Good morning friends! This post has been a long time coming hasn’t it? I have admitted how slow I am to complete projects… I hope to get better about it though since it looks like we are now working on some big renovations around the house.
My Favorite Spot
My favorite spot in our home is the living room where or fireplace is. It has the best light in the house thanks to a big window and who doesn’t love cozy-ing up next to a warm fire? We keep our books and family games in this room so it’s a very special and personal space to us. And by far, a fireplace mantle is the most fun to decorate between changing seasons and holidays. But there has always been an awkwardness about the fireplace…
The Challenges
Our textured walls and built in shelves weren’t really adding any extra charm but they were proving to be an eyesore. I wanted to make this fireplace and wall an entirely cohesive piece with one solid color but bursting with texture. I also knew that I wanted to center everything out by placing a pretty mirror right above the mantle. The funny sad thing about my mirror dreams is that all of the ones I loved were just way our of my price range. And I mean $50 was too much money. Lucky for me I love thrift-ing and I still can’t believe what I found at Goodwill for $9!
The Before:
Here is a before of the fireplace. This was a refresh I shared on the blog back in the spring of this year. The mirrors and greenery make the space work and I love the cottage vibes. But I’ve always wanted shiplap somewhere in my house and I’m leaning into boho decor and textures now.
The Mirror of My Dreams
Before I really pulled the trigger on this makeover I found the most beautiful metal mirror in the shape of a flower. SHOCKER: it was perfect and only $9!!! It truly felt like a sign to move forward with this whole makeover. And the really funny part is all of the design choices that followed once I had the mirror just fell into place because I was just so darn inspired. If I learned anything about home projects it’s this: find that one piece that truly speaks to you then work your way around it.
Not Another Shiplap Tutorial
As far as the makeover it really boils down to two big changes: adding shiplap above the wall and painting over the previously white washed brick. I wish I could tell you the shiplap part was hard (well no I don’t want that really 😂) but it wasn’t. By using tongue and groove shiplap this project was a breeze! The wood pieces were cut by my husband and they popped into place. Liquid nails and screws were applied directly to the studs to keep the shiplap secure. Once they were in we really began to see the beautiful results instantly and it was so long ugly textured walls!
Once the boards were in we simply used plaster to fill in seams and nail heads. Then came sanding and painting. EASY. We put a finishing piece on the end and crown moulding at the ceiling but I will admit we have yet to paint that yet… Still debating whether I want thicker crown moulding since we plan to carry it all the way around the room.
The Shiplap We Used and Love
This is not a sponsored post for this product but I am happy to link the shiplap here! It cost around $80 for this space. It’s perfect for accent walls and small spaces. You can totally save money by using plywood but the thicker quality of these boards and the ease of the tongue and groove snapping into place like a puzzle is well worth the extra pennies spent IMO. It also come primed which is nice!
Paint Hack
A quick side note into paint:
The color we painted the shiplap and fireplace is the same color as our walls. I get this question SO MUCH! It’s Alabaster White by Sherwinn Williams. I will say though, if you take the sample to get it color matched in Behr premium paint you get the same exact paint without the designer price! 🙌 This tip comes from my friend Natalie over at My Vintage Porch. She knows all the things guys!!
Small Space Trick
Since our home is on the smaller side at 1460 square feet, using white helps to create the illusion that the space is larger! Light reflects more beautifully too which is why I love to use shiny metals mixed in as you will see with the mirror shortly 😉.
Mirror Flip
Once the fireplace was squared away it was time to get the mirror all prettied up. I wanted a brass color and was super suspicious that I could pull it off with just paint. First I tried rub n buff because I heard so many good things about working with this product. And it really was a dream to work with! One tiny tube was enough to paint the whole mirror. I used Antique Gold. If you have been watching this makeover unfold on Instagram though, then you know our mirror flip didn’t end with rub n buff.
While the product was amazing to work with it was not the exact color I was hoping for. It was still gorgeous but certainly not brass. It faintly looked a bit copper in different light settings. Pretty! But not what I wanted. I decided to try Rustoleum Aged Metallic. To my surprise it was amazing and the perfect brassy gold!
The Last Step
Of course decorating is the most fun part! I will say I was tempted to paint the brick black and I still think it would look lovely! But since I knew I wanted to add pops of color, the white canvas of the brick and shiplap is the perfect back drop for some happy colors.
Basket
This basket is an absolute favorite and so versatile… Perfect for plants, throws, or pillows. It’s only $18 too which is such an amazing prize compared to other woven baskets. I threw our tasseled throw in for coziness. I linked one very similar throw and it happens to be on sale today!
Garlands
The layered garland look is too fun and I love the pop of color from the pink! I could not find the wooden beaded garland but I will work to find one ASAP. The spider webs are from Dollar Tree.
Mantle Simplicity
I kept the mantle uncluttered because I like the clean look and everything else had so much going on so I kept it simple with these adorable wire pumpkin holders. The black is a nice contrast to the stark white. I don’t have a link for those and unfortunately they sold out.
I added some bats along the shiplap. These were found in Target Dollar Spot. One of the bats at the bottom fell for the picture and I only realized this until recently 😒 Darn!
Candles and Pumpkins
The center is filled with pillar candles and pumpkins of course! Cinderella pumpkins and little pumpkins, it’s such a cute scene and the layered look really adds to the warm ambiance and grandiose of Fall.
Lookbook
Here are the 4 main products I used to decorate with. Simply click to shop!
The Final Look
At last I will leave you with the final look!
This fireplace makeover was actually pretty simple. If you or someone you know is handy with a miter saw then you are set! Can you see yourself adding in any of these elements into your own home? Let me know here on my Instagram or right here below in comments! Hoping everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween too. As always reach out with any questions I may have not answered here. Thanks friends! Until next time <3.
X o x o ,
