Decorating with a brick fireplace

[Christie]

<div>I have just moved into a 22-year old house with a floor to ceiling varigated red/black/gray brick with gray grouting. It's got a 8&quot; raised hearth, gold metal doors and a walnut stained wooden mantel with dentil moulding -- on either side there is a 72&quot; window with walnut stained casings and walnut mini blinds. The room has walnut wainscotting to a chair rail. I'm not certain I want to paint the brick but I would like to change the mantel and FP doors and lighten up all the wood. Any ideas?</div>

[ValerieHall]

<div>It sounds like you aren't sure about painting the brick (this is usually the standard choice when changing the look of the fireplace - and fairly inexpensive). I say this because, oftentimes, the wood mantle matches the other trim in the house (i.e. the casings,blinds on your windows and moldings/trim). If you were to paint or restain the mantle it may stick out as odd against the color of the other surrounding trim/moldings.</div><div> </div><div>Besides painting the brick -- some other options are:</div><div> </div><div>Changing to mantle (wood) to another material such as brick. If you can find a professional who can match the brick/grout, it will take a bit of work, but they can replace the mantle. This may be a bit costly depending on the work involved.</div><div> </div><div>Definitely remove the gold trimmed fireplace screen. This is a dated look for sure. Replace it with a tri-fold iron one. A nice touch is a great set of fireplace tools, a basket for wood. Placing a nice set of candles behind the screen just inside the fireplace box is a nice touch and allows you to create ambiance all year long without starting an actual fire! You can place them on the mantle when you are ready to fire it up for the fall/winter season. A nice iron piece, mirror or clock on your mantle will add interest also. You can get a lot of these items from Target - if you have one in your area. Also, check Plow &amp; Hearth. I have a web site: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stonehearthcottage.com">www.stonehearthcottage.com</a>. I don't carry many fireplace screens/accessories but do have a few choices for the other accent pieces. Target and Plow &amp; Hearth are probably more accessable to you and less expensive overall.</div><div> </div><div>Hope these suggestions help. Good luck!</div>

[hockeyguy]

Great tips Valerie! I agree that replacing the fireplace doors and possibly even mantle can go a long way in helping the look and feel of your living room. I painted my fireplace as well as bought a new mantle and doors a while back. I got them all through a website called Brick-ANew. If you want to check them out here are their links:<br><br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.brick-anew.com/articles/fireplace-decorating.html">Fireplace Decorating Article</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.brick-anew.com/mantels/fireplace-mantels.html">Wood Fireplace Mantles </a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.brick-anew.com/glass-doors/fireplace-glass-doors.html">Glass Fireplace Doors </a><a target="blank" href="http://www.brick-anew.com">Fireplace Painting</a>