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Now that Spooky Season is winding down, we are fully entering H&H mode (Holidays and Hibernation). Growing up on the tundra of Minnesota, I have really fond memories of being cozy by the fireplace (holiday gathering or not), so I wanted to share some of my favorite fireplace moments and share some design ideas. 

PLAY WITH SHAPES

For my own personal Living room fireplace, we knew we were building out a large, boxy chimney breast to accommodate the wood burning fireplace. I felt like we needed something with a curve to break up all of the right angles. We clad the wall in a vinyl grasscloth, used a glazed brick tile to surround the firebox opening and mounted an overscale round mirror above it all for some drama and a new, curvy form in the mix!

FACELIFT FTW

Sometimes a fresh coat of paint really does move the needle on a fireplace design! Our client had a chalky white brick fireplace surround with a chunky, red granite hearth that was a major tripping hazard. We removed the dated, raised hearth in favor of a flush concrete and gave the brick a fresh coat of paint in Benjamin Moore’s London Fog to warm things up. 

COOL, CALM, COLLECTED

Always take into account what is surrounding your fireplace. In this Living Room, we had designed the room to have the fireplace be the central core of this active wall. With a TV above, and built-ins flanking it, the fireplace surround was fabricated in a simple limestone-look porcelain. It has a presence in the room, but isn’t fighting the other elements.

POP OF COLOR:

This eclectic bungalow Living Room was ready for a healthy dose of color! We removed a dated granite slab surrounding the fireplace and clad the wall with a rich, glossy blue subway tile. Topping everything off with a custom wood mantel is the perfect cap.

BACKGROUND NOISE:

One of my go-to moves is to wallpaper the chimney breast wall and surround the fireplace opening with a complementary tile. In this instance, a neutral (but impactful) black and white wallpaper creates a funky backdrop to this subtle, tonal tile.

See how Real Simple Magazine featured several of our fireplace designs.