Your plans sound good. What can you do to hide that cord? I might put a large metal urn on brick hearth to hide cord. And maybe tall metal candlesticks on right side to balance out left side.

I think it would improve the fireplace 100%. Please remember to show us the results.

Pretty brickwork and I love your inspiration mantle!

Your plan is great. Have you looked at the fireplaces thread in the gallery for inspiration and ideas? Please add any inspiration pics you have to that thread, thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireplace thread

You know, it's an easy task to hide the cord by drilling through the brick inside the fireplace and threading it through, then back out the wall :) I've done it myself..it isn't rocket science and it's well worth the effort!

Not sure I see that rustic a mantel in the same space with the formal crown and dentil moulding. I think the overall shape is do-able, but I would be inclined to put a little finer finish on it.

I would agree that the cord needs to be hidden. Is there a way to run it behind the frame of the screen? Then you could run it in the space between the hearth and the face of the fireplace. Perhaps in some of the plastic cord cover that can be mounted, but at least tucked along there and the cord replaced with a clear one if possible, or painted to the brick color.

I would also love to see slate tile or slabs added to the top of the hearth.

I would wait for accessories until the new mantel is in place. It will likely 'tell' you what it needs!

I think the fireplace will be very nicely updated!

I like the idea of painting the brass and you could also paint the existing mantle black. That would give it more presence.
You definitely need something on the hearth to the left. I think you could use a bigger picture over the mantle, an oil would look so much better since you wouldn't get the glare like you do from glass. If it were me, I'd delete the clock and the hurricane lamp and the plate. I'd find a nice piece of pottery that is a color that is in the painting that will be there and have trailing ivy in it for softness and then one little piece of pottery to place with the two candlesticks to give it symmetry. Just my suggestions, I'm sure what ever you do will look great!!!

I would suggest that, although you don't want to paint the brick, you brush it with a 3 to 1 solution of water and your wall color, and blot it down as you go with hunks of terrycloth toweling or a sponge. This is very easy to do, and would take you half a day. You will get an effect much more like stone, keep the naturalness of the brick, and tone the whole thing in with your room. Then I think the mantel you like will look wonderful, and much more like your inspiration picture.
I've done this several times, in my own houses and others, and it is very satisfactory...it's also the perfect compromise for partners who can't agree on whether or not to paint natural brick.

I will be watching this thread very closely as I have a similar fireplace.

I had the red brick and the bright gold fireplace frame.
I whitewashed the brick, painted the gold frame to a dark antique brass (To match handles/hinges/cab knobs already in the room) and added a short mantel (what used to be the thick wood side of our old waterbed).

The little changes I made to our CORNER fireplace (have I ever mentioned how much I loath our corner fireplace?) were over 12 years ago and for the last couple years my corner fireplace has been a real thorn in my side. I've been stumped and in a holding pattern with the fireplace because I can't afford major construction or even minor construction at this point.

There have already been some great suggestions!
I hope more will chime in with ideas and options.

I think if you truly like the inspirational picture then your wasting your time trying to fix up what you have. You'll always want the "look" in the picture. Save up, plan for the purchase and "DO" the look in the picture. Then you'll have "IT".

That's not to say that changing the mantle and hiding the wire won't look good....it will. It just won't make you happy.

Thanks to everyone for the advice you have offered. Those are some good ideas, keep them coming. Do you think I need a larger picture, and should I lean it up there?
Les mentioned that the mantel might be too rustic with the dentil moulding that I have. Does anyone else think this? What type finish should I put on the mantel? The same color stain that is on my floors?
Bronwynsmom do you have any pictures of the painting technique that you mentioned? Even though I had not planned to paint the brick, you have got me curious as to how this would look.
I've added more pictures so you can sort of get a feel for the room. It's pretty sparse in there now. After 15 years, my family room is going through a complete overhaul. New hardwood floors, scraped off popcorn texture on ceiling, new fixtures, painted walls and moulding which was previously stained. It's come a long ways, but I still have to pick out furniture and accessories. I need a lot of help:) I'm waiting for plantation shutters for those naked windows. The entertainment cabinet is new. I was inspired by newhomebuilder's bookcase. The gentleman that built the cabinet said he could do the mantel. I thought the arched mantel would compliment the arch in the entertainment cabinet.

Thanks again for taking the time to help a girl out.

I LOVE your painting, it is Beautiful! Would you consider trying it alone on the soft green wall to the right in your photo? I think it would be great with the solid background and not having to compete with all the fireplace details.

kden -
you room is looking lovely - lets see some before pics :) Now that you have posted the built ins takes on a different feel. I love the inspiration photo but I would agree w/les ( I always do!) about the rustic nature vs. your more formal

A white mantle would be nice and in tune with the rest of the room. What type of home do you own?

The existing mantle looks like it is too long -

I think breaking up the brick w/some stone on the hearth is a good idea -
have you considered a mantle w/lentils? -

The existing brass is laquered & you could remove the laquer and age it - giving it a bronzy patina

Oceanna put together a mantle thread - see link above

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: white mantle images

Envision a white mantle that echoes the arched top and crown of the cabinet in the center, above the tv. That would give you the arch, but fit better with your built ins, and keep the fireplace from feeling so completely different from the bookcase in color and style.

