So, off the back of the discovery of the gorgeous floor, my plans for underfloor heating went out of the window.  The new question became – how to heat this room?  We had already decided that the old radiator would come down.  For those who have been in my room before, chances are you never even spotted the radiator.  It was under the shelving unit where my stamps were stored and was continuously blocked by various boxes, so it’s a miracle we didn’t freeze in that room!  That wall will now have a desk, so one possibility is to have a small radiator under the desk between the drawer units.

The other option is to restore the fire.  It’s never been used as an actual fire since we bought the house, in fact the old fire had a big “condemned” label on it!  As you’ll see from the photos before, I had many boxes stacked in front of the existing fire, plus a chest that my printer would sit on.  The mantelpiece is original Edwardian, but the grey tiles inside are definitely 40’s or 50’s so they have to go!

I’ve been to one of my favourite places, Glasgow Architectural Salvage, and found an original Victorian cast iron fire surround.  I just love the blue-green tiles down either side.  I fell in love with it, and knew I had to make it work somehow.  So the experts at G.A.S will restore the fire surround for me, add a basket, and I’ll have it installed in the room.  At some point further down the line we might get a fire that fits inside, but that’s been proving quite a challenge, so for now it will be decorative.