The updated living room really makes the fireplace pop! Post coming soon with the new living room details. But for now, travel back in time and see what the living room used to look like pre-fireplace and post fireplace.
When we built our house 2.5 years ago I didn’t have a vision for the fireplace area. There was only one thing I knew…and that was that I absolutely HAD to have THIS TILE…
…for the fireplace (I had been eyeing it for awhile).
It was one of the “upgrades” that caused us to exceed our flooring/tile budget.
Ahem.
The tile guy told me it was the “BMW” of tile. As in…it didn’t come cheap.
But I didn’t care. It had to be mine.
{You’ve been there before right? Where you absolutely were not leaving without what you wanted regardless of the outrageous price tag.}
We’ve all made dumb choices, right?!?!
Once it was put up around the fireplace…it didn’t do much for me.
Blah Blah Blah…
I know, right?
Here I went all convincing my husband that I MUST have this overpriced tile….and then I didn’t even LOVE it?
What the what?!?!
So recently my dad (whom I’m guessing didn’t want to marry the tile either) had a grand idea to give the fireplace a little fancy makeover.
If that dad of mine comes up with one more good idea I just may have to put him on the payroll.
Here’s a quick before and after comparison…
What a difference a little trim and some new paint makes, hey?!?!
It makes that overpriced tile seem almost worth it.
We pieced all the white trim together from Lowe’s. It was our own little creation…one that took us far too long to decide on. 🙂
After laying out nearly a jillion pieces of trim in the back of the Lowe’s store we finally decided on this combo.
My dad did an amazing job on this project!
I painted the wall behind the tv a dark charcoal gray color {Valspar Mark Twain Gray Brick 4005-2C} to match our dining room…and I love the white/dark contrast.
You can see the wall on the left that has the same dark gray color as behind the tv….
“Love Will Save The Day”
Ain’t that the truth.
Or maybe it should say “Dads Will Save The Day” because, let’s be honest, my dad sure knows how to turn any “blah” room in to something fancy with his handyman skills.
That cute little sign came from Wal-mart…for $3! Yes, cheaper than I can buy a latte!
My dad also made these built in corner shelves for us.
The “Do What You (heart)” sign came from Target – $14.99.
I love this picture that captured Klay Klay just chilling. Ha!
I had this vase, but the purple had no place in my living room. It was the ONLY pop of purple and it just didn’t go.
I ended up spray painting the floral pieces white {see top shelf on right} and it turned out great (and matches way better)!
The vases that I put on the top shelf came from my grandma B’s house after she passed away. They are probably my favorite piece because they have so much meaning behind them!
I never realized how unfinished the fireplace looked until now. Wowsers. It looks 800 times better!
Thanks to my dad {again} for helping make my fireplace fancy!
Source List:
Paint color on fireplace wall – Valspar Hot Stone {Lowes}
Paint color behind the tv – Valspar Mark Twain Gray Brick 4005-2C {Lowes}
Seriously, looks SOOOO good!!!! We have a fireplace area in our new house and I just might need to do something like that with it!!! Looks great! Good job to your Dad!!!
I’m going to send Michael over to your dad’s so he can learn some tricks to fixing our house!
Many – WOW go dad again! He needs to take pictures of all he does and make a portfolio or something. If I didn’t live in TX I would definitely pay him to do some work for us! It is so amazing looking! Can’t wait to see it all decorated for Christmas!
It looks amazing Mandy!!! Your Dad did an awesome job! Can I borrow him? I have a few things around the house that I need done too.
I totally get your obsession with the tile and “must have” upgrades. When we were building our house, I absolutely had to have pillars in our dining room and granite in our kitchen. Just one of those things when we get our heart and mind set on something!
Your dad reminds me of my dad. I am sure I have told you this before. They both have the gift at being great about building amazing things. I totally love the makeover!
Hope y’all had a great weekend!
Looking at how stunning your fireplace i tells me I need to do an extreme makeover to mine. It looks great, you Dad a wonderful work.
girl this is AH-MAZING! holy smokes! can i hire your dad? i want the daughter discount too though!
Ok. that’s it. I’m flying you to Jacksonville and you MUST come decorate my new abode! ah! I’m in love with everything about your house Mandy! haha
Great job to your dad!
