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Design Dilemma
zohrehalaghemand

fireplace

14 years ago
I have a fairly large fireplace in living room. Should I change it or leave it the way it is?
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    14 years ago
    Love the room and would definitely leave the fireplace as is. The room has a very contemporary rustic vibe to it, not sure if this is the look you were going for but it is lovely nonetheless. Based on your furnishings and the scale of the fireplace my suggestions would be to: -

    1. Repaint the room toning the wall color down to something warmer in the earth tones color palette. See below. I think doing so will make the design more cohesive, as the scale of the fireplace and your choice in furnishings will seem more intentional.

    http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/g/11/houses/02-photoshop-redo/05-bold-color-paint.jpg
    Palette: Earth Tones

    Valspar's Filoli Yew (1), La Fonda Wild West Green (2), Del Coronado Amber (3), Molera Garden Ochre (4), Churchill Hotel Navajo White (5), and Cliveden Henna Red (6).

    I also like the idea of painting the ceiling a lighter shade of the wall color because it gives the impression the ceiling is higher than it actually is, which is good because of the imposing fireplace wall. I would however caution against doing this if your ceiling is not at least 8ft high because your crown molding will act as a demarcation making the room look shorter than it actually is. Off to fix that you can just paint the crown molding the same color as the wall.


    2. I'd also refinish the mantle in a darker stain, something like a walnut or mahogony.

    Hopefully this helps some. Good luck or your renovation and don't forget to share pictures.

    Comments (27)

    • 14 years ago
      leave it! it's gorgeous! maybe hang a horizontal mirror above the mantle to give it a bit of balance?
    • 14 years ago
      I concur, it suits the decor in your inviting living room, and I love the arched firebox and unique mantle detail.

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    • 14 years ago
      This is a beautiful room. I am not a fan of exposed brick, and in this room it seems to mess up the clean lines and make that end of the room too busy and it competes with the rug, so my recommendation would be to render it and paint it in line with the rest of the room. Keep the mantle the same colour it is currently and hang a horizontal mirror as jeani suggested or perhaps a painting with reds in it to compliment the beautiful chairs.
    • 14 years ago
      I love your fireplace and wouldn't touch the brick.. You might toy with the idea of staining/painting the mantle piece to match the darkest color in the brick (charcoal?).

      Beautiful room!
    • 14 years ago
      I don't love brick in all applications ( in fact, rarely do) but in this case it looks very nice.. don't touch it! However, that being said, it does fight with the reds in the rug a bit and yes, it is a little busy. Rather than change the brick though, which is lovely, consider changing out the rug. Perhaps this rug can be used in another area of the house? Then go for one with either large pattern in just a few simple colors that go with rest of room, or very neutral. Then place an art piece on mantel,larger and horizontal with some nice color, but not too busy.
      I like the white mantel.. it looks light. The rendition in the dark color looks very heavy to my eye.
      Have fun.. beautiful room!
    • PRO
      14 years ago
      I agree with sharleeq in leaving the fireplace and moving the rug. Next I would put a trim piece on the ceiling 4 to 6 inches from the crown and paint it to match the crown. Then I paint the ceiling to match the walls or slightly lighter but with a slight sheen. That should help raise the ceiling. After that if the room still has a horizontal low feeling I suggest painting the brick above the mantel the same color as the walls because that is the brick that is bringing the ceiling down.. If you paint the brick you may get away with a horizontal piece of art or mirror, if it stays brick I would go for 3 vertical pieces of art or mirror and some candlesticks of varying heights, but no short ones.
    • PRO
      14 years ago
      sorry; I should hae noted the photos above are of painted ceilings. The ceiling is the biggest wall in the and I think we miss a lot when we ignore them or leave them white. :)
    • 14 years ago
      Great advice Mint. I agree wholeheartedly !
    • 14 years ago
      Thank you all. I was going to demolish the fireplace and put a more modern one in there. Now I am going to save a ton but not doing it. I have to come up with a nice piece of art that balances the large wall of brick in there. I do not have high ceiling so if I paint the ceiling, will the room look shorter?
    • 14 years ago
      HI --- Are you just wanting a bit of a change and have focused on the fireplace ?Yes, I agree the rug should change , the one there is nice but it's the wrong color and it's way to small.All your furniture should rest on the rug . The rug should be the size of the room -less a foot and half on all sides . NO , having a color on the ceiling do's not make the room shorter.It will bring some warmth to the room -make it complete. If you want to add a bit more modern element to the room , then you could remove the mantel and have a large painting on the fireplace. Or paint the mantel " Gentle Cream OC-96" by Benjamin Moore paints. And display bigger decor items there but, not too many. Other wise the room is beautiful.
    • 14 years ago
      It is foreshortening the room, but if you do as Mint suggest , that will visually trick your eye into the ceiling being higher. Paint the ceiling 50% of the wall color( is that a gold or green.. it is going green in photo) Sadly, the mantel is the big culprit, though it is so pretty. It visually cuts the room height in half. I believe if you try removing it, mount art, not in the horizontal size I stated earlier, but as mint says, something in panels three across, I think that will help a lot. Then consider adding something like a tall , thin pair of topiaries on either side of the FP opening.to help draw the eye up as well..
      If you mount your draperies just beneath the crown that helps a lot. They are above window frame now.
      A large scale floral rug with rust/brown and the color on walls. ( green/gold?)
    • 14 years ago
      something like this in my mind.. one has slight blue which i don;t think is in your color scheme, but it is an idea to go by.
    • 14 years ago
      if youre going for modern this brick is not doin' it for ya-- paint it a neutral color perhaps matching your trim color? good luck!

