Updated Fireplace and Mantel

It seems a little strange to be writing about a fireplace makeover in the middle of the summer but  here I am!  I have actually been meaning to post about this for almost a year now {I was just waiting to finish up my DIY rustic wood crates} so it kind of feels good to get it off my “to-do” list!


Our fireplace is located in our family room, just off of the kitchen.  Despite being one of the most used rooms in the whole house, our family room was the one place that we had not done any updates on {other than painting the original peach walls!} since we moved in over 12 years ago.  While I’m not really sure what I want to do with the rest of the room, I’ve always had a vision for the fireplace…


Now I know a lot of people cringe at the thought of painting over wood, but our house had A LOT of oak.  After looking at it for 12 years, I was really ready to see it go.  Don’t worry though oak lovers – we still have our oak staircase. 🙂 The mantel and shelving was painted using Simply White by Benjamin Moore and the oak baseboards in the room were also painted out. 


The tile on the fireplace was bad and I have hated it ever since we moved in.  It had a pinky/peachy tinge to it that matched the original peach walls and was definitely not my taste.  I have always loved black and white paired together for home decor so I knew that I wanted the fireplace tile to contrast with the white mantel.  After 2 weeks looking at samples, I finally decided on the slate tile.  It was actually the first one that I had picked out – always go with your initial instinct, right?  


Getting rid of the brass insert is probably the quickest and easiest way to update your fireplace – all you need is a high heat spray paint {we used this one from Rustoleum}.  Just pop out the insert, spray, and place back in.  


Now to figure things out for the rest of the room…. 

If you would like more info on the DIY wooden crates, click HERE.