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Fireplace needs something, but what?

27 days ago

My fireplace was built in 1935 when the house was built. The pattern matches the stone trim on the outside of house so I have been reluctant to change it However I really don‘t like it as is. It really does not get used anymore. Don’t think we have the funds to covert it to gas at this time but maybe in the future. I am looking for a cosmetic update if possible.


That’s a rolled up rug to prevent cold air from coming in. It’ been bitter cold recently.

Outside trim



Thanks for your suggestions!


debra

Comments (28)

  • 27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    To me, the heaviness of the mantel and the brass surround detract from the interesting stone. I suggest that you paint the mantel to match the wall and see if that does enough. If you are reluctant to paint, try covering the mantel with white paper to get a feel for how the fireplace would look with a lighter color.

    I assume the black pillow is to deflect drafts. Try to solve that problem with a fireplace expert.

    As to the brass, most people say to paint it black, but I don't think that is a good idea. It might be that a fireplace screen would help, but I'd hold off on that until you remedy the two above problems.


    Seeing the fireplace in the context of the room would also help.

  • 27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    I’m hesitant to share these because the house is not super tidy lol






    debra

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  • 27 days ago

    Thanks for your kind words Misty. The hearth is 3 very large pieces of lannon stone that are actually inlaid into the wood floor. They look dirty and one of them is chipping off pieces. I will get a shot of the hearth when I get home this afternoon.

    debra

  • 27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    Personally, I wouldn’t keep just because there is some similar stone on the outside. Updating depends on how much you are willing to change, but I’d lighten/soften.

    Consider replacing the mantle and stain lighter and spray the brass surround black. Look on line for update ideas (and include hearth as well after you fill in hole). Finally, how you accessorize will have a big impact as well.

    https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/diy-stone-fireplace-makeover/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=68970174

  • 26 days ago

    As mentioned earlier remove everything from mantel, center a large piece of art above it filling 2/3 of the space. Group photos on one end of the mantel, maybe add a squat stocky candle on the other end in a glass hurricane holder, but not overly large. Do not keep the arrangement in the vase. The decorative plate can go in the coffee table, or maybe in center of your dining table. The tall candles currently on mantel might look good on a buffet, entry table or even on the table (if room) behind desk, or put them away for a while. Save money to be able to re-do the fireplace and hearth, addressing the draft and make it something you love.

  • 26 days ago

    The piece above the mantle is an art piece done by a local artisan. You can’t tell from the front but the disk was made first, then broken, painted and reassembled. We love the piece so it’s going to stay. It’s also very heavy, not the type of disk that could be moved. I was already thinking of removing the pieces you mentioned. I guess I’m looking for how to improve the look of the stone and ugly gold box(I don’t think it’s brass).

    debra

  • 26 days ago

    Then definitely keep the disk!


    Setting aside the issue with the draft, I wonder how it would look if you removed the gold/brass inset entirely and placed candles in the fire box?

  • 26 days ago
    last modified: 26 days ago

    Thanks for the extra photos. I think your fireplace is great--textured and interesting. Here are some thoughts on how to highlight the entire fireplace, not just the mantel:

    --Leave the stone and the mantel, but paint the brass surround with fireproof charcoal paint. Add big chunky logs to the firebox.

    --Remove all the decor items and photos from the mantel. Relocate favorite family photos on a gallery wall in a hallway or on a table. All the tiny pictures reduce the impact of the fireplace and your art and probably don't get looked at. Relocate them to a wall you pass every day. Keep your local artist piece., but layer it with other, more modern art work. Here are some from society6.com in a palette that suits the stone and the piece you already have and some AI tips on how to layer art on a mantel--don't clutter it up, though. Just add one big piece that harmonizes with the piece you already have.

    https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=how+to+layer+art+on+mantel&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8




    Your Design Dilemma identifies the fireplace and all kinds of changes to it as the dilemma. What I see is a room that could use some tweaks. Get a long, low media shelf or wide cabinet with the same finish as the mantel and place it below your TV so that wall looks as streamlined as your fireplace is going to be. (Or get a budget friendly Ikea long, low media cabinet or shelves--good place for your family photos, too.) In any case, the shelf/cabinet should be much wider than TV screen.

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    Your window treatments look sad. Either change the shades to bamboo the color of the mantel or flank the windows with ceiling to floor curtains. These can match the wall color or be in a pattern of gray and gold.

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    --Make your niche space behind the sofa a cozy reading space with a modern sconce lamp, comfy chair, and drinks table.

    --The corner with the lamp should just have the lamp and possibly one piece of furniture, not two. Less is more! Reduce stuff from surfaces by 75%. You can always put "stuff" in rotation.

    --If you ever repaint, paint the walls a subtle warm ivory with some gray tones. Come back to Houzz to get advice on paint color. The yellow doesn't bring out the best in the fireplace or your furnishings. Yellow is one of the very trickiest colors to get right.

