3 Red-Hot Fireplace Makeovers
See how changing out the fireplace surround transforms these rooms
Cherry and magnolia trees are blooming in the southern part of the country — our days of crackling fires this winter are numbered. So if you’ve been wanting to give your surround a refresh, it’s a good time to start thinking about it as those last embers glow. If you start this spring, you’ll have plenty of time to complete it by next winter. These three examples — one transitional, one minimalist and one contemporary-complete-with-disco-ball — show just how dramatic these transformations can be.
Nielsen needed to design something that would address the height of the space and fit in with the style of the home. Because of the room’s two-story height, there was already a lot of Sheetrock on the walls. Using beautiful millwork draws the eye and adds something different. The panel profile on the new millwork is also seen in the kitchen, and the proportions of the boxes work well with the verticality of the rectangular windows in the room. The carpenters delivered it all in one piece.
The old fireplace felt very flat. On the new one, the lower portion of the surround projects about 6 inches from the wall, which gives the fireplace dimension and a stronger presence. The hearth is soapstone, and the stone surround is a ledgestone tile in a stacked layout.
Millwork paint: Simply White OC-117; wall paint: Classic Gray 1548, both Benjamin Moore; painting: Brent Foreman
The old fireplace felt very flat. On the new one, the lower portion of the surround projects about 6 inches from the wall, which gives the fireplace dimension and a stronger presence. The hearth is soapstone, and the stone surround is a ledgestone tile in a stacked layout.
Millwork paint: Simply White OC-117; wall paint: Classic Gray 1548, both Benjamin Moore; painting: Brent Foreman
Gray and taupe tones flow throughout the first floor, which inspired the choice of the stone colors in the surround.
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2. Lightened up. Focal point in a traditional-to-modern whole-house makeover.
BEFORE: For this whole-house makeover, the homeowners wanted interior designer Catlin Stothers to take their house from traditional to modern and white. “The interior of the house was really traditional, with heavy wood and stucco ceilings, and was not really reflecting the lifestyle or aesthetic of the young family,” she says. “The fireplace surround was very ordinary and not a feature worth salvaging.” The homeowners also wanted to convert the fireplace from wood burning to gas, for practical reasons and to keep the area sleek like the rest of the home.
BEFORE: For this whole-house makeover, the homeowners wanted interior designer Catlin Stothers to take their house from traditional to modern and white. “The interior of the house was really traditional, with heavy wood and stucco ceilings, and was not really reflecting the lifestyle or aesthetic of the young family,” she says. “The fireplace surround was very ordinary and not a feature worth salvaging.” The homeowners also wanted to convert the fireplace from wood burning to gas, for practical reasons and to keep the area sleek like the rest of the home.
“I had originally envisioned a very linear horizontal format for the new fireplace to achieve a modern look,” Stothers says. “However, we discovered upon demolition that it would have meant removing and rebuilding a lot of the interior fireplace structure to accommodate a wider unit.” To save her clients a considerable amount of money, she widened the surround to create more of a statement and focal point instead.
“The more dominant proportions meant that it didn’t need any texture or new material — we simply painted it the same white as the walls,” she says. The minimalist architectural style integrates the mantel right into the rest of the surround for a seamless look. The surround protrudes 5 inches, which creates a mantel out of a drywall ledge. A bold piece of artwork emphasizes the fireplace as a focal point and adds color to the mostly white and gray room.
“The more dominant proportions meant that it didn’t need any texture or new material — we simply painted it the same white as the walls,” she says. The minimalist architectural style integrates the mantel right into the rest of the surround for a seamless look. The surround protrudes 5 inches, which creates a mantel out of a drywall ledge. A bold piece of artwork emphasizes the fireplace as a focal point and adds color to the mostly white and gray room.
Because most of the interior walls were removed during the remodel, the fireplace can be enjoyed from many spots on the first floor. From this angle, the dining room is straight ahead and the entry is to the left. “The fireplace can be appreciated from many perspectives and feels integrated with the other rooms. Its simplicity is what adds impact,” Stothers says. “It’s also one of the first things you see upon entering the house — a nice way to welcome guests and a place where my clients enjoy a glass of wine together or read a book.”
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3. Marie Kondo-inspired: Bye-bye, wall of yellow brick; hello, zinc.
