How to transform a corner fireplace
November 27, 2011
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How to make a corner fireplace look a million times better by building a wall over the mantel.
For as long as we’ve lived in this house, I’ve had a thorn in my side…that I may have mentioned one or 437 times.
Our family room set up was part of the issue for a very long time – but I addressed that earlier this year with our new sofa and moving the TV. LOVE it still – probably the best changes I’ve made to our home.
But there was that one thing. That corner thing. The one that drove me batty:
I curse the day I chose that corner fireplace! Shakes fists in air!!
I know it doesn’t look that evil. But it was.
Ahhh…all those years ago, I thought oh yes – let’s do a corner fireplace and be all cool and different and uh...ANNOYING.
I’ve addressed it numerous times – first by adding molding to the top. It started out looking like this:
And then I changed it up a bit later by adding a mirror over the mantel. It was great because it gave it the “feel” of a wall.
But there were still so many things that drove me nuts. I added crown to the room this year, and I had to end it by the molding over the fireplace. I hate the weird stop – but I’ve not found a better way to do it. And I realized a few months ago that part of the reason the fireplace looked weird to me was because it was so top heavy – big on top, little on bottom.
And the corner mantel was really a pain in my patoot to decorate. And I’m all about the decorate:
And even though the top was large and in charge, the whole thing felt too small for this space.
I thought about taking in the chunky molding on top, to make it less top heavy – but then I was going to have to redo that and the crown. Nah thanks.
Then I thought about building a wall above the mantel to close it off (many of you have suggested that). But it would have just made the mantel even smaller.
Then I had THE idea…and it was right in front of my face every night for the past eight years.
Why not try to make a full wall like the one in our bedroom:
Nah DUH.
But then there was another issue – the firebox couldn’t be moved out to meet up with a new wall. I didn’t know how to make it work (I thought it all had to be flush.)
But then, one glorious day, I walked through a model home (one of my favorite things to do!), and found IT!!
It was a corner fireplace, with a wall. But the firebox was inset quite a bit:
It was a good five inches or so. And I knew I could do the same with our fireplace! (With some help.)
Cue the angels singing. (I almost wrote “angels signing” – which would be OK too.)
I called the handymen who did a ton of the work around here when we had the fridge/floor fiasco. I explained what I wanted to do, showed them pics, then showed them our upstairs fireplace and THEY SAID EASY PEASY SQUEEZY!!
So a couple weeks ago we started with this:
Vince (Handyman #1) took the mantel off (it was way easier than I thought it would be) and the trim around the front of the fireplace, then started building a wall:
And what a glorious wall it was. I’ve never been so happy.
(They even added studs between the studs right where I would hang the mirror – no anchors needed!)
Then they drywalled and sanded like mad (which resulted in more dust than we had when the floors were sanded – no joke):
Then they started building the mantel. A REAL mantel people!
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!
They couldn’t go real beefy with the surround because I wanted a DEEP mantel and enough space around the fire box to install tile. So in order to make that work, the sides were a bit thinner, but the molding and mantel were chunkaaaay.
To save on costs I finished the redo from there. You’d think it would be quick, but nah. You know me. :)
I found a beautiful mosaic tile at Lowe’s (I found it months ago and knew I’d use it if this project ever happened). The guys brought me their tile saw to use and it ROCKED! It was so easy to use!
I made the cuts for the side pieces:
And used mastic to apply them around the fireplace:
I just buttered the wall:
There was a bit of a gap between the firebox and the drywall around it when they pulled off the trim. You can see here that they ended up installing some luan that covers that gap and gave me a good surface for the tile.
Then I buttered the back of the tile:
And stuck it on. It does not take much – I used too much at times and it came out between the tiles. Not hard to clean up, and you just learn as you go. I didn’t have to grout because the tiles were so close – whew!
I LOVE how it turned out!
