Love your brick fireplace. My first choice is to remove all the boards above the mantel and paint the wall the lovely Olive Branch. Then you can decorate that entire expanse of wall without regard to the boards. If you don't want to take off the boards and redo the wall just yet, at least paint the boards Olive Branch. Most definitely paint the kitchen -- it will make a world of difference.

Andee's right. I really liked the strong, gutsy character of the boards in your before shot, because their deep color & rough-looking grain made a pefect background for the old looking clock, provided unity to the mix of unrelated stuff sitting on the mantel & generally stood up to the strong texture of the brick. Unfortunately, the new white-painted boards don't do any of those things, leaving the area above the fireplace feeling unfinished--which I'm sure wasn't your intent--so the suggestion to cover the boards, paint the wall to match the others & just move on is probably the best. And definitely carry the green through the rest of the space. Accent walls are fine if there's something truly worth accenting, but when there isn't, a single color works best to unify a room.

I think I made a mistake and should have left the wood backboard alone and not painted them the Bermuda Sand. I wondered if I would regret that later and now I do. Should I paint them olive or have my husband remove them and then sand/mud the wall and then paint the olive?

I'm going to be the oddball and say I like the wood above the FP as is. It really makes the eye focus on the FP. If you're not loving it, you could rub a wood stain over it to tone it down.

Great fireplace! I tend to agree with gracie. What I see is the mirror too short. The clock created interest and balance, and was hung higher. Hang something perhaps with a dark frame and use heavier items on the mantle.

Hi Saf2010.

Yes, if you'll pardon my saying so, that was a mistake to paint your boards, although I didn't want to come out & say that in my earlier post. If I had been your designer, I would have forbidden you to do so, because part of a designer's job is preventing his client from doing things he knows she'll regret later on--even if she has her heart set on them. Sometimes, with clients it feels like a tug of war with me against every TV decorating show out there. At least you didn't glue paper bags all over your walls, like a few people who've called me up for help. At any rate, instead of stewing over what we should or should not have done in the past, let's move on.

OK, yes, painting the area green will eliminate the 'unfinished' look that I mentioned, but it's still going to look odd, because, by themselves, those grooves won't add enough visual interest to justify their presence, but they'll still be noticed & it will look like you're trying to hide them--but not very successfully.

But considering the fairly labor-intensisve option of tearing off the boards, and patching, sanding, priming & repainting the wall anyway, I might even suggest a third option--and stick with me, here on this one: just going back to Plan A, that is, staining brand new boards to match the old ones & recreating the handsome look you had to begin with. I knw it's a stretch, but it looks like there's plenty of depth on those side beams to allow another layer of boards, and the advantage of going back stained boards rather than going with painted sheetrock is that the baord can be stained in the garage. Oh, sure, your husband will roll his eyes at having to redo the whole thing, but face it, he'll probably do that anyway if he has to tear off the old boards, and at least, this way you already know how handsome the end result will be. In fact, the room will look better than it did before because your new green walls will better tone in with the brick & wood.

Like I said to somebody else the other day: it doesn't matter how long--or how many steps--it takes your to reach your goal, all that matters is that you get there. Sometimes, the journey involves a detour along the way, and sometimes it means backtracking. Getting back to the good look your room had before you started is all that matters. In the meantime, you've provided an importmant lesson for the rest of us.

Magnaverde Rule No. 21:
Change is good, but it isn't always good.

What do you think it would like staining over the Bermuda Sand as Gracie suggested? If not, doesn't Lowe's or Home Depot carry pre stained boards that we could cut and back up there? I didn't much care for the diagonal look what other suggestions do you guys have?

I'm not a designer and definitely struggle with these things myself, so keep that in mind when I say... I wonder if the clock shouldn't go back on the wood above the fireplace. From both practical and aesthetics standpoints, I wonder what the mirror is reflecting. Is it either a useful place for a mirror or is it reflecting something attractive? Just the candle light? Perhaps the mirror would be better where the clock is, but lower. I can see myself -- pun intended -- checking my face in the mirror above the table *if* that table leads to a hall that leads to the door.

