the fireplace itself is nice but i would remove that brick frame. stain the wood a darker brown colour and get the same colour wood and make shelving around it. a big one on top of the fireplace to hold your television and smaller shelves frameing it to hold books, picture frames, etc. itll look great and when u gather more money you should get new couches that one looks worn-out and out of date

I , too, living on a tight budget, believe that cabinets painted to go with the lighter stone color, would look very nice. also putting the tv in these would give you more room. I also have a dusty house. the closed cabinets would look great. Maybe a wainscotting look? I think glass fronts would be too busy.

http://houzz.com/photos/1158657

i agree with gerrie you should build up the limestone in your case, thatll look great too and make ur ceiling look higher

Gerrie, what a beautiful fireplace! I was thinking of mostly closed cupboards and perhaps just one with glass fronts to show off a few collectibles while protecting the inside from the gravel road dust. You cannot imagine the amount of road dust that works it way into our home! I had no idea when we moved here we'de be battling road dust!

Frishta, Building up the limestone height is simply not possible. The Indiana limestone was put on that fireplace in the 1940's or 1950's. I would not be able to find a match these many years later.

@Donna: it sounds like you have a very clear idea of what you'd like and where to put it. What kind of input are you seeking at this point? My two cents: you may want to build in some design flexibility for a different tv when the current one needs to be replaced.

What would help me most are design ideas, sketches, pictures of actual layouts of updated fireplaces. Maybe even before and after of older ranch like homes, though I have been researching ranch home on the internet and it seems like there are VERY few books out there focusing on the older ranch style. Most ranch home books I've gotten through the library show fairly extensive remodels; raising the roof, adding a whole floor, an addition etc.

Good suggestion on the TV flexibility, thanks. We've only had this one a few years and we don't try to stay up with the current trends on our limited budget. We don't have cable TV on our retirement budget just free digital TV (we've only had high speed Internet in our locale for the past year) so we still watch tapes and DVD's! I imagine this life is "foreign" to many Houzz readers but we don't even try to stay current as we spend much of our time outside hiking, working our Labradors,in the woods, in the art studio or the blacksmith forge. I know this is not "typical" of most urban lifestyles today but our life here is very simple here with vegetable garden, chickens, etc.

We also have to be careful in our rural area. This TV can be seen from our large front picture window. This older, heavier non-flat screen TV is not likely to be stolden. A large flat screen would be a huge temptation in our rural and very economically depressed area. Just best not to go there...

Donna, you can buy masonry stain inexpensively and stain the redder limestone pieces a darker greige tone that is consistent if you want to - mask around it. You could paint out the limestone if you want to with masonry paint. The profile of your stone is really gorgeous. Great idea to use the high heat spray paint (and the younghouselove.com spray paint technique!) to take the brass door outside and paint it out charcoal / gray metal or black tones.

I think I hear you saying that you wil leave the limestone as is because it matches the exterior and you would like some paint suggestions for the wood and new cabinets. see below for test color ideas -

On the cabinets, I see that you only have a lot of room to the right of the hearth and a much narrower area on the left. You may want to stick with open shelves on the left so they are functional for display. On the right, if you put solid doors below to about 30" high over a bit deeper cabinets, then leave open shelves above on bookcase depth/ put some glass doors on this area, you will have the look and function you want. Painting the wood will keep things quiet, but if you are building new custom cabinets on either side then you might has well stain them to match.

If you are painting them, I would use a dark / ecru white as close to the hearth split brick. Try
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW0035-indian-white/ This should look great if you need a color to paint out the wood, and for this purpose use a high gloss.

Here's another approach for a budget - what if you watch craigslist and buy two simple wood cabinets / bookcases that match the width of the two side areas you have, then pay less to have a carpenter install those and trim them out in the same way to get a built in look. If your husband is a good carpenter then of course, draw the dimensions out and start fitting in the sizes you want. A carpenter can take the (these days, usually flimsy) back off of them and let your wood wall show through for the consistency of trim. If you can position your new things between the pilasters or go all the way to the ceiling so the front trim wraps back to the existing wall trim, / can be integrated, that is going to be your best bet.

You can also paint the back wall out, then use a sideboard cabinet on one side and paint it the same as the wall. There are many older china cabinet sideboards and glass front hutches that would succeed at accomplishing your goal. Integrating the television into a cabinet with glass shelves looks to me like three elements in kind of a craftsman shape. A sideboard then an open area for the television, then high short square cabinets with glass fronts. Perhaps something like that could work for you - again, look for the elements that will add up to under your dimensions so that the trim will have room to connect them back to your wall. Hope this is helpful idea wise -

I would go for a "less is more" approach to the wall. Too much clutter on mantel. Less clutter = less + easier dusting. When designing bookcases leave an open space at the bottom for wood storage on whichever side is easiest access for bringing in the wood. This can then be swept out and cleaned when needed. Putting the tv behind doors that open and slide back inside can hide the temptation when not at home. Also add a lazy Susan for the tv to angle for easy viewing.

Oh, and I personally love the color and grain pattern of the maple wood. I would change the curtains to a warmer color like a soft beige.