We went away on vacation last week, and I was chomping at the bit to get this finished up! I worked most of today painting. And painting…
Forgive me for these pics – it was pitch black at 5 p.m. and I was busting booty to get this finished today…but the pictures didn’t start till about 7. :)
After three coats on the wall, four coats on the mantel and surround (it still needs at least one more), reinstalling all of the wainscoting next to the fireplace and then some quarter round at the bottom, I was DONE:
What you don’t see here is the nice little large spot where I put painter’s tape on the wall too soon and had a nice loooong patch where the drywall was exposed. And then had to patch and paint all over again. Hence the 7 p.m. pics. ;)
But I’m pretty much done – finally! I put accessories up there for it’s first photo shoot and I was SO excited at how easy it was to make it look decent and how BIG the mantel is and HOW MUCH I LOVE IT!!!:
:)
The guys used one (really, really thick) piece of molding to beef up the mantel and I love it – its exactly what I was hoping for!:
I still have some touching up and caulking to do, but I was tired of messing with it today. :)
We all stood in front of it last week commenting on how much we liked that it’s inset – it makes it look like it’s been their forever, like something you’d see in an old house:
The one thing Mike (handyguy #2) mentioned later was that he wished he had thought about adding lights underneath that I could dim – what a great idea! Wish I had thought of that. ;)
But honestly I don’t think I could be happier!
I was willing to give up some square footage in the family room – I actually wanted to go out a little further. But the guys didn’t want to take it too far out and now I know that was a good call. Overall the wall comes out about a foot more than it did before.
We don’t even notice it in the least though – it feel like it “fits” in the room SO much better! It really feels like it was always like this!
I have all kinds of ideas running through my head for the wall above the mantel – some kind of molding treatment. But I’m really digging the simple, clean look right now – I don’t know if I’ll even add anything:
It’s so surprising to look at the before and after – the before looks SO busy and overwhelming to me. And now it’s bigger and even more of a statement but it feels simpler and easier:
Oh happy day. :)
So there you go…what I’ve been up to the past couple of weeks. Can’t WAIT to decorate this for Christmas! The guys even moved the outlet (behind the candlesticks) so I can still have my twinkling lights up there.
It took a little help from the professionals (building a wall isn’t in my repertoire, but I’m working on it!), but I was able to fix the thorn in my side. I am so thrilled! Do you have something about your house that drives you crazy? Have you thought of a million and one ways to fix it? ;) Actually done it?
**You can see how to make that mossy letter here!
I'm so darn excited for you I could almost pee my pants. I did not like your fireplace corner, I'm sorry it's not a refection of you, you're great, just never have like those, thought they were odd. But I'm so darn excited also because we are shopping for fireplace stone now! I love your choice, so so so much better. I bet you just sit in your house and drool now! Love the choice of stone, all that texture, just yummy!
ReplyDeleteThat turned out awesome! What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is INCREDIBLE! Yes the caps were absolutely necessary. So excited for you, and it looks just fantastic. Have you been staring at it all the time or what? Because that's what I would be doing :) Where are your candle holders from? I love!
ReplyDeletexoxo
It looks like it belongs in the room, like it should have always been that way. Really, really nice. I like seeing what you are decorating it with now, because I have a corner fireplace with a wall, too.
ReplyDeleteThat looks very nice. Much easier to decorate around. Nice job.
ReplyDeletethat looks amazing! Yet another reason to drool over your gorgeous house!
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the transformation!!
ReplyDeleteI love it... It looks so much better than before!!!!! Can't wait to see it all decorated for Christmas :)
ReplyDeleteI'm gettin all my Christmas decorations up.. I hope to have pics posted in a couple of days!
Blessings,
Diana ~ Anyone Can Decorate
This is absolutely beautiful:) Great Job!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I secretly always felt bad for you and that fireplace. Great job!
ReplyDeleteA perfect fix!!! Love this!!! You now have the most perfect mantle EVER!!! Happy for you!!!
ReplyDeleteAimee from ItsOverflowing.com
Great change!! Love it :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks beautiful! I just posted my faux fireplace that I was all proud of until I saw this, lol (j.k.) This is gorgeous, you must be in love!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so great, and you are one talented lady!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Haven
It looks amazing!! I am so happy for you! And just in time for a Christmas Mantle!!!!
