I volunteered to work on a sort of stage set “Harry Potter fireplace” for a neighbor (!), but was stumped as how best to accomplish this mission. My goal was to re-use a pile of styrofoam packing blocks that I have stored for years, just knowing these would come in handy for a project. Now, many months later, the project is almost complete. I fear the neighbor has outgrown this enthusiasm, but that is OK; I am guessing someone in Port Townsend will want a fireplace… :-).

This ultra lightweight “fireplace” is about 30″ wide, 25″ high, and 13″ deep with the hearth included. The back and interior is not final yet, and will be customizable! The hollow core and styrofoam is just painted, so the whole thing is rather fragile. I had imagined using plaster on gauze to create a hard shell over the foam, but that would be a lot of work, and the result would be much heavier!