New This Week: 3 Ways to Work Around a Living Room Fireplace
The size, location and materials of many fireplaces present decorating challenges. Here are a few solutions
If you have a fireplace in your living room, chances are you’ve struggled with how to make your furniture work around the feature. These three rooms give three possible solutions for dealing with your fireplace: Incorporate it, hide it or outshine it. See which approach is right for your space.
2. Hide It
Designer: Stephanie Kraus of Stephanie Kraus Designs
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Size: 414 square feet (38.4 square meters); 23 by 18 feet
Dilemma: A fireplace mantel and doorway of brown-stained oak prevented an arrangement with enough furniture for family gatherings and conversation.
Solution: Designer Stephanie Kraus positioned two chairs on casters in front of the fireplace to create a more open layout with sufficient seating. When the fireplace is in use, the chairs can easily be rolled and angled apart. She then painted the fireplace all black to make it read more like a picture ledge behind the two chairs. A geometric grate complements the pattern on the chairs to make the fireplace recede even further. “Function of this room was of the utmost importance,” Kraus says. “You would never have to grab a chair from another room. It’s set up as is to entertain a lot of people.”
Designer secret: “This room doesn’t have any awkward seating spots,” Kraus says. “Anyplace you sit in the room, you will comfortably face your companion and can engage in conversation. It’s a TV room, yet it’s colorful and sophisticated, with a classic blue-and-white color scheme, and pops of orange and pink. It also has lots of patterns to keep your eye moving across the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “The initial fabric I selected to tie everything together became too expensive, so I found an awesome alternative fabric to recover the X-benches,” Kraus says. “There is always a workaround.”
Also on the team: Kyle Born Photography
Sofa and chairs: CR Laine; coffee table: Oomph; sconces: Visual Comfort; fabric on custom X-benches: Alpenglow, Robert Allen
See more photos of this room
Designer: Stephanie Kraus of Stephanie Kraus Designs
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Size: 414 square feet (38.4 square meters); 23 by 18 feet
Dilemma: A fireplace mantel and doorway of brown-stained oak prevented an arrangement with enough furniture for family gatherings and conversation.
Solution: Designer Stephanie Kraus positioned two chairs on casters in front of the fireplace to create a more open layout with sufficient seating. When the fireplace is in use, the chairs can easily be rolled and angled apart. She then painted the fireplace all black to make it read more like a picture ledge behind the two chairs. A geometric grate complements the pattern on the chairs to make the fireplace recede even further. “Function of this room was of the utmost importance,” Kraus says. “You would never have to grab a chair from another room. It’s set up as is to entertain a lot of people.”
Designer secret: “This room doesn’t have any awkward seating spots,” Kraus says. “Anyplace you sit in the room, you will comfortably face your companion and can engage in conversation. It’s a TV room, yet it’s colorful and sophisticated, with a classic blue-and-white color scheme, and pops of orange and pink. It also has lots of patterns to keep your eye moving across the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “The initial fabric I selected to tie everything together became too expensive, so I found an awesome alternative fabric to recover the X-benches,” Kraus says. “There is always a workaround.”
Also on the team: Kyle Born Photography
Sofa and chairs: CR Laine; coffee table: Oomph; sconces: Visual Comfort; fabric on custom X-benches: Alpenglow, Robert Allen
See more photos of this room
3. Outshine It
Designer: Judith Balis of Judith Balis Interiors
Location: Boise, Idaho
Size: 320 square feet (29.7 square meters); 20 by 16 feet
Dilemma: Trying to hide a large floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace was out of the question for designer Judith Balis. Instead, she decided to outshine it with eye-catching colors, patterns and textures.
Solution: Draw on the homeowner’s extensive wardrobe for inspiration. Balis upholstered chairs in hot-pink, Missoni-inspired fabric; wallpapered the backs of the book shelves in faux snakeskin; used plum velvet with brass nailhead trim on the sofa; and anchored the space in a furry flokati rug. All this helped make the aged fireplace virtually disappear. “Like a great statement necklace worn with a favorite pair of old jeans,” she says.