      i'm also not a big fan of exp brick but the way this pic looks (as compared to real life), it's nice-- so if youre looking for industrial-modern or traditional then keep it. BUT depends on your goal ;)
    • 14 years ago
      Leave it.
    • 14 years ago
      I love it.
    • 14 years ago
      The room is beautiful! The red in the rug doesn't go, so get a new rug with greens, tan, and orange (terra cotta).
    • 14 years ago
      The room color is not green at all. It is called Sienna Sand which is sort of a variation in beige but the picture shows as green. Great advice overall. Thank you
    • 14 years ago
      Should I cover up the area above the mantel and attach art pieces there or I should attach either the mirror or the art pieces directly over the bricks above the mantel area?
    • 14 years ago
      I wouldn't cover the brick. It's a beautiful feature of your room. As far as mantel-scaping, the casual leaning look is interesting and also flexible for when you want a change. Here are a few examples to give you some ideas:

      Del Webb Lincoln Hills · More Info


      Traditional Living Room · More Info


      Glenn Gissler Design · More Info


      You could mount al mirror on the brick and place other items directly on the mantel in an interesting display as well.
    • 14 years ago
      sounds great thank you
    • 14 years ago
      I would hang right on the brick, keeping space between to see the color of brick thru.. enjoy! As long as it is a series going across, will look better so eye doesn't go horizontally on one long piece and again foreshortening the room.
    • 14 years ago
      I wanted to clarify.. that was based on my original observation of the mantel cutting the room in half heightwise and in my own mind picturing the mantel going away.I think you should try painting it a very deep ( but not too dark) shade of the beige/brown family you have on wall.Deep enough to contrast with the brick a bit and not so dark as it drags the eye across that horizontal line. Then a series of frames layered on the mantel would make great sense.
    • PRO
      14 years ago
      Here is why I have recommended that you paint the brick above the mantel. The mantel and the fireplace are great. The brick over the mantel is as wide as the fireplace. Chimneys are always much narrower than the fireplace and mantel. The brick above the mantel is visually too heavy for the fireplace and the room. It is visually squashing the room's height. You can have the upper brick physically removed or paint it to match the walls which will visually help it to disappear. You room will then appear taller. It will also help to raise the drapery rod over the sofa to the bottom of the crown as you did in the dining room. I would still move the rug to another location as it does appear to clash with the brick....though computer photos are not always accurate as to color. Good luck and plesae post photos of your "after" room! :)
    • 14 years ago
      You all have awesome ideas! Thank you so much. I think I might be able to plaster over the brick above the mantel and place nice art pieces. I will also color the ceiling to match the room color. I am planning to spend over 250K on remodeling so painting will be another thing that needs to be done.
    • 14 years ago
      @shareeleg. love the room. the area rug is too formal. the colors are fine needs to be more casual
    • PRO
      14 years ago
      You are very welcome! I hope you will post photos of your home as you progress! :)
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