 years ago
My entire street was built with these types of fire places. You see them all the time on skips outside my neighbours' houses. Fortunately the previous owners of my house already ripped them out! Just remember to put in an air vent for air circulation when you board it up.
Nick Rice
7 years ago
A wonderful find if you are into this style and type of fireplace, we have 3 in our house and I salvaged another from a neighbour who was chucking one out.

Tile paint takes a bit of prep first so can be time consuming and the finish does not always look great, you may end up making them look worse.

It is a question of do you remove part of the history of the house or just leave alone for other people in the future to maybe appreciate them.

Just be aware some of these fireplaces had Asbestos rope in behind, for this reason at my work which is for a local housing association, we no longer remove tiled fireplaces and instead have custom made fire surrounds which fit over the top thus encapsulating them.
Amber
7 years ago
Well I would take off that wide wooden boxed in thing from around it so you can dress the top with a plant, a vase anything and then you have above which you can put a pretty mirror or picking out the blues maybe a picture. Blues/ teals and corals may look rather nice as a way of living with the fireplace surround.
Julie Brodie
7 years ago
I have these in my house, i painted them the same colour as the wall and then varnished them with clear gloss wood varnish, i love them!! Im having problems uploading photos or i would
HU-517698583
2 years ago
Hi, I have a similar fireplace and I am looking at replacing 4 tiles (the blue ones). Would you know someone who would be able to help me? Thanks
PRO
Devyra Atelier
2 years ago
keep the tile and build accent around it

1930s fireplace

Norma Wiles

Comments (15)

ebony45

C John
Original Author

Related Discussions

C John
Original Author

Jonathan

Sonia

carocat24

J C

Juliet Docherty

GardenFairyGodmother GFG

Nick Rice

Amber

Julie Brodie

HU-517698583

Devyra Atelier

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

1930s fireplace

Comments (15)

C JohnOriginal Author

Related Discussions

C JohnOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

C John
Original Author

C John
Original Author