Living Room Tour

Keeping good on my promises you guys!  I really wanted to start back writing on my blog somewhat regularly, and sharing some of the exciting updates we've made to our place!  First up, our living room.

Since moving back into our new/old apartment in February, I've been working slowly but steadily to attack each room with updates.

I actually used to live in this apartment with my best friend Kira, but when Kris and I moved in together, he and I found a new apartment, and Kira stayed in this one that we shared. Fast forward almost two years later, she decided to move cross-country to Chicago, so Kris and I moved back in. It has a great layout, lots of natural light, and so much more space than we had in our first place together.

The only problem was that after 5 years of wear and tear, things were looking a little worn.

I've got to say, it was somewhat of a surreal experience to be living back in an apartment that used to be mine - it wasn't the normal process of getting to know all the quirks of a new home.  I already knew that the fake drawer front below the sink fell out from time to time.... that there is a super creepy clicking sound in the middle of the night as the steam heat turns on and the pipes warm up... that you have to open the refrigerator to open the dishwasher.  Nothing about the apartment was a surprise, but instead of feeling like I was coming back home, it felt like I was moving into a strangers' apartment.  The apartment was the same, but somehow it had changed in the time I was gone.  It was older.  There were more holes in the walls.  There were more scuffs in the paint.  Nothing abnormal, just older, more worn, and not mine.

Luckily for me, the process of getting everything updated and back in tip-top shape felt like a fun project to tackle instead of a massive undertaking.  It's been a slow process, but don't they say "slow and steady wins the race"?  It's taken me almost a year, quite a few gallons of paint, spackle, sandpaper, and elbow grease, but it's feeling refreshed, and most importantly, like it's ours.

Today I want to share with you the living room - it's the room where we spend the most time, and one of my favorite spots in our house. Here's where it started a few days after we moved in.

Here's what we started with:

The Bones of the Room:
The walls were all scuffed from the multiple moves, had tons of holes from past pictures and shelves, and were painted a yellowed beige color.  The fireplace had a really dirty, cracked stone facade in a peach-y color.  The curtain rods I'd hung up when I was 24 years old weren't hung straight, and were staggered to fit into the tight bay window space.

The Furniture:
We started with two sad looking love seats that I've been dying to replace for the past two years, a console table that really felt out of place for not only the space but our style.  We had our huge, dark, bulky coffee table, that took up more space than the love seats, and matching side tables.

This is not to say that I hated everything we owned.  Quite the opposite.

I really tried to be creative in our last apartment with how to make what we had work for our space - while nothing matched, and everything was a mish-mash of our starter furniture from our early 20's, I used new throw pillows and decorative accessories to doll things up, and I'll always think back fondly of our first apartment together, and all the things in it.

The truth was, all the stuff we were holding onto wasn't functioning well with the new layout, and it wasn't comfortable.  Aside from nostalgia and feeling frugal, there was literally no reason to hold onto any of it anymore.  What was worse, our old furniture, paired with the dingy walls felt especially bland and actually kind of dark and dingy, despite the light color palate.

This past year was a big one, and for so many reasons, it felt like the start of a new chapter. I turned 30 and got engaged, so moving into a new place felt like the perfect opportunity to get rid of the falling apart "starter" furniture we'd been holding onto, and invest in things we love... pieces that we'd take with us to our future homes, and have for a long time.  What I wanted was a bright space that felt new, while highlighting the lovely architectural details this space has to offer, and pieces that could transition from an apartment to a home that we own.

So what updates did the space get??

Well first, we painted - all the walls got a coat of Intense White by Benjamin Moore.

The first rule of renting is to not make changes that the landlord won't approve of.  This color is so fresh, light and neutral, we won't be re-painting when we move out.

It's hands down my favorite color of grey - coming from the same color card as Grey Owl, it's the lightest on the paint card, but it is definitely grey - not white, despite it's name.  It's a very bright, clean neutral grey, and doesn't err on the blue side which absorbs light, and can make a room feel dark.  The first color I painted was very blue, and I ended up having to paint this room twice.  Lesson learned - paint swatches and lots of research when it comes to grey.

The trim got a coat of Decorator's White - another Benjamin Moore color, and together the trim and walls look really crisp and fresh.


My goal with the walls was to minimize all the imperfections - cracks in the wall, paint blobs from drips the last time this room was painted, and little bumps and nicks, holes from pictures and shelves but as you can see it's not perfect.  I patched all the holes in the walls with spackle, sanded them down, but it's an old building, and these walls are plaster from the 30's, so there's not just 5 years of wear and tear, but almost 80 years... at least. While there are still some lumps and bumps, the paint and the touch-ups changed how bright and new the room felt.

Simple, easy to do, and inexpensive fixes with paint = huge difference.

I also updated the fireplace.