ReplyDeleteI bet those angels were singing and signing too!
Good grief, Sarah, that makes such a HUGE difference! I had no idea what you were talking about when you started, but you do such a great job of walking through every step and explaining along the way! It looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a great transformation. It appears to have a much better presence in the room. Congrats on the big change, perfect time to decorate a new mantel too! Enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic, love the new look! Phenomenal job!! xo ~Liz
ReplyDeleteEveryone with a corner fireplace should do this!! :) So much better... have fun decorating it for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteoh wow - it looks fantastic!! congrats to you - I know from your past posts how much this area has bugged you. fantastic that you found such an awesome fix for the problem. it really looks great.
ReplyDeletec x.
Oh my goodness!! It is the best! Really! It used to look a bit cramped and makeshift....and now it looks substantial and perfect. Brilliant solution.
ReplyDeleteOh my word that looks fabulous! You have inspired me to re do my fireplace. I've been wondering what tile would look nice and yours looks beautiful. the wall, just stunning. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeletewow that is great. i have NEVER even seen a corner fireplace like yours before. i mean where does the flue/chimney go? anyway i looks fabulous now. I love it when you are able to solve problem spots in your home.
ReplyDeletecheers Fiona
wwww.lilyfieldlife.blogspot.com
Looks great! Would you mind sharing a ballpark price for that kind of work? We have a corner fireplace with the big "hole" above it for a tv (in our hearth room). We never watch tv in that room, and I have not found a way to make that hole look right. I would love to be able to decorate a real mantle in that area, instead.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness what a HUGE difference that makes! It looks so beautiful now! I totally understand how excited you are about it. :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks great!! I was just mentioning to my husband that I wish our fireplace had an outlet on top of the mantel for me to plug in our Christmas lights! Going to have to find a way to hide an extension cord around the fireplace...ugh. Enjoy decorating for Navidad! Looking forward to your posts for the Holiday Home party!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great Sarah! It seems like there are so many big projects going on at your house these past few months, busy busy! I have to say though, I CANNOT WAIT for your christmas decorating! Hope you bring it out super soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a transformation! You made it look good before, but you really made it look good after. TFS!
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! What a huge difference it makes in the room, The tile and the new moulding, the deep mantle, are just gorgeous. I am however going to miss seeing your new ideas for a Christmas fireplace - since we just moved into a home with a corner fireplace! We've never had one before and yes, it's a huge pain, trying to figure out what to do with it. And we can't build a wall since it's a cathedral ceiling! But I do love yours!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic! I am planning to tile around my fireplace with a glass mosaic, and this will be my tutorial. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis looks GREAT! I love how clean it looks now! And it flows so nicely! Great Job!
ReplyDeleteShut. UP!!! I love it! Every last bit of it! I tile made my heart skip a beat!! I have a corner fireplace and have been thinking about all sorts of things I'd like to change. Your post gives me fresh hope! Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference a wall makes. It looks so much more impressive now. Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you! A totally perfect ending for your never-ending fireplace saga!
ReplyDeletei am green with envy over this redo!! We have one of those stupid corner fireplaces as well and I am constantly trying to disguise it. Yours looks amazing!! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteOh, SO much better!!! Now the molding matches up and everything. It looks fantastic. Aren't you a little smarty pants for thinking of that?
ReplyDeleteThat looks absolutely stunning! You did an amazing job. It looks very crisp and clean!
ReplyDeleteIt is very pretty!!! I know you are so happy!
ReplyDeleteWe have the same type of corner fireplace and I have
always been glad it had a wall on top and not a box
for supposedly a t.v.! Can't wait to see your Christmas
decorating for it!
WOW!! I love it! I have a corner fireplace and HATE it! I am now figuring out how I can do this to mine! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done! That definitely makes decorating easier!!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! So weird how something so little can make such a big difference!
ReplyDeleteTiffany {Living Savvy}
Wow! I am so happy for you. You deserved that mantle! Have fun decorating :)
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is amazing! I would have never thought to do something like that!! Gorge!!