  • 26 days ago

    Here are some stone fireplaces with yellow tones and with creamy white walls:

  • 26 days ago

    Thanks for all your comments! I’m planning on painting and I have I new colorful rug purchased but will not arrive before maybe March and I am planning on painting before the rug comes . I was also considering a warm white. I hate the current color-from another time and era! I would love help choosing a color. Eventually new chairs will come. Also not loving my coffee table, I am constantly hitting my leg on the glass edge, I’m looking for round with pull up tray. The TV console is Amish made and quite expensive, so that will stay, however I could center it better with the TV. (Remember the DH has opinions too and he’s a stereophile). I will post a photo of the rug and then would love color recommendations.

    debra

  • 26 days ago

    Here’s the ordered rug:


    I just purchased the two yellow ottomans replacingold ugly brown ones. This rug is going to be 8X10, replacing the8X8 we have now. That way the couch legs will sit on the rug. I have always wanted to wrap swags around the blinds as i have in the dining room. DH has never wanted that, but I could maybe convince him with just doing a sheer. We don’t have a a ton of light in the living room because it faces west.


    debra

  • 26 days ago
    last modified: 25 days ago

    I hate to say it, but that rug is much too intense for your fireplace, floors, and furniture you're keeping and won't go with creamy white. Before you get it delivered, do more research. Your fireplace, which most Commentors really like, is the dominant feature of the room. The rug needs to be more understated like those shown in the photos of other rooms with yellow and tannish gray fireplaces and has to harmonize with fireplace not fight against it. I often suggest that people ordering a rug order 2' x3' as a test sample against their floors, cabinets, furniture and features. If you do that, put it against the fireplace first then furniture you're keeping.

    Open up two windows on your computer so you can open up to one of your fireplace photos and other photos of rugs that will echo the fireplace.

    Here's a rug with a palette that harmonizes with your fireplace, especially with a bit of orange to echo your floors. (Your floors are a fourth wall, so rug has to work with floor and fireplace stone--muted golds, tans, orange, gray too.)


  • 25 days ago

    An easy, inexpensive fix for the stone is to limewash it until you make a long term decision. You can experiment with the level of opacity, beginning with a sheer wash, and add coats up to complete coverage if you like. Romobio also has different colors which you can coordinate with your wall paint selection.


    Have you decided the pattern placement of the rug when it arrives? Will the blue end land in front of the TV? I know you didn't ask about furniture layout but consider swapping placement of the sofa and chairs which will open up the room and allow more of the rug to show. A small cocktail table and low pharmacy lamp between the chairs will help keep it open. You may be able to use your end tables to serve the sofa and swap the coffee table out with your new ottomans.


    I agree with the suggestions to remove the majority of the small objects to create some breathing room and adding drapes for texture and dimension.

  • 25 days ago

    JT7abcz, thanks for your recommendations. We have always kept the couch where it is because the opposite end under the big window is a 7 foot radiator. We always worried about the heat affecting the leather. Also it’s a south west facing window so we were concerned about fading from the light. I wouldn’t Mind switching it out but DH has the stereo set up for best listening experience. Remember, he’s a stereophile. I do have the chimney folks coming out for inspection and cleaning and any other repair that’s contributing to the moisture issues and cold draft.

    As for lime wash, I would love to keep the orange/rust color. I don’t know if there’s a way to limewash in two colors. Also will be purchasing new round ottoman for in front of the couch. Not sure of the rug placement until it arrives.

    debra

  • 24 days ago
    last modified: 24 days ago

    No swags. that is a dated look. the TV console is too small for your TV. if you love it is there somewhere else you could us it?

  • 24 days ago

    stone dates so fast but yours is unique enough to keep & even play up. I'd

    1) replace the mantel with a lighter color in a more modern esthetic, straight boxy wood without the detail.

    2) place your 3 most beloved items on it, aranged under the lovely artisan disk

    3) replace the hearth with flat porcelain tile in a complementary color, going towards gold to echo the lighter mantle & the gold stone in the surround.

    4) DOnt paint the fireplace front any color! You'd be much better off & happier if you update it with a new replacement. Something like this wont break the bank - https://www.amazon.com/Pleasant-Hearth-1010-Alpine-Fireplace/dp/B0038OM00S?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&gQT=1&th=1

    Good luck! :)

  • 24 days ago
    last modified: 24 days ago

    The stone isn't a problem, but rather, a compliment. It's aesthetically done, will last forever, and it's tone is neutral.

    Remove the brass firebox cover. Either keep it removed or replace it with a black one. The shiny brass is eye-catching for the wrong reason.

    If the colorful disc over the mantel must stay: Revamp what is placed atop the mantel, after you.have added additional artwork on either side of the disc. As colorful as the disc is, and as much as you like it, the disc isn't large enuf to command the large amount of wall space as exists. Or maybe it will work to have two-three pictures/mirrors hanging right above the mantel, with the disc alone above them.

    If you are considering a new rug, chairs and perhaps coffee table, I'd suggest doing those changes first...then reassess the fireplace issue.