I posted about that process a few months ago, and we're still loving the updates.  The stone that was there was not very beautiful to begin with, and was so dirty and cracked - even scrubbing it, the years of soot were not going anywhere.

Here's a close up of how it looked before:

Let me also add, that this "before" picture was taken AFTER scrubbing and scrubbing... the dirt was not going anywhere.

Here was how it looked during it's facelift:

And a few more pretty afters:

Inside the fireplace, you'll notice an abundance of candles.  I would NOT light a fire in the fireplace at this point.  It hasnt been used in years, it likely is full of soot and god knows what else, and I don't want to risk setting this building on fire.

So candles are a good alternative - they are super cozy at night when they're all lit, and in the day, they offer a pretty architectural element.  As we burn them, I love the wax drips that come down the sides.

The contact paper is holding up really well, and everyone who comes over always comments how much they love it.  No one knows it's not marble, and I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell them :-)  Read about the whole process here.

Another update?  The old coffee table (which was part of a matching set) got sold to a new home on Craigslist, and we replaced it with this beauty.

This is the Box Frame Coffee Table - Café from West Elm.  Overall, we're really happy with it.  The wood is such a pretty warm color, the metal frame is incredibly sturdy, and without the storage shelf on the bottom that we had on our last coffee table, it invites less clutter, and looks really open and light.  My ONLY complaint is that it scratches easily.  It came with a few small scratches in it already, but after waiting for months for it to be delivered (it was back-ordered) the tray camouflages those little scratches, and some good wood oil also helps them disappear.

Padded coasters are our best friend.

You might also notice that those awful mis-matched love seats are gone.  Woooooo hoooooooo!!

They've also gone to greener pastures on Craigslist, and we replaced them with the BEST sofa ever made.  It's the PB Comfort Square sofa, with chaise from Pottery Barn.

First I want to say how much we love this couch.  Second, let me say that Pottery Barn was THE WORST company to work with from a customer service perspective.  Truly awful.  I won't go into all the dirty details on here since everything ended well, and we love the sofa so much, but if anyone wants to hear about our experience, send me a private message.

What we love most about it:

It has really deep seat cushions, a nice high back, and it's BIG.  It looks kind of dainty in these pictures, but Kris and I can both lay down on it without touching - he's 6'3" and I'm 5'8".  The pillows on the sofa here are 24" square, so you can really see how large it is from a scale perspective.  It's amazing.

A few more glory shots of our amazing sofa...

We got the cushions filled with down, and let me just say, it's worth the extra money my friends.  Not only can we re-fluff the cushions, but it adds this element of sinking in and being so cozy when you're curled up on it in the evenings.

Here's a close-up of the fabric.

We ordered the Textured Twill in Oatmeal after seeing it in the store on another sofa.  It is really durable for scrubbing IN CASE something spills, but has the look of a more organic linen which I love.  The other twill options are flat looking - similar to denim almost - and this color is wonderful at masking everyday wear and tear.

Kris was the one who wanted it, and he could not have made a better call here.

Final details?  The new lamps, the woven rug, layered with the cowhide from our last apartment, the new pillows, and long white linen curtains.

I ordered the pillow covers off of Etsy, and agonized over which to get.  I loved the large greek key trim, but matching the navy velvet was tough.  I wanted a small scale print to coordinate, and ended up with this Schumacher fabric.  I love the heavy weight of each - perfect for the colder months right now, and my mom and I are working on others pillow covers that we'll swap in for the spring / summer months.

The knit creme colored throw was a find at Ikea (of all places), and it's so cozy, and adds a bit of texture to the sofa.  It also lives on the chaise lounge, and protects the sofa from dirty feet.

You can kind of take a peek into the entry and the dining room, but more updates on those spaces later...

The lamps are from Target, the side tables were the ones we had in our last apartment, and while I wasn't crazy about them before, they don't bother me anymore now that the big bulky coffee table is gone.  They just sort of blend into the background, and the idea of replacing them is in the very very VERY distant future.  Like years maybe.

The large frames are from Ikea also.  A great find - the wood ties in with the coffee table nicely, and you cannot beat the price for a frame that size.  The sailing prints are from Art.com, and as my dad aptly pointed out, I've hung them in the reverse order.  It's actually two prints of one single boat!

Oops!  Need to rehang those.....

There are a few last pieces to finish to room off - a nice chair to fill in the seating area around the coffee table, a small side table for placing cold drinks, and a few more small details, but I'm really happy with where we've come in the last year.

It feels clean, refreshed, and is incredibly comfortable and welcoming, which to me was the most important part.  It was impossible to lounge around watching movies on those old teeny love seats, and all the furniture we've got now, are things I want to keep for a long, LONG time.