ReplyDeleteSarah, look at you!! Way to go girl on fixing something that was bugging you. I honestly liked it before, but you're right, the after is way better now. Nice chunky mantel!! Looks great.
ReplyDeleteBRILLIANT! I agree, the new look is much less busy, cleaner, more gorgeous...all those good things. We are looking at buying a house that has a corner fireplace, and I'm thought about your dilemma as I've looked at it...now I'll have to pin your solution, "just in case!"
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! I have a corner fireplace too that I hate. I hate the tile they used and they way they installed it and I hate that there is no logical way to arrange furniture around it and there is no where to put a Christmas tree! I'm looking for an easy fix for that. Got any suggestions? LOL
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing! Thank you so much for posting all your thoughts (and for other commenters' thoughts, too) on corner fireplaces. We have a gas line run to our living room and had been planning to put in a corner fireplace since it's the only place for one, but now I'm re-thinking the idea. I don't know if there's enough room to build the wall out; would you mind to tell me how wide your new wall is for the front of the fireplace?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Kate
kate@harp2go.com
Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI am sooo happy for you!!! That fireplace looks amazing! And I know you are going to enjoy decorating that fireplace so much more now. I cannot wait to see all the great vignettes you come up with each season.
Love ya girl!
Traci
Hahaha! "no, it's not upside-down, I promise"...... That "s" makes me want to jump through my computer and turn it around!!! ( I have a "c" that won't hang straight.... It drives me batty!). The fireplace is awesome! Nice transformation ;-)
ReplyDeleteWow! I love it!!! It really does make a big statment now. Love the tile you picked. Fits perfect!!! Go Sarah!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a difference! I didn't think the "before" looked bad, but the "after" just looks perfect! Amazing what a little extra drywall and molding can do. Good job!
ReplyDeletePERFECT!!! Yes, it deserved the caps! You got it dead on! I'm with you on the fireplace never being quite right. I just didn't know what was "not quite right" about it, because you always decorated it so nicely. But, you nailed it!
ReplyDeleteThis looks SO GREAT! Fantastic fix to the 'problem'. We used that same tile on a downstairs backsplash/wall and I LOVE IT - never would have occurred to me to use it on the fireplace but it looks wonderful! Great job!
ReplyDeleteYou were right...SO. MUCH. BETTER!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, love this! That corner would have driven me batty, too. Great job and have fun decorating that new mantle!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! The before looks like the fireplace was an afterthought in the room; now, it's an amazing presence!! COZY!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my, I really love this. That crown looks so much better like this too.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, LOVE this! What an awesome change. Great job, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove it. I am wanting to do my fireplace too - it has lovely, shiny black tile around it. Yikes. Do you think I could use the mastic on kitchen backsplash too?
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible transformation! It looks like it's always been there!
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! It must feel sooo good to have that the way you want it. I can see how at first you may think that the corner would be a cool place to decorate, then when it comes down to it, what the heck are you going to put there that looks good? Great job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a differance!! Gorgeous!!
ReplyDelete*hugs*deb
What a beautiful transformation!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know where the lovely lantern on your mantel is from. It's so pretty and I'm looking for something similar. Thanks for the inspiration!
cathysimpson100@yahoo.com
Wow! The new look really rocks! I especially like the chunkier mantel. But actually I didn't think the fireplace was too bad before. However,the way the crown moulding at the top didn't fit next to the white paneled part of the wall that looked a little odd to me. But isn't it great to have the fireplace of your dreams! Kudos!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so much better and "finished" now with the fill. One thing that instantly popped into my mind was that you have ability to have a hidey hole back there. Really, if you ever wanted to have a space for a secret vault, now you can:) LOL!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so much better. Corner fireplaces are so challenging and you came up with the perfect solution. Love that tile!
