Just Another Day
For longer than I can remember, Reno and Jana have been shopping at Artefacts to find just the right bits for the home they’ve been building together. Usually they come with an open mind and head home with a new project they are now thoroughly inspired by.
When I visit, I am taken aback by the variety of our pieces they have added to their lives and the care with which they have fitted them in. While some of the finds are scattered around as décor, most of the salvaged elements have been meticulously worked into the fabric of the house and outbuildings as though they had always been there.
This is the latest story and I had to share….
Some years ago, Reno and Jana picked up these cast cement window hood pieces that we had removed from a home near Goderich in 2008 – what I chiefly remember about the place was the bee hive I uncovered behind one of the blocks!
They planned to build a fireplace out of them and you can see how well suited they were for such a design but they wouldn’t tell the whole story. How do you work them into the mantel, what would go inside them and what about the rest of the wall?
Well, one of the things I know about Reno and Jana is that, once they get started, no obstacle, physical or otherwise, stands a chance – if anything, it’s just another opportunity to learn a new skill. And, to be clear, these two are both self taught and determined.
Recently on a visit to St Jacobs, we had a look at the crates of roofing slate that came in earlier this summer – see “Long Time Coming” – and an idea began to germinate. Could they use the slate to create the look of stone on some of their outbuildings? So, off they went with 30 slate roof tiles to see what they could do.
The next thing I know, the outside building project was forgotten (for now) and I get these photos. Out of nowhere, the fireplace came together and is nearly done! I was there only the other day and none of this was in place.
The slate tiles are only about 1/4″ thick but you would never know it by looking at this wall. On top of that, the corners are practically seamless despite the thinness of the tiles. This is truly skilled work.
What’s really fun is that five stained glass windows from the same church where the slate roof used to be are incorporated in this same building! Full circle.
