Every year this happens. The fog descends and it just hangs out. I’m an Oregon girl through-and-through. I love the rain. I love the crazy days that are rainy, sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, and rainy all in the span of an hour. I do not, however, enjoy the fog. It’s depressing. I would take an overcast day over a foggy day no question. There’s something awful and claustrophobic about not being able to see the house across the street.
So…. I decided to brighten up my living room by creating a colorful mantel! I pretty much just grabbed everything around that is colorful, threw it on the mantel, moved things around until I liked what I saw and called it good. Easy-peasy.
Obviously the lighting is bad for photos, since there isn’t a whole lot of natural light coming through the windows.
Here’s my favorite part. A corn candle that my friend Kelsey gave us. She’s from Iowa, so it’s the real day. Something of such distinction clearly needs a decorative glass case.
Here’s a question for you. I’ve been toying with the idea of taking out the old wood stove, painting the bricks, sewing a cushion, and adding wood to the fireplace. Some examples of this can be found on this Pinterest board I have. I don’t want to paint the wood paneling because I love it and how cozy it feels. Do you think it would look good to paint the brick white?
Here’s another photo that shows more of the fireplace (Alma is standing on bricks with red tiles):
I have also considered painting our fireplace. Our bricks are stained (although most people don’t notice). I’m not sure it would work in your living room; it looks so cozy with the red brick and wood panels. White would be a big change, but change is cool! I sent you some pins of images that I liked. Perhaps you’d have to paint the mantel too?
Thanks for the pins and ideas! Are you bricks stained with stain or stained, as in on accident? They are darker, right?
You know, I’m not sure. It might be both. Maybe you can look next time you’re over? They are trying to be dark brown, which kind of matches our brown wall behind it. Perhaps its the wall that needs painting…
I was thinking the same thing about white brick + wood panels. The red brick and wood just seem like they belong together. What if you made a cushion that you could slipcover as the season/your mood changes?
Thanks for the input! I love that idea, Sara! I think we’ll still take the stove out, and that might brighten things up on its own! Along with fun slip covers!
I like the brick fireplace as is – cozier than white.
Thanks, Laurie! Don’t you ever get the urge to just change things all up, though? I think I’ll keep it…
Summer Mantel and Fireplace Ideas - AND THEN THEY...AND THEN THEY…
[…] since we moved in. You might remember that we used to have a big ugly woodstove in the fireplace (you can see it in the photos here). That’s been gone for about a year, and we’ve just been living with the empty […]