ReplyDeleteI love it!! I struggle with my mantles too because they're only a few inches deep. (Thanks to the 125 year age of our home.) I know how frustrating and limiting it can be, and I think you've done a great job reworking yours. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove it! What a great solution! The mantle turned out beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh Sarah I am SO glad you were able to do this!! It looks awesome and I know how thrilled you must be. I really can't believe the before and afters---it's crazy!! But in a good way. :)
ReplyDeleteTotally feeling this Sarah, it's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE it!! I agree with you...much easier on the eyes and simple, although quite perfect! Love the beefier mantle too! :)
ReplyDeleteI like it a lot!
ReplyDeleteLove the new fireplace wall! Once again you did a fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteNow that is pretty dog-gone amazing! Really, sometimes you can tell that the original design has been changed, but not this time. Much better!
ReplyDeleteI really like it, and I even liked it before! It was a beautiful corner before for sure, but I like how it seems more like part of the room now somehow? I love how the crown looks now.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your visitors will be able to put their finger on what is actually different there.
I'm glad you tackled something that wasn't quite working for you. Brave Sarah inspires me! :)
And just in time for your fave-Christmas decorating! What fun it will be this year!
Blessings, Chrissy
Wow! It looks fantastic! I don't have a fireplace, but I am totally lusting after yours.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I have many thorns in my side regarding my house. You give me so many ideas - your style is fabulous! And though I adore the fireplace, I am working on how to get the wainscotting up in my living/dining room/stairway. Post more photos of that if you can.
Faaaaabulous, dahhhhling! I love it- such a fresh change! And now you've got all kinds of fun wall space above the mantle to decorate : ) Great job!
ReplyDeleteL.O.V.E. the change! it looks so wonderful! great job! :)
ReplyDeletei'm so psyched for you, we all know how much you struggled and tried with your corner unit. this looks great, and so many possibilities now!
ReplyDeleteholy wow! not only does it look amazing...it looks like it's always been like that!! great job!!!!
ReplyDelete♥ it! the change is great-no wonky angle/corner to make your eye stop at; now it flows so much better-good call!
ReplyDeletemy nemesis? a 1940s peach tiled bathroom with burgundy trim ( eeek) working on that as we speak :)
Looks fabulous - the thorn in my side is our corner fireplace and how to arrange the furniture. I just can't get it and its driving me crazy!
ReplyDeleteOMG! What a brilliant idea! And it looks fan-tab-u-lous! Ya'll did an incredible job, and it makes such a difference! (And don't you just love it when you finally get to make a change with something that's been driving you crazy like-forever!)
ReplyDeleteGirl, you should be proud, proud, proud!
Grins!
Pamm
Wow! What a difference that makes! The fireplace looks fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteJen
athomeinthenorthwest.blogspot.com
We framed out our boring wall and put in a fireplace and did a stone wall ceiling to floor. Very fun and the DIY part (all except the gas fireplace install.) saved us sooo much money.
ReplyDeleteI was excited to see that you did this too. I suppose builders do those walls over the corner fireplaces to save cost, fewer seams to tape, mud, sand, etc., but I'm glad you changed yours. Do you ever just walk into the room just to take a quick glance? lol
Enjoy!
This is absolutely gorgeous! I liked the fireplace before, but can imagine the frustrations. Now it looks substantial and really gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! You're right, it looks like it was always there and I love the tile!
ReplyDeletei didnt know i didnt like the corner fireplace until i saw the new look. WOW! AMAZING! Enjoy that christmas decorating!
ReplyDeleteWow! That looks A-maz-ing! A seamless look. Love it!
ReplyDeleteWow, I love it. It's sooooo much better and just in time to decorate it for Christmas. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic!! I'm so glad you found a solution for your pain in the butt!! It really turned out beautiful!! Love the tile & the new molding piece! LOVELY!
ReplyDeletegirl I just want you to know how freaking awesome you are! kudos to you for staying real with your blogging and not turing into one of those bloggers who only posts about the free things she gets; oh and I love how it's You that makes these amazing things in your house and not your carpender hubby..double pound to the chest! BTW you might want to consider your tv above your mantle, that way you can admire your mantle during commercial breaks, ha!
