15 Dramatic Fireplace Transformations
Tired of your old fireplace? Get inspired by these before-and-after photos for living room style all year
If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, it’s likely to be the focal point of the room, even in spring and summer. With all that attention, it just might be time to freshen up its look. Here are 15 before-and-after projects to get your creative juices flowing. Tell us which transformation is your favorite.
1. BEFORE: The brick fireplace surround was covered with beige paint in this 1913 Craftsman-style bungalow in Minnesota. A gray potbelly stove stuck out of the firebox.
AFTER: Designer Nicole Botsman of Dezaar Interiors replaced the stove with a sleek, flush fireplace insert. She also removed the doors on the built-in bookcases flanking the fireplace. The mirror-backed shelving reflects quite a bit of light into the space, so that stayed intact.
Marble slabs repurposed from one of Minneapolis’ historic banks now cover the brick surround. Chalkboard paint coats the wall above the mantel.
Marble slabs repurposed from one of Minneapolis’ historic banks now cover the brick surround. Chalkboard paint coats the wall above the mantel.
2. BEFORE: This sitting room fireplace is part of the 1918 Mission Revival estate featured in the 2016 Pasadena Showcase House of Design. The fireplace surround was originally brick that had been painted white.
AFTER: Designers Samantha Williams and Cynthia Lambakis of Ederra Design Studio kept the mantel but retiled the surround and hearth. A fresh coat of cream paint and new shaded sconces complete the look.
AFTER: The original brick and wood mantel on the fireplace was removed and the entire surround was Sheetrocked over. Floating shelves were added to both sides of the fireplace.
AFTER: Though the wood mantel was left untouched, designer Jennifer Jones of Niche Interiors did paint the brick surround gray to neutralize it in the updated space.
5. BEFORE: The original double-parlor living room in this San Francisco home had chartreuse walls, built-in bookshelves and a capped-off fireplace.
AFTER: Designer Ian Stallings had the fireplace converted to gas and used black soapstone to replace the original surround. The old bookshelves were removed in favor of a less fussy appearance.
6. BEFORE: The homeowners of this Michigan home never liked the paint colors in their living room. They wanted the view of the lake to be reflected in the colors of the house.
Plus, the fireplace wall had an inset with drywall that broke up the room in a weird way and took away from the raised ceiling.
Plus, the fireplace wall had an inset with drywall that broke up the room in a weird way and took away from the raised ceiling.
AFTER: Designer Jennifer Butler used white paneling on the fireplace wall to create an impressive tower effect and brighten the room. A new thin mantel in gray completes the look.
AFTER: Architect Kathleen Bost removed the walls that blocked views of a lovely backyard from the living room and combined the hall and bedroom to create a family room. Now the living room has much more natural light.
AFTER: The kitchen now opens to the dining area. Designer Carl Mattison restored all the fireplaces but converted them to gas-burning ones.
9. BEFORE: Designer Kim Hagstette of Maven Interiors says that this penthouse in Portland, Oregon, “had a nice floor plan and great views, but was otherwise pretty boring.”
AFTER: A remodel gave the penthouse plenty of drama. The new ribbon fireplace has a bold black slate surround and is flanked by a built-in seat with an upholstered back that stretches to the ceiling.
10. BEFORE: The living room of this 1938 home located in Portland, Oregon, featured an original fireplace dominated by a dated, oversize mirror.
AFTER: Homeowner Heather Tucker had paint custom mixed to match the existing olive walls, then cleaned up the fireplace tile and painted the plaster surround and wood mantel a snowy white.
11. BEFORE: While the designers had to keep the exterior chimney unaltered, the fireplace in this Decatur, Georgia, home did not draft well or fit the clients’ more modern tastes, so they rebuilt it.
AFTER: The design team at Renewal Design-Build raised the hearth, added wiring for the television that extends to a component closet across the room and installed a simpler wood mantel and shelves.
12. BEFORE: The original fireplace in this Washington home featured a black granite surround and a mantel that homeowner Lana Carlene liked. “The existing mantel is a really nice, chunky Craftsman look, so I wanted to just enhance that feel,” she says.
AFTER: The fireplace surround and the wall above the mantel are now covered in flagstone. Symmetrical shelves take advantage of the wall space and accommodate art. The warm gray wall color is Benjamin Moore’s Cinder, AF-705.
13. BEFORE: Designer Heather Garrett’s No. 1 goal for this Raleigh, North Carolina, living room was to divert attention from the faux stone fireplace surround.
AFTER: Garrett sprayed the surround with a high-gloss enamel, giving the once multitoned surround a neutral color that brings out the fireplace and the custom balsam wood sculpture that replaced the television.
14. BEFORE: Previous owners of this Eichler home located in Sunnyvale, California, had painted over the fireplace. The new homeowners were concerned about the lip of the hearth being a tripping hazard for their children.
AFTER: Designer Pamela Lin of Urbanism Designs removed the hearth’s lip and used wavy tiles to give the fireplace a more modern look.
15. BEFORE: The homeowners wanted their library collection of more than 800 first-edition books to be incorporated into the new design of their San Francisco living room. Two overstuffed bookshelves were previously located on either side of the fireplace.
AFTER: Two book towers on one side of the fireplace and an industrial bookcase across the room now hold a pared-down collection of books.
Designer Rachel Seldin of Seldin Design Studios added a chevron-patterned grass-cloth wallpaper in a neutral color palette to the fireplace wall to allow the art, furniture and collectibles to stand out better.
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Designer Rachel Seldin of Seldin Design Studios added a chevron-patterned grass-cloth wallpaper in a neutral color palette to the fireplace wall to allow the art, furniture and collectibles to stand out better.
More
How to Remodel Your Fireplace
How to Convert Your Wood-Burning Fireplace