The Williamsburg fireplace surround and mantel are a combination of stylistic elements seen in fireplaces at Colonial Williamsburg, paintings of the Colonial Era, and my personal ideas. I like fluted pilasters and carved corbels, but I also like the crown moulding seen supporting other mantels, so I came up with this design. The brick surround is actually 1/4" masonite paneling material; to give a 3-d effect, I mitered a small return piece back to the flat-black painted "firebox", which is 1/4" plywood. Those years in high school and college stage craft contributed to this illusion. The arch was made by carefully tapering the bricks cut from the sheet of masonite, and gluing the curved return to wood blocks. The mortar seams were filled with vinyl spackle and gone over with a black magic marker. You didn't think the bricks were real, did you? I'm glad they weren't, because this thing weighed a ton anyway!