Here's what we were dealing with before:
So many things that I like and dislike in one room!
First up, I'm the granddaughter of a bricklayer. Painted brick is not ok with me. I know it's a huge trend right now to paint brick, but I think many, many people will be sad that their brick won't ever be natural again. That's just my two cents. Plus, the color that this fireplace was painted did not look very good in person. It looked dirty... like smokey. And on top of that, if I were to paint brick, I really only like white... BUT with the paneling {which I did not love, but could stand until a future phase} being white, it would have been white over-kill.
With that being said, here was the original plan for the space:
- Strip the brick fireplace and get it as close back to natural brick as possible
- Remove stinky carpet and lay hardwood floors
- Work with the white woodword
- Add crown molding and chunky baseboards
- "Beef-up" {a very technical term} the built-ins and paint them a bright color like you see below... possibly build out cabinets on the bottom section of either side of the built-ins for more hidden storage {DVD's, extra pillows and blankets, etc.}, also below.
lifeingraceblog.com |
- "Beef-up"/add a reclaimed wood mantle or concrete mantle {I'll share inspiration pics later}
- Purchase a kilim rug full of color to bring life to the white room
- Mount a TV over the mantle
- Add comfy furniture for lots of lounging
- Add bamboo blinds and colorful curtains
- Paint the back door a fun color {yellow, maybe?}
I chose a avocado-ish color for the walls. It's called Hearts of Palm by Sherwin Williams. I really like the color... it's a great yellowy-green, but as I'm reflecting on my original plans, I'm still sad that I won't have my bright built-ins. So this room will definitely be a work in progress... who knows, maybe I'll change the walls to a more neutral color to accommodate bright built-ins. We'll see. I do know though that there is still much more to do, but I'm excited to cuddle up in this room and relax! I did already purchase that kilim rug I mentioned earlier, but now I'm trying to decide if I want it in this room or in the dining room. So many decisions! Only time will tell!
Off to Canada tomorrow, so I'll probably be away from the blog for a bit! But next week is a BIG week! Cleaning, painting {more} and moving! You'll be sick of my updates once it's all over... just hold tight!