Awesome job!! It looks SO nice, and I just love the way everything flows together!! Also, I think I almost ordered that rug you have in that room from Overstock – do you like it?
This looks fantastic! I don’t think any flat fireplace looks its best without a surround of some kind, and your dad did an amazing job on this as always. Your tile looks great, and it really dresses up the whole room. Can he please come to my house in Maryland next??
It is beautiful! You have fantastic taste. I love how modern it is. How do you have 3 boys and a dog and manage to have a house this clean and beautiful?!
Your mantel and fireplace set up looks amazing!
Great look! I too have a mantel above my TV over my fireplace, it’s really the only place to put the mantel and I think it looks pretty good. So glad to have found another example to validate that decision.
Your fireplace looks so pretty now! The surround is a lot like our fireplace surround, so of course I love it. 😉
I would’ve never thought to frame it up like that to enclose the tv and fixings like that but it looks great! Well done!
Where is your rug from? Thanks.
Your fireplace looks great with the pretty wood work surround. Your dad is definitely a handyman. Thanks for showing your project at Your Cozy Home Part.——— Shannon
That’s amazing different!
Dad rocks, right? An absolutely handyman. I love the color of your wall and it really fit to your fireplace.
Congrats for the revamped.
Greetings from STockHolm,
/CC
BEAUTIFUL! Such an improvement.
Great fireplace upgrade! Definitely looks like the BMW of tile. heehee
We are running a Before and After Link party to support Habitat for Humanity, with a chance to be featured on other big blogs and win gift cards. Would love if you entered! http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/2012-before-after-series/
WOW! Mandy, that looks so good! And, your tile seriously looks amazing and pops after being framed in by beautiful white trim. Was it also your Dad’s idea to take the “mantle” all the way up above the TV? I have never ever seen that done before and it looks great!
Stunning makeover, the trim is just gorgeous!!! I’ll be featuring it tonight.
XO
Kristin
I love your fireplace, and all your family photos. Awesome
WOW! that looks amazing! what a difference that makes. and now you have a little extra shelf. i love it!
Can you tell me the name of the lighter color paint? Love it!
Hi I love your house! Amazing job .. Love the carpet .. Where did you get it?
It’s Shaw brand…but I got it at a local shop where I live. I can’t even remember the exact color. Sorry!
Ok so I’m usually not a fan of the tv over the blog but you’ve changed my mind, the way this was design you barely even notice the television. It turned out absolutely beautiful…oh and is your dad available to rent out! You’re so lucky!! Your home is beautiful!!
ummm over the fireplace not blog..duh!
Thank you so much! I’m glad I swayed you to the “tv over the fireplace” side of life! Haha! I’m with you, I honestly do not usually love that look either. In fact, the “before” pictures make me wonder how I spent TWO years with it like that! So glad that my dad talked me in to the re-do! Appreciate your comment!
It looks amazing! It gives me some inspiration for my own lacking fireplace surround.
I came to pin the tile!! Any more details on it? I like the color palette for my kitchen backsplash. Unlike everyone else, I don’t have white cabinets, just black granite and dark wood cabinets.
I am sorry to say that I can not find the info on the tile…and I even went back to my “new home” binder that I kept EVERYTHING in. UGH! I can try to call the place I ordered it from and find out, but I am not sure if they will have my order on file. I’ll call tomorrow and check!
Oh no worries! Thank you for the reply though, I appreciate it.
Can you tell me where you got that rug? I think it would great in my living room. You have great taste, love everything about your house!
I agree! I love this rug!
Love the lighter paint color– do u know the name?
What is the color of your living room walls I absolutely love it!!
Could you tell us the color of the lighter color on your walls…Its all beautiful
I added the information here: http://houseofroseblog.com/modern-fireplace-makeover/
I love that lighter color on your walls, but the link you gave only gives the color of the dark wall (Valspar Mark Twain Gray Brick 4005-2C). I’d love to know what the exact color/company name of the walls where your corner shelves and fireplace are set. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home!
The lighter color in the dining room is Valspar Lambs Ear. The fireplace paint is mentioned here: http://houseofroseblog.com/modern-fireplace-makeover/
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the info! I must have missed it! Appreciate your reply. Gorgeous house!
First I want to just say i love your home. I was wondering where you got the rug in your living room, I think one like that would great in my dining room.
