Makeover mission: Update a dated fireplace with paint and a modern mantel

A fireplace surround is a statement in any home, especially when it’s this huge. This dated fireplace was ready for its makeover. Here’s how we paint the stone surround and build a new modern mantel.

When I was asked to help with the makeover of this 1980s living room, I immediately fixated on the fireplace surround. It’s huge, floor to ceiling, covers half of the room, and it’s the first thing guests see.

The makeover plan

An on-trend and stylish young couple, the family room does not fit their personal style. The first time we met, the mom was visibly anxious just talking about that room.

My idea is to take the 1980s living room and create a modern family retreat for the stylish young family. ‘From stale to sleek and stylish’ is the mojo of this makeover project. So we talked about introducing a new color palette, which combines a grey-on-grey walls with a sleek dark grey fireplace surround, and painted trim.

With a focus on the fireplace surround as the main piece of this makeover, the homeowners are saying goodbye to the surrounding parts of the room that include the dull tones of wood paneling, wood trim, wood built-ins, and this oversized grey stone fireplace surround without a mantel.

If you don’t already have a fireplace, and this inspires you to get a modern fire feature in your home, a Napoleon fireplace is a gorgeous idea. You can get see-through direct vent fireplaces that are like little windows with fire inside your home. And linear fireplaces are so sleek and modern that they never look fussy or dated.

Project details

The wood paneling and bare stone fireplace surround that’s a snapshot from 1985 is ready for this makeover.

Paint the stone surround

We’re updating the fireplace with a grey-brown mid-tone hue called Dovetail from Sherwin-Williams using exterior brushes from Shur-Line. Since the fireplace is stone, it’s a lot like painting the outside of a house.

Be careful to really get in the textured surface when you paint the stone or brick. It’s easy to miss spots because of poor lighting, so either get work lights or use your phone to take a scan of the surface as you paint the stone.

Add a modern mental

Then we are adding a modern mantel to visually balance the long off-center mantel-less fireplace surround.

In keeping with the family’s modern, yet casual style, the mantel is designed as a sleek box-like shelf, deep enough to display the family’s treasures, and washed in a white-and-grey paint mix (Pure White SW 7005 + Repose SW 7015) to give a bit of the family’s beachy flair.

Now the family room is a cozy place for this young, modern family.

How would you makeover this dated fireplace?

We’d love to know. Share in the comments below, or send us a note. -t

Theresa

A handy designer and writer, she shares DIY projects, tool how-to, and home makeovers as a book author, home show speaker, DIY workshop coach, and radio host. Plus, she has a degree in journalism with a minor in architecture, and is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPs) and certified color consultant. She's created fast-paced makeovers for TV shows, and shares home trends and DIY tips as a freelance writer and guest on news shows and satellite media tours for TV and radio.

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