What is the brown paint colour? It looks like what we have in our living room. I love it, but Hubby says it has to go. :-(

...Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: Feel free to comment on our living room

The color is Benjamin Moore Olive Branch. It is one of the Pottery Barn 2010 colors. I do love the color I am just wondering what in the heck to do over the fireplace since I had painted the original back boards the Bermuda Sand. My first intention before I even thought of painting the wall green was to brighten up the fireplace. THEN I decided it needed color preferably green with the dark trim and brick.
I had originally had the mirror in the dinning room (see before pic) but someone told me it was too small so then I used it above the fireplace and put the clock in the middle of the room on that main wall.

My 2cents for what its worth. I agree with the poster magnaverde. I thought the boards gave the room real character and depth. I love the olive branch color. I like your house, it doesn't look too staged and unnatural.

Well, I'm going to be the odd one out and say that the stained boards above the fireplace looked dated to me. If you're up for the project, I think it would look better to remove the boards and sheetrock that area.

Laurie

Hi saf2010, welcome! I have to agree with magnaverde but I have another suggestion, is there any way you can flip the boards over and stain them if they aren't already stained. I would also love to see you paint all the walls the olive branch for better flow. Good luck to you and let us know what you do.

I'm with msrose - I thought the stained boards looked dated. I'd remove the boards and sheetrock the area, then get a larger mirror, picture or object with more presence.

I thought at first that removing the boards and large beams on either side would be the way to go, but I think it will create a new decorating challenge - this huge open wall space that can be a real bear to decorate.

I think the dark wood especially with the slanted boards was a bit dated, and not in a good way, so I can see why you wanted to paint them. I think I would start with the easiest solution and move on from there.

The easiest option is to paint the white boards the olive branch and see what you think. I'd leave the side beams stained for now. Add a large mirror or even a piece of artwork over the fireplace. I think you really notice the fireplace because the wall beside it just has that clock on it. Maybe you need a large very tall bookcase that will fill up that wall and balance the height of the fireplace.

I wouldn't remove the boards or stain them quite yet. Just my thoughts! :-)

I'm with msrose - I thought the stained boards looked dated. I'd remove the boards and sheetrock the area, then get a larger mirror, picture or object with more presence.

i also think i would just paint the boards the olive branch...i think the boards and the side beams will distinguish the area enough, but being the same color as the walls will blend and "fit" too.
i personally would never go thru the effort and expense of removing the boards and drywalling that area, nor would i try to regain the original look (which i liked!) i don't think the gain would be that great...

regardless of what it was, it is still a beautiful fireplace and i think the boards and beams highlight it...paint them olive branch as well as your kitchen!

btw, what is in your lantern on the hearth??? don't like the look from afar, but maybe it looks better irl....

I agree with busybee, paint the boards olive branch first before you do anything else.

Okay I am thinking of having my husband remove and mud, sand and then paint the Olive Branch. I think it would really modernize the home. I have Potpourri in it that is red, white, green and brown. I switch it out with other things so it isn't always in there.

Maybe I missed something above, but if there is enough room to add new boards as magnaverde suggests, why can't you just add sheetrock (or wallboard, whatever it is) and paint that? Why do you have to remove the wood and go through the other process?

Another vote for removing the boards..

If the boards really bother you then do as sherrmann suggests.

Part of what I donâÂÂt like now that you have painted out the middle boards, is that the two side wood pieces, following the ceiling slant, just stand out and look odd to me.

I would have your DH, since he sounds like a handy guy, remove those side wood pieces while he is removing the slanted boards, and put them down the outside of the brick, like legs for the mantel. That will echo the feel of all the dark vertical woodwork you have in the room on the walls. Then sheetrock the entire space above the mantel so you have smooth wall all the way bove the mantel.

I think it will cure the crooked legs feeling you have now, and give you plenty of open wall space, letting the vault of your room really soar.

One other thing, if you donâÂÂt mind. Either move over the console table under the clock, or move the clock - the pieces feel like they should have some relation to one another, and donâÂÂt. I would also lower the clock a bit.

Add a lamp on that table, too. I donâÂÂt see a lot of ambient lighting in the room, just overhead, and so you lose the cozy feeling you should have in the seating space. Think of the nice warm lighting you will have with a lamp added there (and a floor lamp or end table and lamp in the corner by the fireplace, too), instead of the glare of the chandelier and overhead in the entry or LR.