I like the mantle just where he's holding it and you didn't make a mistake. It's the floors, the bookcases and the mantle that warm up the place and it looks terrific. You should be very cozy in your lovely nest.

I like the dark finish, and think the mantle should go at the top of the tile. If you position it higher, it will end up looking like a shelf stuck above the fireplace instead of being visually connected to the fireplace/tile.

Another suggestion - could you paint the outlet cover to match the red accent wall? My eye is drawn to the white -- it is standing out like a decorative element, which it isn't :)

I like the dark mantle and also like it right above the tile. I do think the red wall color clashes w/ the tile color.

Yes tile tile sort of clashed with the red wall, but I like the red wall and didn't want to have to pick a wall color to go with the ugly 1980's tile so... I don't think it looks TOO bad. It clashed worse with the purplish brown wall that was there before.

Thanks for confirming on the position - I think the shelf and stuff on it will help draw the eye away from the tile.

As for the outlet, I could paint it, but painted outlets always get scratched up and look really ugly after a short while so I'd rather have white than a scratched up looking outlet cover. It's close to the curtain I might be able to draw the curtain partly over it.

tinan, I'm about to paint outlet covers for my DD's room. I've done this several times and never had a problem with scratching. Trick is to lightly sand the plate and wipe clean, use a primer that bonds to plastic (spray paint is fine), paint your color of choice and then use a protective finish like a clear acrylic. You could also just buy a dark wood stained outlet cover and it will be much less noticeable than the white.

You've done a great job with your room.

Oh thanks for the tip on painting them - I've never had success! Do you also paint the outlet itself? I thought of switching to a dark color outlet cover but then the outlet is still white and would look odd.

Plugs, outlets and cords - I hate them! I would rather do without the surround speakers for the stereo, for example, but my husband wants them... so cord chases will end up being used around the room... sigh.

I think the red is just fine.
The shelf should be positioned as you have it, but I think it needs a little beefing up at the base, and would cut a piece of timber the width of the shelf to fit just inside the bottom trim molding, and stain it to match. From the the look of your shelf, I'm guessing a piece of 4x4, which is actually 3-1/2 by 3-1/2, might do it?

I have painted outlet covers using bleigh's technique. I have painted the outlet itself too, and they have held up reasonably well. I do block off the outlet openings as best as I can with popsicle sticks, q-tips, etc. before painting. If you don't want to go to the trouble, you could change out the outlet to brown and put either a painted or dark stained cover on, and it would make the outlet less obvious than the white.

Regarding the cords, cables, etc. that support the electronics - is this a home that you plan on staying in for a while? If so, it isn't that difficult to either drop the wiring down the wall from the attic or up from the crawlspace, depending on your situation.

I lived with the stereo / surround sound cords for about a year (and they were reasonably contained and hidden by cord chases too). Finally, they bugged me enough that we invested the time and energy to drop them down the wall. Fortunately, we have a friend who is handy with this sort of stuff who helped us (he had a wire puller device - sort of like a snake for electrical wires). If you are pretty certain that the speakers and devices are in good locations, you might look into permanently wiring them.

Your room is looking well put together, and I admire you for working with the tile that you don't like. Your color and furniture choices have created a warm and inviting room!

Sugarplum, we do plan to stay a while but I spoke to an electrician and it would be quite pricey to have them run through the walls, because the joists run perpendicular to the direction of the wires.

I don't feel comfortable doing that ourselves due to potential fire risk we don't know where existing wiring is. The surround speakers will be on top of the bookcase to the left (not the "ideal" position according to DH but workable) so most of the wire can be concealed be the curtains. I am thinking of putting wooden blinds behind the curtains as a kind of reverse valence (as suggested in another thread), to that would help cover the wires.

Right now we haven't strung the wires yet!

Oh look what I found!

paintable outlet cover it covers the entire outlet including the inside part.

Of course, the items plugged in to it will still show... but maybe I can use a short power bar in black to minimize that look.