Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Fireplace Facelifts

A major selling point for homes has always been fireplaces. People love them for the cozy atmosphere they add to a chilly winter night but they may not always love the way they look. As the largest architectural feature in your living/family room the dated brick or old fashioned mantle might be hindering you from achieving your design aesthetic. Home owners are usually wary of proclaimed "weekend projects" or "easy fixes" due to the fact that they normally drag on longer than expected and can become an even bigger headache than originally so. Well, have no fear Lunada will show you the way to give your fireplace an quick and easy face-lift that will drastically improve it's look and your entire room's look.

First of all brick is easily painted. Old red brick can be painted any color for a clean and fresh look in about an hour. Today, consumers can easily benefit from pre-fab items such as mantles. You can pick up a new mantle at Home Depot and install it yourself in a weekend for a dramatic new look. Or you can always cover up that old brick with a new stone. You can find a great stone slab at your local stone yard where they can then measure, fabricate (a.k.a. cut and fit) and install it for you. Stone is so beautiful and can be so inspiring. You may think that sounds so lame but I am serious -- throw out your preconceived notions of stone: is not made equal. Don't be scared to ask for help from the pros, they are the pros for a reason. Bring pictures of your room and maybe even some inspiration from the pages of a design magazine. Don't let that ugly fireplace stand in the way of having your dream living room!

Here are some examples of quick fixes to some Lunada fireplaces.

Before & After:


Before & After


These are more contemporary solutions, but add a wood mantle and you have a completely different look. And don't forget to take some notes from our Color Series of blogs, mantles don't always have to be white!

Be sure to check out more Lunada projects on our website: www.lunadaconsulting.com