Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Seaside Inspired Mantle


For some reason (as if I don't have enough to do) I've been itching to change my fireplace mantle around, so I've been working on a new look for the past few days and thought I'd share what it looks like now.

Just for fun, I took a look at some old photos and this is what the room looked like just before we moved in almost six years ago.

BEFORE:



AFTER:



Aaaahh, it's like a breath of fresh air! I've been working on the painting above the mantle for the past week and it's been a lot of fun.

A very sweet reader, Lisa Zimmerman, let me know that she had some old doors in her barn that she wanted to get rid of, so I picked them up.  My husband cut one of the doors in half, and I used it for this painting.



The white sconces on either side of the painting came from Ikea. I covered some old books with scrapbooking paper, then tied them together with twine. And the two topiaries on top of the built-in bookcases came from a yard sale.



You can see in the "before" picture that the fireplace was brick and was really sooty. One day I just decided to go for it and paint over the brick. The paint has lasted really well and it really brightens the rooms. I painted the top of the mantle a dark brown color.

In case you were wondering, the wall has paneling on it and we painted over it.




The photo blocks are made from wood blocks that I decoupaged photos onto.


I should have done this mantle re-do a few months ago since it's a "summery" look, and I should be thinking about decorating for fall soon.

Oh, well! At this stage of my life, it's better late than never!



9 comments:

  1. Looks great . . . I am thinking about painting our fireplace white and this seals the deal for me. :) Just curious . . . one of the signs on your header says "Bethany Beach" . . . would that happen to be the Bethany Beach in Michigan? We go there all the time and love it.
    ~cheryl

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  2. Wow, what a difference paint makes! I love how you updated the room by painting the fireplace.

    Also love your summery painting!

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  3. It's not that you got your summer idea up late, you've already got it planned out for next summer!
    It looks nice!

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  4. What a great transformation! Love the art..., and the photo cubes!! I might actually do that! You might get a kick out of this post I did earlier ..., lots of beachy mantels! See here.
    Just landed on your blog for the first time..., off to browse a bit!

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  5. Love the transformation! IMO everyone should paint thee brick fireplaces if the before/after is this awesome! Thanks for sharing your beautiful decor ideas with decor-hungry souls like me. :)

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  6. I love that door painting! That I think I might try if you don't mind it would look great in bedroom! You are just amazing!

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  7. Just stumbled on your blog while looking for sea inspired decor. I love your summery mantel! Especially the painting on the old barn door. Genius!

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I love hearing from you! Thanks for your comments! ~Aimee

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