Thank you! I got it from HomeDecorators.com, but I heard they don’t carry it anymore. It’s Martha Stewart Demask if you want to google it! I am sure you can find it somewhere!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this – fantastic job!!! It looks amazing!
Hi,
I love your living room!! We are in the process of trying to find paint colors (its been tough)!! Do you know what color you used in your living room? The tan/brown looking paint?
Thank you!
Kelly
Hi Kelly! You can find the info at the bottom of the post: http://houseofroseblog.com/modern-fireplace-makeover/
Thanks!
where did you get the rug in the living room. love it
HomeDecorators.com, but I am not sure they still have it. It’s Martha Stewart Demask if you want to google it. 🙂
Hi Mandy!! I am in love with your style! Found some great inspiration on your blog for my husband and I to refer to in the house we just bought! I am pretty obsessed with grey and plan to do every room in some kind of grey scheme so it all flows together, maybe a different pop of color in each room. Looking through all your pictures, rooms like the kitchen and fire place room look as if the walls are grey. However, I looked up the color paint you used on lowes.com and it looks so tan, are your walls really that tan because I love the color in the pics, didn’t look like the paint swab!! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much! Those walls are more tan than grey! Benjamin Moore has the BEST grey colors if you are looking for good greys.
Hello, I absolutely love your taste. Your so lucky to have your dad help you out. AMAZING!!! In one of the pictures, i fell in love with the pillar candle holders with the leopard-ish print. They are on the dresser under the large canvas photo. Where did you get the candle holders???
Thanks,!!!
Thank you! You can find the info here:
http://houseofroseblog.com/disguising-the-entertainment-center/
Yay, congrats on winning this week! Ethan (the hubby) will be in touch soon about where you would like your gift card to. Good luck winning in the finals in a few weeks!
I find that tv’s over the fireplace are too high up unless your room is huge, I’m looking to re-do my fireplace but I’m undecided but it maybe in glass tile that is white and pearl. Yours is pretty.
Hello-
I LOVE your whole house! LOL we just bought a house and I’m so excited to decorate like you did! I have a question about the rug. Do you know which color the rug is because the one’s online do not seem to match yours. The one you have looks like cream and gray. The ones on the home decorators site look either yellow and cream or brown and cream, or blue and cream.
http://www.homedecorators.com/detail.php?parentid=05063&aid=froogle&CAWELAID=755769334
Thanks.
I would like to know about the rug color also! Maybe its the brown and cream but looks lighter in your pic?
Your blog just came to my attention this morning because of Tatertots and Jello and I just have to say from what I’ve seen so far I’m totally loving your style!! I just have to ask a quick question about your fireplace….I see you have a space above cutout for your cable box and such, how does that work out for you?? I tried doing that but have found it gets overheated in there. is there a trick for air circulation maybe?? I had to move my stuff to a cubby in my wall that I wanted to use for decoration but would love to figure out a way to use that space again!
Hi! Thanks for commenting! We don’t have any issues with overheating, but we don’t stack anything. We have our Direct TV box in that space and that is it. The DVD player and other electronic stuff is a closet that is behind that tv. Then we have a wireless receiver where we can still use the remote for all things in the closet. Kinda confusing. Haha!
I just love your house…Did you make the large canvas photo?
Thank you! I did not make the large canvas. It’s a 40×60 and I bought if from our photographer.
Love the living room carpet…..where can I buy it?
I love the blown up poster picture!! Was this a DIY, how/where did you get this done??
Thanks! I ordered through our photographer. It’s size 40×60 if you are looking to purchase one from an online vendor.
I am in love with the dark grey color and have been forever, but I wanted a neutral color for my other walls and the one you have in your fireplace room looks like it goes very well with dark grey. What is it called and where did you get it, if you remember:-)
The one in the living room is more of a taupe color (not grey). It’s called Hot Stone by Valspar. The dark grey behind the tv is: 4005-2C Mark Twain Gray Brick.
Mandy, thanks for the quick response & now that I look at it again, I see that it is not grey. Still think it may be the color I use. You are so kind for sharing!
Have a fun weekend!
Love your house! Was wondering where you got the 2 shelves in your living room (not the corner shelves)? The ones that have the “love will save the day”. Happy new year!
Hi Mandy,
Where did you get those straight shelves by your fireplace? Love your website and all of the inspiring ideas!
Thanks! West Elm!