I would paint it the cream antique white color. Are you able to move the tv to wall on the other side of the window? This would help with the visual clutter mentioned here. I like the idea of one glass cabinet it would lighten the weight of the whole unit. Don't forget to use high heat paint when painting fireplace surround. Envy your lifestyle, planning on a large garden with chickens in my new urban home. I would not add bookshelves like you said due to dust and it would just add to your visual clutter. Place a nice living green plant where the tv is.

I would not think twice about painting the wood. It looks like pine, rather than maple to me. The grain is very busy. You could tone the mantle to be a little darker if you want to keep some stained wood. However, I do not think the colors in the stone will work with a brown stained mantle. Perhaps painting it all a Salmon color would be nice. It looks like the window will restrict the depth of any cabinets. You may be better off keeping the tv on a piece of furniture. Shallow bookcases the depth of the mantle might work. Could you do that and replace the tv with a flat screen mounted to the wall inside the bookcases. They have gotten pretty inexpensive.

Your paneling is oak, fabricated from radial cut plywood panels. The grain is quite strong and will show its texture through the paint, if indeed you do paint it. I would caution you, if additional cabinets are made, that they match species as maple grain is VERY smooth and will not have the texture of the oak. Best of luck!

I agree that much of the professional redesigns of fireplaces with storage in postwar housing tend to be complete redo's. Have you tried a Houzz photo search with "fireplace bookcase 1940's" in the box? This link may work: http://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional/fireplace-bookcase-1940%27s- It will turn up several thousand photos, so there's probably some inspiration there. Also try http://www.houzz.com/fireplace-bookcase-1940%27s for even more. It would be nice if Houzz photo style collections included a "ranch" as well as "modern" and "traditional". In my area of the US, a 1940's house with the style I see in yours would be referred to as "traditional", not "mid century modern" or "ranch". You might also do a search on Cliff May designs.

Many of the design ideas I see from that search have bookcase shelving on top, closed door storage below, and a simple area for a painting or mirror directly over the fireplace. You could add glass doors above. Often the designs have arched tops. That may be a bit fancier than you have in mind. This one has a tv screen you can ignore, and fairly simple details.

Another option, should you decide that built-ins near the fireplace wall are out of the budget, is to buy inexpensive bookcases with doors such as the Ikea Billy Bookcase for somewhere else in the room, such as below or flanking a window. http://www.homedecorators.com/Furniture/Bookcases/Glass_Door_Bookcases/ has a good selection. In some areas, you can find used "barrister bookcases" which are stackable glass fronted bookcases that are very heavy and quite sturdy. They can also be bought new, of course.

I've seen some homeowners handle dusty, windy situations by cutting washable or disposable air filters to fit over one or two outside window screens. They allow some reduced airflow but they really cut down on the dust that comes in. Another solution common to stores in dusty areas is to cover the last 6-8 feet of the approach to doors with heavy commercial matting that can be hosed off. Other options include portable air filters, one per room, and using the $10 type of air filters in HVAC systems, not the 99-cent variety. Any of these things can reduce dust significantly, none of them will eliminate it completely. And last thought, planting a hedge or tree windbreak can reduce the amount of windblown dust and grit.

Lots of good ideas everyone. Thank you! I had no idea I could paint the Indiana limestones. I really like that particular idea. Having them all one color (like painting red fireplace bricks white) would help to "un-busy" that wall while leaving the "texture." I will definitely research that idea.

Ironwood Builders....Could I not use BIM 123 primer on my wood wall covered by the latex paint topcoat to cover up that grain?

Binz 123 and two coats of finish paint are microns thick. Grain filling on oak can be done to minimize the affect, but it is labor intensive and usually reserved for furniture restoration. There isn't a problem if you are aware of the issue ahead of time and plan accordingly. Many inexpensive oak cabinets are painted over (maybe one of the most common topics on houzz, right after what color should I paint my...). If any new cabinets are built, matching species will maintain the same texture...and you will have consistent results.

I would caution painting over the limestone. A non flammable surface around the fire box is not just code required...it just makes sense. Paint is made from flammable materials (even acrylic paint burns when dry) unless you use fireplace or BBQ paint. Parge coating, that is, applying a mortar bed to flatten the stone, and installing tile is an option.

On my profile is a fireplace we remodeled using a parge coat and tile over brick, flanked by fir bookshelves and a custom mantle and over-mantle. Take a look. It is not like your installation, but the age of the home, built in 1965, is maybe close.

Donna I think you know what you want and what you can afford. While I’d be tempted to paint or stain the wall and mantel ASAP, try to hold off until you get the cabinets so they match or compliment each other and you just have to do it once. Great idea by libradesigneye about looking for cabinets from Craig’s list. The Ikea bookcases might work for you to. I actually like the limestone as it adds character, color and texture to the room. As you say, it’s not going anywhere, so play it up. It’s being obscured now by the two containers of wood. I don’t find the limestone busy as much as the wood and everything around it. Do you have a barter system in your area? Maybe another retired person who has the time and skills to make your cabinets with you providing the materials and some cash with your vegetables and some snow plowing thrown in? Good luck with it and I hope you post your progress!

the parged fireplace and shelving