a fireplace makeover {part one}

I’ve been holding out on you.

Last November we finally tackled our fireplace and gave it a makeover.

I completely love it.

Except like with most projects we do, indecision on the final detail set in and then life just kept going. Which brings us to today – seven months later – with a nearly completed fireplace makeover.

I was going to wait until the whole thing was finished and do a big TA DA! Before & After! but I’m thinking maybe some in-the-process photos are just as fun as the big reveal. And by posting this today, it will hopefully give me the motivation to get this last step finished so I can share the completed look {hopefully next week}.

First, let me remind you of what our fireplace has looked like for the past six years.

Except pretend the tv is not there because it only lived up there for a few months before we came to our senses and realized that it was way to huge and obnoxious to hang front and center in our main living room.

A few things about the fireplace:

It was fine.

But we never could understand the little notches on either side, or the niche in the center and we didn’t like the tile surround. The mantle was fine, maybe a little more detailed than I would choose, but it looked a bit funky with all those extra corners on the dry wall.

We brainstormed for months about what to do to make the fireplace either stand out and become the focal point of the room, or blend in and simplify things.

first-step-to-redo-the-fireplace

Finally, one day last November, with our brothers and sisters-in-laws over for a leisurely saturday afternoon, we decided on a whim to just tear the fireplace apart. Don’t worry – we had a plan – but we didn’t know until that afternoon that we were actually going to do that plan.

three-guys-removing-mantle

Down came the mantle.

remove-tile-from-fire-place-surround

Out came the tile. The guys decided it was just easier to cut the tile out and re-drywall. Pulling off the tile would have damaged the drywall so much they probably would have had to replace it anyway.

putting-on-the-mantle

We already put the two built-ins on either side of the fireplace, and we just wanted a chunky, clean mantle to run across the fireplace visually joining all three sections together. Ryan built a simple box, then added a top piece and trimmed it out with pre-made molding.

the-mantel

Nothing fancy, but it gave us the substantial mantle we wanted.

Next came the kinda crazy part: we decided to wrap the top portion of the fireplace wall with cedar shingles. We were thinking we’d do wide horizontal planks, but when our friend suggested shingles, we both instantly loved the idea.  It’s totally unexpected, adds lots of texture, but still remains slightly neutral and gives us a sort of cottagy/outdoorsy look.

Random, for sure, but this room needed something interesting.

To get started, Ryan attached cedar strips of wood {lath} directly to the wall where the shingles would be nailed in.

shims-to-side-of-fireplace

Once those were up along one side, we couldn’t help ourselves and started nailing in a few shingles just to make sure we loved it.

first-row-of-shingles-on-fireplace

{this was day two. Ryan’s brother & sister-in-law went home, my aunt & uncle came over. It was a revolving door of helpers}.

Yes! Love! So they kept going … filling in that terrible niche and wrapping the chimney with those little boards.

mounting-boards-finished-on-fireplace

Later that night when family had gone home, a few neighbor friends stopped by to see the progress and we somehow talked them into helping.

boards-across-fireplace-for-braces

These final three worked late into the evening and finished up the shingles. I’m not exactly sure what their system was, but they were quick. I think we had two compressors and two nail guns going at a time.

three-guys-adding-shingles

When we decided to go with shingles, Ryan jokingly suggested mounting an elk head and I thought it was a brilliant idea. He was so shocked, he ordered one right away before I could change my mind.

mounting-an-elk-to-shingled-fireplace

The stag head came from Restoration Hardware and is resin that looks like cast iron.

fireplace-with-shingles

We were so excited with how it turned out.

Once the shingles were up, we had to decide what to do with the fireplace surround.

        I’ll call that Fireplace Makeover part two.  Stay tuned …

the laundry room is finished

My once boring laundry room is now a bright and organized space that I can’t wait to show you.

If you’ve miss any laundry room redo posts, I started with this as the inspiration, then painted the cabinets white {that made a huge difference!} and used gift wrap as wallpaper. Next I added a bunch of favorite art to the long wall opposite the washer/dryer.  The final two steps were to hang the hand-me-down chandelier {originally from home depot, but given to me by my sister & brother-in-law} and install the shelves between the two cabinets.

chandelier-in-laundry-room-wm

I am proud to say that every single upgrade done in this room was tackled by me. I probably could have had Ryan install the light and shelves, but I’m learning that sometimes it feels really good to try something new and gain confidence in my DIY abilities. Thankfully, I did not shock myself or drill unnecessary holes in the wall. And so far the light works and the shelves and their contents have not come tumbling down. Success.

So would you like to see my new favorite room in our house? Be prepared for an onslaught of photos because I’m kinda proud of this space.

the-laundry-room-before-and-after

laundry-room-redo-open-shelves-laundry-hampers

open-shelves-in-the-laundry-room

laundry-room-sides-of-the-room

laundry-room-after-ironing-board

    laundry-chandelier-wm  open-shelves-in-laundry-room-to-store-supplies

laundry-room-details

dresser-in-laundry-room

 laundry-room-budgetNot too bad for a complete transformation for our laundry room.

The best part is: I now love being in this space which will hopefully translate into loving the chore of laundry.

sourcesrug: west elm
chandelier: discontinued, here’s a similar one
wallpaper: paper source
wallpaper paste: amazon
knobs: etsy
cabinet & shelf paint color: du jour by valspar
shelf brackets: ikea ekby stilig bracket
shelves: home depot wood planks
laundry hamper & striped basket: the container store
butterfly poster: ikea

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