As we head into the holiday and winter season, fireplaces become much more of a focal point. Most projects we work on include a fireplace or two. Not all are as cozy and lovely as this one. Fireplaces are often big and dominant, unfortunately not always in a good way! It is our goal to make the fireplace, mantel and surrounding wall as warm and inviting as the fire glowing inside.
We would like to share one such fireplace transformation that the entire team at BjtO Designs worked on. This fireplace and surrounding wall was in desperate need of a makeover…
The family room was a catch all room. It contained or barely contained all the children’s toys, family TV, books, CDs, videos, DVDs and electronic video games. In the center is a fireplace which is hardly noticeable except for the dominate brick and dark pine mantel hosting an assortment of “stuff”.
Step one – emptied the room to see what we had to work with…
Step two – ripped up the wall-to-wall carpet and prepped for hardwood flooring, to match the rest of the house. Enclosed the faux beams on the ceiling which allowed us to repair some water damage and transition from country to a more traditional and upscale decor.
Step three – removed the raised brick hearth which took up floor space and served very little purpose. The vents above and below the firebox were also eliminated.
Step four – in parallel we selected a very neutral gray stone tile which had a slight iridescent speck as we worked out a design for the fireplace wall, mantel and hearth. Mike Pezzella, Easton Kitchens and Baths finish carpenter or “magician” helped translate the hand drawing that my assistant Meredith Moore and I had created. With Mike’s creative workmanship he was careful to steer clear of country and colonial trim moving to a traditional style. Mike literally gave the fireplace a “mask” by resurfacing the chimney, working directly on top of what was there.
Step five – installed the red oak flooring and installed the gray stone tile using the smaller tile to frame the firebox. The red oak flooring was a much warmer look than the harsh brown/red brick and worn beige wall-to-wall carpeting. The doors on the lower cabinets were remade to match the shaker style in the kitchen. It was simple yet so very elegant. What a transformation. Well done Mike and crew at Easton Kitchens and Baths!
photo by Tyra Pacheco, South Coast Images
Step six, seven, eight, nine and ten – have BjtO Designs reappoint your book shelves, arrange your furniture, install recessed lighting, select a flat screen high definition TV then sit back and enjoy…
For more inspiration here is a link to several revamped fireplaces featured by Better Homes and Garden. They will help you spark up your room…
One of my favorite design blogs is Design * Sponge by Grace Bonney. It’s fun, informative and ever so creative. Grace Bonney is a Brooklyn based writer who created this blog in 2004 and has really cornered the market on design blogging. We should all be so fortunate. I just finished her 2011 book, Design * Sponge at Home, which is page after page of ideas, color and inspiration. In keeping with my efforts to focus on color and paint this month I wanted to bring this wonderful book to your attention. I hope to give many of you ideas for achieving your New Year’s resolutions of redoing your home. Following BjtO Design’s mantra of adding color, scale, balance, style and function to your home is a great way to organize your approach to any room. Pick up a copy of Design * Sponge at Home at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, West Elm, Anthropologie and several other locations. If you don’t follow the Design * Sponge blog, check it out…