    I'd also suggest changing the furniture layout. I can't tell/know what's possible, but the current placement of chair and sofa directly next to the fireplace is Crowded. If you can somehow rearrange the furniture to showcase the fireplace, I'd look at that as the first important change.

  • 24 days ago

    Fireplace is great. Love the stone. I would remove the gold insert and change it out for a black/dark brown to better match the mantle. Then I would paint the walls to better match the whitish brick instead of the yellowish color.

  • 24 days ago

    Stone is traditional to the house-keep it. I do recommend stripping the woood of the mantel and making it was lighter. The "rule" is no photos on the fireplace. Find objects that match the new insert color. Hopefully black or a dark slate color. Group in threes max and you are all set. If you already bought the rug I think you can keep it work but you will find that if you minimize the decorative objects, and let the space breathe you will be happier.

  • 24 days ago

    Also, I love the idea of the desk in that space by the window. Perfect for zoom! I hate having so many people see everything in one's home.

  • 24 days ago

    The immediate problem you asked about is fireplace. Step 1 you have started with fireplace people coming. Perhaps a new damper (assuming the original 1935 one is still there and may be broken) and an appropriate chimney cap (with air space between) can solve draft problems and any critters coming down the chimney. If never use fireplace some insulation can be put up against the damper. Just do not forget it is there. Next I would change out the mantle to a real wood box in stain goes withe house. Perhaps a bit heftier than current one. The pointy ends distracting and probably not original. Replace brass screen with a matte brown, complements your furniture choices) or black finish. Simple lines no extra vertical strips or decorations. Current one just too busy even if painted.. Rearrange/replace mantel decor as suggested above. Real logs never to be burned in fireplace box. The hearth is original and matches outside stones. See if.a good cleaning helps them. Are there stone cleaners or just Dawn/water mixture and a toothbrush? Chips are the house’s history. Then on to painting and other suggestions you like.

  • 24 days ago

    If it’s solid wood, I would square off the ends of the mantle. The angled style doesn’t work with the stone and the furnishings, current and ordered. The money spent on the Amish console is better justified if you remove the clutter on top to reveal the workmanship and beauty of the piece. Find another place for the stereo equipment, or place it behind the glass doors of the console. The cold breeze from the wood burning fireplace might be stopped by stuffing fiberglass insulation into the space above the damper: open the damper, fill the space above with a two or three foot thickness of fiberglass insulation, then close the damper (of course, if you want to use the fireplace again, you’ll have to remove the insulation first). Remove the brass fireplace surround and replace with a nice, simple, freestanding screen (Plow & Hearth has some nice selections). Or, omit the screen altogether and just ”stage” the fireplace with logs or plants or candles. You might echo the colors in the (ordered) rug and the art piece over the fireplace with deco piece(s) on the mantle, but relocate the photos and other items. Also include those colors in pillows and throws. Maybe disguise the blah-ness of the hearth with plants or even the candleholders from the mantle.

  • PRO
    24 days ago
    last modified: 24 days ago

    You have competing textures and natural colors. (1) Consider stripping the stain color on the fireplace mantel to better compliment the lighter wood floor color tone, maybe an ebony stain color. (2) Change out the hearth tiles with a cream color natural stone such as limestone, marble or travitine with a non-polished surface to better compliment the stone fireplace face or consider a dark slate stone color for contrast and elevation change of direction to the eye. (3) Replace the brass fireplace screen with a minimumist design matte black frame with a glass insert or frameless glass doors.

    Do not paint or white wash the stone/brick face. It is the wrong type of brick design to do this to. It will not look classic, contemporary or transitional painted or white washed.

    Don't forget to clean the brick face and the mortar. Both look like they have soot stains from fires. This will bring back the original color of the 1930's design. It's a classic looking fireplace face that has had its surrounding materials and colors changed throughout the decades.


    For wall color, consider using a paint pallete that better compliments your furniture and rug color selection. Go to Benjamin Moore and/or Sherwin Williams to look for paint that's a better grade than what is sold at big box home improvement stores. There is a quality difference. Better yet Google search Erin Kenon full spectrum paint. She is a master in colors. Her paint is well worth the price point and she used to offer free interior design services with the purchase of her exclusive paint.


    Good luck and do improvements in phases, but make a master plan first.

  • 24 days ago

    Consider painting the wall with the fireplace a dark green, perhaps Sherwin Williams Vogue Green. It would be a beautiful contrast with the orange wood floor and yellow stone fireplace.

  • 23 days ago

    HU, wouldn’t a dark green clash with with the blues/yellows/grays in the ordered rug?

    debra

  • 11 days ago

    Could you get two smaller additional (end?) tables to add beside your stereo console to make it a bit bigger?

  • 11 days ago

    An update….. the chimney people came were here and could not find any problem whatsoever with the chimney. The problem seem to actually be from a spot on the roof where a couple of shingles are loose. Unfortunately the way the house was built, there are several roof angles that converge very awkwardly. This seems to be the source of the problem, so we have a roofer coming to look at this problem and repair it.

    debra