BEFORE: This fireplace is in the family room of an open-plan midcentury modern house in Dallas and can be viewed from the entry, dining room and kitchen. “This fireplace was one of those full walls of brick with a wonky wood mantel,” interior designer Kathy Adcock-Smith says.
And yes, all of this was her client’s stuff, which will be hard to believe once you see the “after” photos. “My client read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and wanted to put it into play,” Adcock-Smith says. “Their four boys were out of the house, and it was time to pare down and get rid of things that were no longer useful. I was asked to help edit the flow and function of the home.” They wanted a cleaner and more functional space with more natural light.
BEFORE: This fireplace is in the family room of an open-plan midcentury modern house in Dallas and can be viewed from the entry, dining room and kitchen. “This fireplace was one of those full walls of brick with a wonky wood mantel,” interior designer Kathy Adcock-Smith says.
And yes, all of this was her client’s stuff, which will be hard to believe once you see the “after” photos. “My client read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and wanted to put it into play,” Adcock-Smith says. “Their four boys were out of the house, and it was time to pare down and get rid of things that were no longer useful. I was asked to help edit the flow and function of the home.” They wanted a cleaner and more functional space with more natural light.
To get a more modern, streamlined look, the designer had the brick wall covered in drywall, which gave her a clean white slate.
Next, she designed a zinc surround that adds a cool metallic finish to the room. “I chose zinc because it looks refined yet has an industrial edge to it,” she says. Silver and gray hues on the furniture and accessories and a disco ball play off the metallic finish of the new surround.
And with regard to the great Houzz TV-Over-Fireplace-Yea-or-Nay debate: “I always call those TVs over fireplace ‘the Modern Family solution’ since Jay and Gloria are always craning their necks to see their TV on that show,” Adcock-Smith says. Instead, she placed the TV on the adjacent wall and suggested swivel chairs that can turn to face the fire or the screen. The AV equipment is tucked away in a hall closet on the other side of the wall.
Next, she designed a zinc surround that adds a cool metallic finish to the room. “I chose zinc because it looks refined yet has an industrial edge to it,” she says. Silver and gray hues on the furniture and accessories and a disco ball play off the metallic finish of the new surround.
And with regard to the great Houzz TV-Over-Fireplace-Yea-or-Nay debate: “I always call those TVs over fireplace ‘the Modern Family solution’ since Jay and Gloria are always craning their necks to see their TV on that show,” Adcock-Smith says. Instead, she placed the TV on the adjacent wall and suggested swivel chairs that can turn to face the fire or the screen. The AV equipment is tucked away in a hall closet on the other side of the wall.
“The contractor sourced the zinc through the metalworking shop he uses frequently and they fabricated it to my drawings,” the designer says. “While we Sheetrocked over the brick, we also removed the old raised hearth so the floor would be flush and the chairs could be closer to the fireplace.” They chose a dark charcoal gray porcelain tile for the area in front of the fireplace. She repeated the same tile in the entry hall, which plays a role in the home’s new cohesive look.
Adcock-Smith also designed a coordinating zinc accent with pegs, creating a strong horizontal line above the surround that wraps around the corner. “The pegged band changes to display things seasonally with special mementos and art,” she says. A well-placed light overhead highlights the zinc and lets it shine. “My clients entertain a lot, watch TV and listen to music with the disco ball going in here,” she says. Clearly, the new fireplace is sparking joy.
Have you given your fireplace a makeover or are you thinking about it? Please share with us in the Comments section.
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How to Remodel Your Fireplace
How to Convert Your Wood-Burning Fireplace
Have you given your fireplace a makeover or are you thinking about it? Please share with us in the Comments section.
More
How to Remodel Your Fireplace
How to Convert Your Wood-Burning Fireplace
BEFORE: This homeowner was not a fan of the stark slate paver stones that extended all the way up this two-story-high wall from the fireplace. “It might have been OK if it was just beneath the mantel, but no one really wants a vertical path on their wall,” says interior designer Tani Nielsen of Martha O’Hara Interiors. “It felt really heavy, it was too much of the same material and we weren’t really sure how it had been adhered to the wall — it felt like a piece could just fall off.”
She had the stones removed to reveal the drywall beneath. The walls were in decent shape and did not need to be removed.