Bronze windows originated with anodized aluminum storefronts that replaced painted steel. Later it was difficult to prevent black PVC and fiberglass from fading. Apparently that is no longer the case. If your goal is to emulate steel sash I would avoid an imitative color like dark bronze. Additionally I would want a stronger contrast with gray even red cedar left to gray. I grew up in St Louis were everything was brown even the baseball team so I might have an aversion to it. Are you from down under? This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Jul 27, 14 at 9:40

Yes, you should add a mantel to give the room a more traditional feel. Check out magazines for ideas. If you want a more modern look, paint the brick and skip the mantel. Think twice about mounting a TV over a fireplace. The heat will be hard on the electronics. Also the TV should be mounted at eye level or close to it. You will be craning your neck but the chiropractor will love your business.

Thanks so much! I am heading there tomorrow. Well I guess I will call first to see if they are open since its the 4th. The closest one is actually across the state line about 35 minutes away. I picked up some samples of the browns from Lowe's last night but had a sample of SW Jute Brown downstairs and am going to try it first on the master one but I want black in Brett's Bathroom. Yours is beautiful! Alicia

Well ladies, let me tell you some of my secrets...before my DH and I got married his mother did EVERYTHING for him, made all his meals, snacks, etc...I mean the man couldn't even pour himself a glass of milk...his mom would shoo him away and do it for him. He would take his dirty clothes off to shower and by the time he was done his mom had already picked all of them up and she was waiting to take care of his wet towel. Well, the first time he showered after we were married and left his stuff all over the bed and floor I informed him that I was his wife, not mother, and I would NOT be picking up after him. If he wanted to have someone pick up after him, he could move back home with his mom. It worked, he's never left wet towels or dirty clothes laying around. LOL As far as kids go, it's a lot easier to train them when they are little. Our last house was a ranch and since I would pass by their rooms all the time they had to keep them neat. My DD would complain all the time when she was young that she couldn't wait until she moved out so she could keep her mess out all over the place. She did keep her locker at school messy. When she moved to the dorm and had a messy roommate she discovered that she really did like having things neat and clutter-free! My DS was a little harder to train though...so I allowed him to have a "junk" drawer in his room and maybe 2 or 3 times a year I would make him clean it out. Now we live in a colonial and once I wake up in the morning, shower and dress I don't see their rooms cause I'm on the main floor or in the basement so a mess wouldn't bother me now but I have them trained so well that they still keep things neat and clutter free!!!! Sneaky huh? Sorry, it is harder for you Maria because they are already set in their ways, it will be hard to make them see the light and start keeping things clean! WHAT I CAN DO FOR SOMEONE IS....take pics of your mess and post it to photobucket or something like that, then send an e-mail to me with your link, and I will take a look at them and make some suggestions about how you could organize it. E-mail: OneBigDave@sbcglobal.net Of course, if you live close enough, I could come see you! Barb