Designer secret: “When you order wallpaper, you have to order it in double-roll batches, so oftentimes you will have extra, which can sometimes be just enough to also wallpaper the backs of your bookshelves to add a great base layer for showing off all of your collections and treasures,” Balis says. “I love the way the snakeskin wallpaper adds a dramatic and unexpected backdrop for the monotone accessories on the larger bottom shelves.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “My client was no ordinary client,” Balis says. “She has an incredible sense of style, and ordinary or cookie-cutter just wasn’t going to do for her eclectic, glamorous and amazing personal style. The house already had a beautiful base layer of modern-rustic elements, so I had to find a way to marry Betsey Johnson whimsy with Restoration Hardware calm. This was no easy feat, especially in Boise, Idaho, where our resources are extremely limited. Luckily, I am often in New York, and was able to source most of my fabrics and furniture pieces while there.”
Art above fireplace: Staci Kennedy; wallpaper: Cody Snakeskin, Schumacher; wall paint: Deville, Columbia; drapes: Martha and Ash; sofa: Lillian August; light fixtures: Restoration Hardware; chair fabric: Grapefruit, Duralee
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More
How to Remodel Your Fireplace
5 Living Rooms Designed Around the Fireplace
Designer: Judith Balis of Judith Balis Interiors
Location: Boise, Idaho
Size: 320 square feet (29.7 square meters); 20 by 16 feet
Dilemma: Trying to hide a large floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace was out of the question for designer Judith Balis. Instead, she decided to outshine it with eye-catching colors, patterns and textures.
Solution: Draw on the homeowner’s extensive wardrobe for inspiration. Balis upholstered chairs in hot-pink, Missoni-inspired fabric; wallpapered the backs of the book shelves in faux snakeskin; used plum velvet with brass nailhead trim on the sofa; and anchored the space in a furry flokati rug. All this helped make the aged fireplace virtually disappear. “Like a great statement necklace worn with a favorite pair of old jeans,” she says.
Designer secret: “When you order wallpaper, you have to order it in double-roll batches, so oftentimes you will have extra, which can sometimes be just enough to also wallpaper the backs of your bookshelves to add a great base layer for showing off all of your collections and treasures,” Balis says. “I love the way the snakeskin wallpaper adds a dramatic and unexpected backdrop for the monotone accessories on the larger bottom shelves.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “My client was no ordinary client,” Balis says. “She has an incredible sense of style, and ordinary or cookie-cutter just wasn’t going to do for her eclectic, glamorous and amazing personal style. The house already had a beautiful base layer of modern-rustic elements, so I had to find a way to marry Betsey Johnson whimsy with Restoration Hardware calm. This was no easy feat, especially in Boise, Idaho, where our resources are extremely limited. Luckily, I am often in New York, and was able to source most of my fabrics and furniture pieces while there.”
Art above fireplace: Staci Kennedy; wallpaper: Cody Snakeskin, Schumacher; wall paint: Deville, Columbia; drapes: Martha and Ash; sofa: Lillian August; light fixtures: Restoration Hardware; chair fabric: Grapefruit, Duralee
See more photos of this room
More
How to Remodel Your Fireplace
5 Living Rooms Designed Around the Fireplace
Designer: Amanda Paul of Paul Interiors
Location: Pacific Palisades, California
Size: 120 square feet (11.1 square meters); 10 by 12 feet
Dilemma: Although the fireplace position was symmetrical, the existing dark marble surround limited the options for decor colors. Instead of fighting, hiding or replacing it, designer Amanda Paul chose to incorporate it as a starting point for the colors in the room. “We ended up feeling so grateful for it in the end,” she says.
Solution: Neutral fabrics, natural woods, a vintage rug, pottery, a touch of blue and some brass accents create a calming space that doesn’t compete with the fireplace.
Designer secret: “Natural woven window treatments are a sure and subtle way to increase interest and warmth in the room without becoming a statement piece,” Paul says. “I use them in almost every home I design, regardless of the style.”
Chairs and side table: Jayson Home; sofa, sofa table and pottery: Lawson-Fenning; coffee table: Design Within Reach; rug: Lawrence of La Brea; sconces: Schoolhouse Electric
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