ReplyDeleteOh. MY. GOSH. SARAH!!!! Holy cow. What a huge difference. I would have NEVER thought to actually build a new wall in front of your fireplace. It looks like a new house! I'm sure you love it so much. Awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the new look! Great choices!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing, I love love it!! So glad you love the final look!!
ReplyDeleteI am one of your followers who has suffered through this with you!!! I have even commented on ideas and several times said that I thought your approach was awesome despite your frustrations. SOOOOO.....let me just say, CONGRATULATIONS!! WOW! Great new look!
ReplyDeleteLove it! I was showing my husband the fab project and he said oh oh....she should add a safe behind it! lol. He and I joked that we have zero valuables to add to a safe...but it would be fun to have one :)
ReplyDeletej
WOW~~~ huge difference!!! Are you just clicking your heels?!? I was the same way about the pass-thru opening in our living room/den. Hated it. Gave it the evil eye daily. Was shocked to find it cost next to nothing to close it up, and I couldn't be happier with it!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is your best project to date! I LOVE it, it looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteHoly amazing!!!!!! This is truly awesome!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fireplace remodel! The space flows much more smoothly.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fabulous! Like a completely different room! I bet you are in LOVE with that room :) Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you got that fixed. I often wondered how you decorated around that corner b/c I know it wasn't easy. It must be a relief and will be so much more fun to decorate. Now if I could just get the tv cave above my mantel drywalled in and the mantel beefed up. Are your handyguys available? :o) BTW, the hardwoods look great with it, along w/ that basket/rattan looking thing
ReplyDelete!
Your're a genius! I'm glad that yor thorn is now all gone, it looks so much nicer and just flows well with the room.
ReplyDeleteThat was a stroke of genius! It looks amazing and I can understand why you are so excited!
ReplyDeleteWOW WOW WOW! I LUUVVV IT! I think I am just as excited as you! I could feel your energggyyy :) Looks beautiful...great job!
ReplyDeleteSimply beautiful!!! And while my fireplace isn't a corner one, I have always struggled with a narrow mantle. Seeing yours all beefed up gives me many ideas! I see a chunky mantle in my future! :) Thanks for your wonderful inspirations, as always! And so happy that you are so happy. :)
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL!!
ReplyDeletewow! the best transformation ever!! And you know what my favorite part is, the fact that you incorporated a convenient electrical outlet there!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to add a wall! I love it, it looks great and so beautiful. It really flows with the room now. We just retextured our two bathroom walls last week. I've been wanting to do it for 3 years now and I finally got my husband to help me! I'm now in the painting process and soon I'll be adding board and batten. I'm so excited! I've wanted "pretty" bathrooms for so long! Thanks for all your inspiration! :)
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a difference that wall makes. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteyes, looks so much better. Actually, I think the before fireplace kinda got lost in that corner and now it stands out and looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, as always!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks great!
ReplyDeleteSarah, it turned out beautifully. It looks like it's always been that way. Love the inset look, too! Great vision!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love it. I have a corner fireplace that I hate. I have a weird tv alcove on top of mine (that is too small for most tvs) and I don't know what to do with it. I had to call my husband in to show him.
ReplyDeletewow! wonderful! Can't wait to see how you decorate for Christmas :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE the tile around the fireplace!!! Great job, it's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTHAT looks gorgeous!!! Love it!
ReplyDeleteSarah! I am so excited for you! That wall completely changes the space! I was quickly flipping through images and didn't even recognize it was your room without the corner above your fireplace! FABULOUS!!
ReplyDeleteHe'll tdc! I've been following your blog forever. When I first found you, I went back to the beginning and have read every single post. I always wanted you to do this to your mantel. I thought you could have hung your tv here back when you redid the decor on that little table that used to be under your tv. I guess you wouldn't do it now because you got the other area wired for your tv, but if you ever need to move it, this new wall would be perfect. I feel like we're old friends even though we've never met. Thanks for sharing your life and ideas with the world. you really are making a difference, one funny, real post at a time.
