We get a lot of questions about fireplaces around here, and today we want to share some of our favorite “fixes” when it comes to these fun spaces. We all know that fireplaces can do so much for a room, and the answer isn’t always completely ripping them out, but sprucing them up and giving them a little life. So we’re sharing some of the common obstacles we see in older homes, along with some easy makeovers with lots of fun character! So without further ado: Fireplace makeover ideas!
1. Old brick that needs a refresh – give it a mortar rub!
Before… This fireplace was in need of a little love. It was getting kinda lost with the 1970-something paneling.
After…
We loved taking this on for a sweet client. This is a part of an entire home redo, but we were thrilled to give this mantel the new facelift it deserved!
We brought some brick back to life, and were able to use it as a much more practical solution for all things television placement with her over all furniture plan! See the full details for this makeover, here. See how to mortar rub brick on a fireplace, here.
2. Give bookshelf combos a boost.
We see a lot of this look in older homes, and we LOVE the potential that they hold. That stained look on the bookshelves was a little distracting from a pretty fireplace, so with a facelift, we loved taking a little of that orange out of the brick to soften the look. {Again, with a mortar rub trick!}
It’s nothing a fresh coat of paint and new doors can’t fix. This is a softer look over all which serves as the perfect entertainment center, in a sweet little family room. It also made sense to put the TV here, so that they could have more flexibility within the space. See this entire tour, here!
3. Hide that TV
I’m an artist at heart, so I have this thing for art and the ability to use it. Both of the fireplaces in our home hold the TV in an alcove, freeing up space to cover it with art when not in use! You can see more of our remodel process here, along with a shot of it without the art in front, below!
4. Use Art as a Disguise
Hide it WITHOUT the recess. It made much more sense to have the layout this way, for more seating options in this awesome family room! But you don’t have to have a build out to hide that TV. Sometimes, just a large canvas is enough to add a lot of character, and hide that TV. See this entire room here!
5. Embrace the TV
Once upon a time, TV’s over a fireplace were just unheard of. I feel like that’s why the purist in me wants to have options. But sometimes it’s great to just embrace the TV. Especially in a secondary space!
Just like the shots above as examples, it’s also more than okay to embrace the TV! It’s all about sprucing up the surrounding areas, to make it look intentional. Sometimes, the only thing it needs, is a fresh coat of paint! Let’s just pretend we didn’t also build an entire basement out of an old garage, but you get the gist. See this entire space, here!
6. Tile It {and build it} Out!
Don’t have a fireplace? Build it. This is one of our favorite fireplace areas in our house, because it turned out so great with tile! Tile is a versatile finishing option, with so many endless possibilities! We adore ours with Jeffrey Court’s Park Place tile! This one is Perry Avenue.
Here’s a photo below of the tv alcove we built with it, and I’ve since painted the coffee table as it had an unfortunate {literal} run in with the pups. See the entire space here!
Bonus points: Check out our salvaged Mantel Makeover here for more ideas!
So what are your favorite spruce ups for mantels and fireplaces? We’d love to hear!
Wendy gish says
I LOVE the picture with the bathing suits in the last one!! Where in the world did you find it? So cute!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thank you so much! It’s an original by me – prints are available here – stay tuned for a sale tomorrow!