Hi Bossy,
I love your blog and I was hoping you could steer me in the right direction regarding my fireplace wall. As you can see it is very dark and very dated.
I am thinking of painting it but wanted to know your opinions on colors, etc. Do I paint the brick and woodwork white? Or do I paint the brick the same color as the wall?
I have painted the trim in the rest of the house Benjamin Moore [OC-65] Chantilly Lace…Notice how the crown molding is dark wood too. This room is very dark…
I would love your advice. Thank you so much!
Katie
PS, you’re probably wondering why there is so much stuff on the mantle. We have a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old, enough said.
Dear Katie,
PLEASE paint. You are raising young children in this environment: you deserve – nay, you MUST HAVE – a bright, cheery, up-to-date space. Please strap those ankle-biters into their car seats RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT and go to the Benjamin Moore store for some more off-white paint.
The Youngsters over at Young House Love have had great luck painting their fireplaces white. The picture above is one. They’ll even tell you how to do it.
And here’s another before/after picture you’ve seen before, in a recent post involving a less-than-stellar fireplace:
Can you believe the difference some white paint can make? It’s crazy!
In your room, I suggest painting the bricks, the mantle, and the bookshelves an off-white, but in different finishes. The Chantilly Lace looks ever so slightly pinkish – is this how it looks in your house?
Go ahead and try it in here, but I’d also be inclined to try OC-17 White Dove and OC-38 Acadia White – that one is much creamier. Use matte or eggshell for the brick itself, and semi-gloss for all the woodwork.
I can’t quite tell what your wall color is…if it’s tired, consider re-painting it a warmer color, such as Benjamin Moore’s 204 Woodmont Cream.
Then paint the crown moulding and all the other trim in the room the off-white, semi-gloss finish.
And THEN, to distinguish your beautiful white brick fireplace wall from everyone else’s beautiful white brick fireplace walls, paint the inside – or just the back wall – of your bookshelves a color.
A blue would be lovely, if you plan to keep those blue and white ceramic jars on the mantle. (Maybe last week’s questioner has leftover blue paint she could give you.) The interior of these shelves are Farrow & Ball‘s Cook’s Blue, which has a nice kick.
Talk about low risk, high reward, Katie. Painting your fireplace wall – and the rest of the trim – will transform this room completely. Good luck!
P.S. I hope you know that when I say, “[You] paint,” what I mean is, “Please hire someone to paint,” or “Please ask your husband to paint,” or “Please promise your friends an excellent take-out dinner if they paint.” Please do not try to do this yourself. Not with 2 small kids. If you have the time and childcare to paint a wall, go take a nap instead. That’s an order.