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Home Decorating

Help for a large and imposing fireplace wall

2 years ago

Ideally, I would like to take out the brick "ledge" and bookcase, however that will not be happening for quite some time. Would this space look odd if I whitwashed the brick and painted the bookcase? I removed the mantel as it is not our style and will more than likely get a simple, linear mantel down the line. Our children decorated the bookcase with random pieces so it looks a bit disjointed for now.

Comments (7)

HU-187528210
2 years ago
I don’t mind the bookcases.
I would not whitewash until you remove the rest.
houssaon
2 years ago
I don't think it will look better whitewashed and painted. What you have now is attractive.
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Wow! A 2 sided fireplace! How neat! To your question on hearth color repair, not sure about pure black but I’d darken it to a tone closer to mantle color. About the brass light fixture in dining, I usually agree with Beverly’s advice but in this case I’ll respectfully disagree. If the dining furniture was black then maybe. You have mixed metals which is quite fine - the kitchen lights & cabinet pulls are silver & maybe the appliances are stainless etc. The mirror you picked for mantle has a brass or gold frame so it looks like you plan to tie in with light fixture. I would still do that no matter where you wind up putting the mirror. I would also consider the art - if it has a frame, use gold for color whether it’s a metal frame or wood. I have this art in my house -I think it would look great near your dining light..
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bcafe
Original Author
2 years ago
Really, attractive? Well, perhaps I should rethink things....
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
2 years ago
I don’t mind the brick except for the random really dark ones.

All the wood on the right side jumps out at me, not in a good way. Normally to me it’s a sacrilege to paint wood but I’d make an exception here. Remove the cabinet doors and paint everything wood the same color as the walls. Or, completely remove all the wood, repair holes, and paint the wall.
bcafe
Original Author
2 years ago
If we removed the bookcase what would look good in its place? We do not watch tv in this room so there would be a large blank wall.
Connecticut Yankeeeee
2 years ago
Hello bcafe - I’m no pro, just offering my first impression. I agree with the others here; I like this mostly as is. I like the brick colors and style. I do admit that there’s something about the bookcase that is throwing me. Maybe it’s the size/proportion with the fireplace. Maybe if it came up to the ceiling?? I’m not sure. And I actually love the fireplace even in its current color. I don’t have any suggestions if you were to remove the bookcase. Maybe remove the doors and even up the depth to make it just shelves. I’m a sucker for shelves because I would love a spot like this to display some family memories.
bcafe
Original Author
2 years ago
We do not watch tv in this room. I actually like the brass as it is muted and mixes well with our style and decor.

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