Family room needs help

13 years ago

We moved into a house where there is a separate decent size family room. We have s recliner sectional , an ottoman coffee table, a tv unit but the fire place looks dated and old and I have know idea how to spark it up. There is also little lighting so we need to work on that as well. Thanks in advance

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PRO

User

13 years ago

Hi smileritsy,
A few little details can go along way... I am suggesting bulking up your mantel with a simple wood cap. You can do this quite economically with MDF and paint it to finish. The fireplace is really getting lost on the wall of brick so I am proposing framing it in and creating a post & beam look with the mantel. A quick way to update the fireplace insert is to spray paint the brass with black BBQ paint! This alone makes an amazing difference! I would finish it all off with a long narrow piece of art above to accentuate the strong horizontal line of the wall. Good luck with your project!
Sincerely,
Katelyn Atkins Interior Design

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Comments (18)

mommameah
13 years ago
I would remove the brass and replace it with an iron grate/screen. You might consider doing a sack rub on the brick.
eneaf
13 years ago
Paint mantel to match bricks, get rid of small nik naks, add three large vase on one side and large leafy plant on other side, drooping over
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eneaf
13 years ago
Sorry also you can paint screen black with fire resistant paint, it works I did it, with accents go minimal but big
Simon
13 years ago
Seems very horizontally lanky. I would remove that mantel and get a rustic 8" x 8" barn beam in its place, but only to extend 5" past the center supports for a total length of 5' or so. This frees up the sides. I would then add large mirrors on the sides suspended from the ceiling, which would give the room dimension. I did something like this with mirrors at my shore house,
smileritsy
Original Author
13 years ago
could you recoomend that paint..as in name etc? Didn't know we could paint it as well..I was going to change the fireplace screen but if I can paint that will save some $$. What is a sack rub?
yoboseiyo
13 years ago
getting more ambient light in there will help tremendously with making things feel less cave like and dated.

also, is there a way to soften those spotlights? they look, honestly, like they're too close to the fireplace to be pointed directly at it like that.
smileritsy
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Wolujewicz..pic looks great. At this point I am looking for more economical things to do ..so getting rid of the rim and bar will a bit more expensive to take on right now...down the lane sure
smileritsy
Original Author
13 years ago
I hear you Yoboseiyo...there is a dimmer in that light but am not crazy about the lights anyway..trying to see if we can put some lamps around.
mommameah
13 years ago
Sack rub is when they rub mortar over the bricks (it can be tinted, but I'd stick with a light, neutral color). It can be done lightly, so a lot of the brick shows through, or heavy so all you see is the outline of the brick.
smileritsy thanked mommameah
smileritsy
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks a lot Kateyn for the sketch. I can visualise that:)
PRO
User
13 years ago
My pleasure smileritsy!
Simon
13 years ago
Here is a mock up that you can use for your future plans...
smileritsy
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow Wolujewicz, that looks so different and yet the space is the same. Does anyone know a place to get reasonable fireplace screens, if painting doesn't work?
Simon
13 years ago
Amazon is always a great help for diverse products at a reasonable price:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fireplace%20screen&sprefix=firepla%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afireplace%20screen
Simon
13 years ago
On a side note, those mirrors would shine the accents lights through the room brightening it up.
lincolnlover
13 years ago
Though it might sound like a lot of work you could tear out the dated brick and replace it with stone it would make the room beautiful
PRO
HX Home Solutions and North Star Stone
12 years ago
You actually don't have to tear out the brick. You can update the fireplace by laying stone veneer right over the brick. It's a quick, easy way to update at a lower cost.