ReplyDeleteO.M.G!!! I am soooooooooo doing it!!! I have the exact same issue, that freakin' corner fireplace that I have come to LOATHE with ever fiber of my being. You can see my thorn here: http://anaudlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/living-room-before-after-photosfinally.html
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this, I've been wondering how it would look to cover "the hole"...now I know. :)
Wow.. the new wall looks amazing! It's inspiration for walling in our floor to ceiling painted brick :) what color did you use on the walls in this room? It's dark but not dreary and I love it!
ReplyDeleteYou are one of my very fav bloggers and I've been creeping you for quite awhile. Thanks so much for sharing all of your creative ideas and hard work.. you've made me think outside the box in my house and believe I can do so much more than I thought.
Thanks!
Sheila
sheila.blair@gmail.com
Sheila
Okay WOW. I've been following you for a couple of years and I don't often comment, but seriously, that was amazing. I LOVE the chunky mantel and the tile, I never thought your fire place was bad before but it's so much better! Now if I can just figure out what to do with mine...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your solution! I know that this corner has HAUNTED you for so long ... and I admire your tenacity in looking for a great solution. I don't think you could have done any better! Love it. :) Merry Christmas to you!
ReplyDeleteI have that old corner fireplace too, but I have black tile around mine. And I loathe mine as much as you did yours. I've considered the wall, but I also have a cathedral ceiling on one of the side walls to deal with! I wish my husband was a handy man so I could get by on the cheap to redo this! I am definately saving this post for future reference. LOVE your new fireplace! So jealous!
ReplyDeleteInspires me to close up the inset curved top nice above my fireplace that drives me bats*#t crazy! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow, I love it... funny thing is I had your old fireplace pinned from several months ago! When we built our house we stubbed the pipes for a gas fireplace in the corner... my living room is very similar to your setup too! I bought my box in the fall... and have been coming up with what I really want it to look like! We are going to DIY the whole thing... my husband had to have an unexpected surgery and our plans were put on hold... now gearing up to get the process going.... (btw.. I did duck tape my monogrammed stockings to the plastic wrapped box for Xmas lol!) But today I pinned your new living room while searching for sectionals on pinterest! Weird huh! Anyway... I bit the bullet and purchased a new larger area rug that I have put off due to funds.... I have gotten by with a 5/7 size rug for over 5 years... and really it looks dinky and doesn't do the space justice... so I am ready to conquer this fireplace! I should blog the process... really neat to look back at photos, thanks for your details on how ya'll did yours!
ReplyDeleteJamie
Sandrabees.com@gmail.com
I am so glad I found this post! I have the same problem in my living room. We have a spec house, so ALL the houses with our floorplan have the corner fireplace. We have the TV sitting in that nook now, but I want to completely change it. I have no idea what to do until now!
ReplyDeleteDarn those corner fireplaces! Mine has brought out the worst in me trying to figure out furniture/tv placement too. I constantly "test" new arranging ideas only to go back to one of 2 ways everytime! Ha! This arrangement looks lovely tho! You can breathe now ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this project!! I found you googling "how to decorate corner fireplace". Following your posts then came to this one! What an amazing idea to just make it a wall. I'm a little sad though because a wall isn't the decorating budget right now. Keeping it mind though! Can I pin your before and after?
ReplyDeleteFa-boo-lus!!
ReplyDeleteYou never know what a difference the architecture in a room makes until you take a risk and change it.
I am a built-in and storage fiend, so I couldn't help turning pale when all that lovely space was walled up!
Have you thought about cutting the drywall behind the mirror and framing it out with a little (hidden) hinged door so you can tuck something in there? Maybe make two shelves and use them to store your off-season and bulky decorating items?
Just a thought. ;)
Why didn't I think of building a wall?! I discovered your blog when I googled "decorating a corner fireplace" last night and first thing today I called my handyman. Your fireplace is beautiful and I seriously can't wait for mine to look as good. It has been driving me crazy trying to decorate that giant space since I bought my house two years ago! Thanks a million!
ReplyDeleteYou have given me hope ... our house that we purchased a year ago has a corner fireplace and it's just... UGH!!! This is EXACTLY what I need to do. 😍
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