Cozy Fireplace DIY

Cozy Fireplace DIY

Project fireplace is done and it only took a couple of days! I love projects like this because it’s one of those things you have in your house and you’re like, 'it’s fine, but I could love it more!' You kind of just have to think outside of the box with all of the things that you have to make something like an unused fireplace special, unique and visually appealing. You don’t have to buy anything else to make it better, you can use what you have! And you just enhance it.  This is my favorite kind of design - that 'make your home a place that you love by enhancing what you already have - think outside the box' design. 

I want to start by saying, we aren’t going to be using this fireplace. We didn’t use it all last winter, and if we really wanted to, it can always be reverted back to where it's more fire-friendly, easily!

The first thing I did was remove the mesh cover and clean out the fireplace. Once I took that off it was time to clean! I did a quick vacuum and since it was still looking a little rough I also did a scrub down of the inside as well. When I was cleaning, I realized how cool the herringbone brick pattern is on the inside.  And I decided it was calling to me to be highlighted! Below we have a little before of this space...it 's come a long, cozy way!

When it comes to color selection, which is clearly a subjective thing, we all have different desires and tastes. But for this specific room I needed the color of the fireplace to not compete with the rest of the house since it’s one big, great room. I of course want cohesiveness in a space, but it's also great to have focal points that break up larger spaces and make it feel more 'on purpose'.

Ok! Let’s talk about paint and fireplaces! The paint around the outside is fine being regular interior paint. I’ve never had an issue with any that I’ve done. We aren’t going to use this as a working fireplace, so normal paint is fine. But you can paint the inside of a fireplace even if you are using it, you just need to use heat resistant paint (Rustolieum spray paint is great).

The color I chose is Benjamin Moore Muskaka Trail in a matte finish, which is a really good vintage, creamy white. And the matte finish helps it feel more modern. I felt this color would make the fireplace pop but feel warm still and also really highlight the inside of the fireplace.

I like to do a project and just take one thing at a time - sort of test the waters if you will. So I painted the inside of the framing first and then I waited to see if I wanted to paint the sides. Once the inside was done, I decided I did want to do that! The whole point of this is one big great room: the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. And I wanted to make this space feel cozy when you’re here reading a book or just visiting. So by painting it this color, it’ll bring the room in to this focal point. By painting the trim pieces on the side, it made the whole fireplace look more substantial, almost like an art piece in the room.

As I was painting the inside I noticed I was really liking the grout lines being dark and contrasting the light bricks. So I went light on the roller so it didn’t get paint into the grooves. Any place I did get paint, I just went back through with Benjamin Moore Silhouette (a dark gray brown) and I just love the softness it adds to the lines. It's contrasty, but not too much so.

And then I decided to paint the bottom solid because it was too busy with the grout lines showing. For painting the bricks around the outside, I started with a roller, then while the paint was still wet, I filled in the cracks with a brush.

I mentioned before that I like to take projects like this step-by-step. I originally had the creative idea to make this space to make it something cool inside. What I was going to do was make it a reading spot filled with books, but then I discovered how amazing the back of it was and I didn’t want to cover it up. So I left it empty.

Be flexible with your projects! Sometimes they lead you into another direction and it turns out even better than you could have imagined!

Painting the fireplace made it feel grandeur but also cozy and now it really brings you into the space.

Tip: If you have an unusable fireplace and want some ambiance, add a few logs and a set of twinkle lights. I’ve been doing that since the trailer and it’s perfect if you’re wanting to create a mood sans fire.

Alright, someone pass me a book and some rosé 'cause it's all kinds of cozy up in here! xx, Ash