Oh wow, I love Les's idea.

We used to have a red brick fireplace that went up to the ceiling in our last house, very similar to the one you have posted. The first chance we had when we moved in was to take the brick down to a height that we wanted. Then we installed a creamy white crown molding type mantle on top. The contrast between the brick and cream colors looked great. We also had the same raised hearth and we simply put a graphite type slate on top to break up the brick.

a relatively simple fix to the vast amt of brick would be to box out & sheetrock a portion of it, install white mantle and stone hearth

Love Les's idea of the arched white mantel. Perhaps you could also have white side pieces with the mantel, sorry, I don't know what they're called. Then, paint the brass black and you're done. I happen to like the brick and hearth as is. Love your room and your built-ins.

Thanks again for the ideas. I'm still all ears, so if you have any other ideas please share. It looks like most of you think I should go with a white mantel. I just couldn't visualize it, so I tried my hand at PS that I just got. I just PS my arch on my tv cabinet to the fireplace. It was a challenge, since I haven't used it before. It does give me a better idea, and I think I will like it.

What do you all think???? My PS attempt of the white arched mantel:
{{!gwi}}

jejvtr,OT but I just wanted to let you know I really like your shower niche. I have it in my clippings. Now to answer your questions,I do not have any before pictures. Sorry,I wish I did. (HUGE difference!) I'm sorry to sound dumb, but I'm not sure what you mean by a mantel with lentils. What exactly is that? I'm not sure what type of home I have either. What do you call this?

{{!gwi}}

I had this picture on the computer, because we are about to take on a landscaping project (hence, no shrubs). We have way too many projects going on, especially for a gal like me that has trouble making decisions.

i would continue the white wood down on both sides of the fireplace..maybe with some fluted mouldings..and base..you could make the arch the full width and do the fluted mouldings along the outside edges all the way to the hearth with a base around the bottom, that would look nice..your carpenter should be able to do it quite easily..as for the screen, if that is a gas log fireplace remove the screen entirely and if you want a decorative one use a really nice free standing one..it would look better.

ronbre, thanks for the response. The idea of the fluted mouldings along the edges sound nice, but I'm not sure DH will be crazy about the idea of knocking out the built-in brick that supports our existing mantel. I really like the idea of the free standing screen similar to the one in my inspiration picture, but I have a gas fireplace insert that has vents or blowers on the top and bottom, so I don't see how I can work around that.

Honestly, I like the mantel you have better than the painted white one. It looks too small to me.

Alas, no photos of the paint-washing technique...I moved away from the house without having taken any. I've added a link to a wall that looks almost exactly like it, however. This one is a little grayer than what you'd get with your wall color as the base, but it gives a good idea.

But - now that I've seen the whole room, I think you should bite the bullet, frame out the wall around the brick, sheetrock it (or panel it in the beadboard), add a whole mantelpiece in keeping with your cabinetry, paint it to match, and cover the brick hearth with slate or bluestone slabs.

Here's an example of a mantelpiece:
http://www.mantelsdirect.com/fairfield.html

Until you can do that, I'd recommend whitewashing the brick, dulling the metal surround, and leaving the mantel as is.

In any case, I'd also reframe the picture with a mat that's twice as wide and weighted at the bottom, and a dull/antique gold frame.

It's a lovely room, and I think you have established a style that is a step up from the simplicity of your fireplace. Continuing it will snap the whole place into focus.

Here is a link that might be useful: Whitewashed brick

bronwynsmom thanks for the links. You know the description you gave in the second paragraph above reminded me of Carmen's (wonbyherwits) beautiful garden room fireplace. Her home was actually my inspiration for the paint colors I chose in several of my rooms. Adjacent to my family room is a sunroom that I plan to paint SW Burlap after seeing it in her garden room that her lovely fireplace is in. Link to her blog:
http://definebeforedesign.blogspot.com/search/label/energy-saving

Carmen (wonbyherwits) garden room:

Is that a blower on your FP? And is your FP wood burning? If so, a fast and easy way to decorate your FP is to put in a screen and take out the blower. They come in all sorts of decorative designs and they completely transform a FP!

oakleyok, yes that is a blower on the FP, and we actually use it quite a bit. That is a gas fireplace unit. If we removed it, we could actually burn firewood. I would love to use one of those decorative screens.

kden
The lentils are the "legs" of the mantle - given the large expanse of your brick in order to achieve mantle w/lentils you would have to decide if you were willing to box off some of the brick - if that makes sense. Otherwise you would have the "legs" out really wide, too far from the firebox -

We used to have a FP exactly as yours is now. About ten years ago we put sheetrock over most of it and used a white mantel. I've never missed all that brick.

{{!gwi}}

jejvtr, thank you so much for the explanation. You're right I don't think that will work. My fireplace is pretty wide.

jjam, WOW, that looks great. That really helps to see it. Thank you!!!

I found this picture of cyafishin's pretty fireplace:

and then I also like mimi2006:

I'm not sure what to do. I do want to thank you all, and I welcome any other suggestions.

kden
my orig post was explaining what jjam has done (Lovely by the way) - I think you could do that - you just frame & sheetrock over existing brick