It's hard to tell with just a small view of the room and only framing, as the visual variables can change the look and appeal of something so much.

Aren't your bookcases below narrow also? How would you make the windows wider? The fp also looks narrow, so I think it will look fine.

At this point, try losing the inspiration picture in your mind, and don't compare the two when visualizing forward.

Chrissay, I honestly think it is going to look great. Not just fine - great. I've been racking my brain to come up with the name of the poster who has the great space with the 4 slipcovered chairs around a round table (someone help me out here!!!). The look you have is very similar (I think) and hers looks fabulous. If it comes to me, i'll do a search and post a pic.

Do you have a pic of your inspiration room you could show us?

I think it's going to be beautiful. Quit second guessing yourself. After it's all done you're going to wonder why you had doubts.

Will you ever (honestly) ever open those windows? I'd replace them with a fixed piece of glass, keep the muntns but make the frame much thinner.

Have you drawn your design to scale? I'm trying to picture how the mantle will wrap around and meet the bookcases without throwing the look off-center. Like the previous poster asked.......are the cases directly under the window, and do they come up to the base of the windows?

I agree, it should look great and, from the pics, don't see that the proportions are a problem.

I am interested in annz's thought about something being thrown off-center, but don't understand.

I agree with the others. They will look great over the bookcases.
It was Zuzupetals living room I think. I have it printed out at home.

Hi Chrissay.

First off, stop crying. This isn't a tragedy unless you turn it into one. Yes, those windows are small, but since you say it's too late to change them now, anyway, stop thinking about their actual dimensions & start thinking about how you can turn their diminutive size into an asset instead of a constant reminder of what you might have had if you were a better planner. That's not helpful. If we all fretted over every mistake we ever made, we'd never get out of bed in the morning. Who needs that?

So rather than blaming yourself for what you chose, try imagining that this is the the way things were when you moved in, and now all you have to do is figure out how to best work around the windows' size. It's a challenge in your future, not a failure from your past. Fortuntely, you've already received an excellent suggestion: take your shelves all the way up to the lower edge of the window's frames, so there's no extra wall area to remind you of your Big Missed Opportunity. No one but you will ever know, so stop second-guessing yourself & move on.

BTW, ten-to-one the beautiful-fireplace-wall-with-the-little-windows mentioned above belongs to Zuzu. Here's a link to the 2005 Magnas, and Zuzu'z lovely room is the 4th award down.

Regards,
Magnaverde.

Magnaverde Rule No. 4O: Sometimes the easiest thing to change is our attitude.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2OO5 Magnas: Zuzu

I also think they will look fine when finished. Look at mine, they are small too.

{{!gwi}}

Zuzu'a room is the one I had in mind also. If your mantel is done like the pic then I don't see a problem.

squirrel: imagine a bulky mantel running around the front corners and then butting up against the shelving. If it's done that way, then the top of her shelving would have to stop there also, or you'll have a mantle taking up part of the built-in's. It will be fine if done like zuzu's.

Thanks Squirrel and monablair, I just need a little encouragement. This is what happens to me...it's not what I pictured so then I start second guessing every aspect of the project and just sort of stop and curl up with fear.

Budge1, yes, that room is gorgeous and that is the picture I gave my contractor!

Thanks, annz : ) I see what you mean about the potential for a problem with the wrap adjoining to the bookcases. It's hard to see how much room has been allowed on the sides, but it doesn't look like much for the mantel profile. Hopefully it was drawn to scale and accounted for before installing. ZuZu's lovely config is always an option also.

I think scale is one of the most difficult items to judge in a remodel. I also put some windows in my FR that if I were to do over would do them differently. Yours, I think though are going to be lovely. It has a sort of Craftman feel to it and with some thicker molding will look beautiful. You had very valid reasons for keeping down the size. This is definitely a focal point and you want to keep the focus on what is inside, not a view of your neighbors which would be a worse irritant.

Chrissy, I think it will look fine. I really like that top pic you just showed with the wrapped mantel.

