Moving into our new house has been thrilling, but saying goodbye to the old place and all the projects we couldn’t bring along was bittersweet. We left behind the penny tile backsplash and the deck—well, not the fireplace. Scratch that: we didn’t really leave the fireplace.
Take a closer look at the small item on the mantel. What is that?
It’s a stunning miniature replica of our fireplace—completely portable, and yes, it came with us to the new house. The piece was made by Lisa Harrold, a recent fine arts graduate in the UK who specializes in detailed miniatures. She reached out to say she recreated our fireplace as a practice piece to keep her skills sharp—only much smaller.
After finishing it she didn’t have a use for it, and offered to send it to us as a housewarming gift. We convinced her to let us pay for the piece and shipping, and now it’s one of our favorite new accessories. It doesn’t have a permanent home yet—it’s a bit too large and delicate for Clara’s dollhouse—but it may end up on the living room built-ins. My photos here are a modest attempt to capture the incredible detail Lisa incorporated; they still fall short of the real thing.
If that tiny fireplace weren’t so perfect, I might make a monster-movie scene with Burger knocking it over Godzilla-style. Burger would have to practice his destructive monster face first. For now, he’s sticking to “confused” and “when can I have the treat you hid behind this tiny fireplace?”
Yep—still focused on the treat. The miniature fireplace appears safe from annihilation for the moment.
We’re grateful to Lisa for creating such a thoughtful and beautifully crafted miniature fireplace. It’s a tangible memento of the time and love we poured into our old home, and having it with us in the new house feels meaningful. Sharing it here might inspire others to take a small piece of a beloved space with them. Sherry is already thinking about buying several as gifts. We might even commission Lisa to miniaturize another spot from our first house—Sherry suggests the laundry nook would be adorable, or perhaps the living room fireplace to keep the theme going. We do love a good collection.