Wow, these are all gorgeous rooms and are actually inspiring me! We have a fireplace room that will be getting remodeled in the future to become our dining room. The plan was to flank the fireplace with matching hutches but I'm thinking I like this idea even more. As planned, there won't be any windows in that room at all (though it will open up onto our great room which will have several windows.

pamghatten - I love love love that bold color mixed with the wood in your room.

chrissay - Once everything comes together I'm sure it will look fine. I think if the windows were any bigger they'd be out of scale with the fireplace.

Maybe you could continue the wrap around look by continuing bookcases up around the outer sides of the windows.

I don't know if this will help you or not, Chrissay, but we have similar windows that are 2 feet wide. (We don't have built-ins and the FP isn't working, my grandfather built it, so it's a sentimental piece.)

Here is a link that might be useful:

I grew up in an old neighborhood of bungalows; many had small windows such as yours called 'piano windows'. There was no fireplace but on that wall a family would generally have an upright piano with a small window on either side. I think they look nice. As with any remodel, it will come through in the end. Post another picture when it's done and get ready for the compliments!

Pamghatten and hosiergirl both your rooms are really nice. The dark colors in those rooms are stunning.

I'm forging on and will post pictures as soon as there is more progress. I'd love to have this wrapped up by Christmas. My girls are dying for a mantle to hang their stockings.

Thanks again for your kind remarks.

I think if you added a hearth it would look totally custom! Maybe only 5-6 inches - Looks fine to me!

Chrissay, I think the windows will look great once you add the mantel like in the pictures that were shown.

What floor do you have that I love the color of?

This is just an idea, but what if you took the muntins off the windows if that's possible? If the windows were not divided, perhaps they'd look larger. However, you've got several pictures with small windows to give you an idea how nice small windows can look with the other features you have planned.

I think it's going to look great...really neat actually. Wait until things come together more before getting too worked up over it. I think you can make it work very well.

Magnaverde - as usual I loved reading your post and the writings in the link. I'd love to see more of CER's home - wow!! Is there a place where I can go to see more?

Thanks again for all your help.

Magnaverde, I read your post to my "rough and tumble" husband and his response was "What he said!". He said he wished he had the verbage ability you had to convey his thoughts during our "confrontations"! LOL!

Ingrid vc, I looked into taking the muntins out of the windows but they are between the panes. But, I see where you were going with that.

Lynn2006, I've been following your flooring threads. The floors in that room are pine according to the hardwood floor guy. Which brings on other issues. I love those floors but not sure I can match them throughout the rest of the house---a whole other project!

Here's another inspiration photo from my favorite website.

Follow the link back -- and just click on their different projects for more photos. Get comfy, and a drink too! There's lots to see!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Here is a link that might be useful: Hutcker architects -- Fireplace, small windows

[Valzone5, the Magnas are a thing I started posting at the beginning of the year over on an online forum associated with a popular TV network as a way of bringing back for one last look some of the excellent rooms that members had posted on that forum over the last year, but which in most cases hade already been zapped from the forum archives. Basically, instead of just saying 'What a pretty room' I analyzed & explained why each room was successful, because most of the time, the decorating principles could be applied just as well to rooms of an entirely diffrent character as they did to rooms in the same general style. I began the Magnas on New Years Eve, 2002 and I've been doing it the same night ever since--except for the years that I don't get my act together in time & it's late.

Of course, the Magnas meet the same fate as all the other posts over there, but the wonderful & talented poster Bella has given them a second (and permanent) home over at PecanPlaceVictorian.com, the site she created to showcase the great old house in Tennessee that she & her equally talented husband are restoring. Hats off to Bella!

Anyway, CER's place got a Magna in (I think) 2OO4. She's been around along time, too, and she has a real gift for taking castoffs & yard sale finds and combining them into rooms of wonderful warmth. Since then, she's moved to another place and naturally, her decorating has adapted to a new set of circumstances, but it's still wonderful. Unfortunately, though, I don't have any links to any more of her pictures, but if you go over there to that other forum--not Bella's place, the BIG forum--and do a search for posts by CER, I'm sure more will pop up, some of them with additional photos of her cozy home. It's worth the time to find them. M.]

Here is a link that might be useful: 2OO7 Magnas at PecanPlaceVictorian.com

Hi...Past CER here. Used to be CER. Flattery. I love it.