OH!  And I almost forgot one of my favorite things... rounding out our coffee table is the new book from Erin Gates - Elements of Style.  I love her so much, and her book is absolutely beautiful - from the striped spine that kills me, to everything inside.  One of my favorite books to flip through - not a surprise coming from her #designporn

So that's where we are!

It's taken a year to get here, and I'm sure that there are more (minor) changes to come, but I'm so happy with the space as it stands now, and let's be honest... I've got a wedding to plan, so our house will be the furthest thing from my mind in a few months.

Next update coming your way... the dining room!

Happy Monday friends!
xoxo

Our Hamptons Inspired Living Room...Coming to Life

Hey guys!!  Just wanted to check in with you - we've been making some real progress on the house which I swear I'm working on photographing and posting.  The deck is well on it's way, the dining room is in a good place (for now) and our kitchen nook has officially become Kris' office (and my little DIY spot for sanding, painting, building, and re-vamping).  It's been a huge mess for the most part over the last few weeks, but I have a few photos in a cleaned up state.  I hope to share with you later this week!

In the meantime I wanted to check in with you all on our living room.  Last time I posted about it, I'd talked about the new sofa we bought, along with the new coffee table.  Neither have arrived - actually the coffee table was supposed to be here this week but the delivery date has been pushed back.  SO FRUSTRATING.

Anyway, in anticipation of these two key pieces arriving, I put together a final inspiration board for how I see this room coming together.

It looks something like this...

I've been putting in A LOT of thought to how I want it to look, and feel.  I've posted some inspiration photos that I keep close to me at all times.  I'm still feeling really drawn to a more organic, preppy, "Hamptons" look.  Woven rugs, pretty wood in the coffee table, lamps, and picture frames, and LOTS of white and blue.

It just feels so fresh and calm to me.

Most of the details in this inspiration board are already ordered or purchased, but the finishing details are still in flux.

What still needs a decision??

The pillows - I'm planning to enlist the talent of my lovely mother to help me make larger 24" pillows for our now much larger sofa.  Right now we have 20x20" pillows, which are nice, but since the new sofa will have a back close to 10" taller than our current love seats, we are going to need something beefier on the sofa, so they don't look dwarfed.  I noticed that Pottery Barn was using 24" squares on their sofas, and loved how it filled the couch out.

In terms of fabric, I've been toying with many different patterns but one thing is for sure - a small scale blue and white stripe is happening.  I'm leaning towards the Covington Darlington pattern in the Mariner colorway.

I found it at Joann's in person, but can't seem to find it online now!  Grr!  It actually does not look quite so vibrant in person - its just really pretty and nautical.  Love.

Having this small scale stripe will read as almost a solid and will allow me to experiment with a larger pattern on the other pillows.  I learn slow, but I learn well people!

I definitely want some sort of Ikat or "enthnic" type pattern.  Not sure if that's the right word.  Tribal?? Worldly?  Who knows... not that concerned with labeling it to be honest.  A few patterns I still looovvvveeeee??

Duralee Kalah Blue.

I've posted about this one before, here and here... and I'm still totally in love with it.  So much.  It's just such a classic, and the blue is so rich and pretty.

Also, loving the Robert Allen Khandar Indigo.

I loved that the blues in this one were more light, and the background was a crisp white fabric.  But is it as classic as the Kalah blue??  Will I love it long term?? So confused.

And the final option that keeps coming back to me is the one I used in the mock up... the Duralee Woodblock Print in Indigo

Just love.  Almost as much as Kalah blue - it's more imperfect and handmade looking, whereas Kalah blue is more refined and "fancy" feeling.  Do you agree?

Still not sure which fabric to order, so if you have an opinion, I'm open to hear it!!

Other "up in the air" details - the art.  I have the frames, but no art.  I've been agonizing over this a bit because I haven't found anything I am obsessed over.  I like the sailing prints I used in the mock up, but I was really hoping to find something with more blue in it.  We have quite a few "warm" colors going on in the sofa, the natural fiber rug, the baskets, the wood table... I don't want to make it TOO warm. Does that sound weird?

I haven't ordered the prints yet, but I do like them.  Very calming colors, and they make me think of my dad (who loves to sail), and I really love that.  I definitely want to make a decision soon though so that the walls don't stay empty for long after the sofa arrives.  Since we're getting rid of both love seats, and the new coffee table is a smaller scale than our current one, the room is going to feel a bit empty at first... especially because we don't have anything to replace the second love seat with yet.

We are thinking of putting a chair in it's place (like the inspiration mock-up), and that's the last "big" piece we will be purchasing for this room.

I want something comfortable.  Something you want to sink into, but also something tailored.  I found this one at Ballard - it's the Manchester Chair:

Definitely want to check out a few other sources like Macys, since they are always having amazing sales, but I love that you can pick your fabric on this one...

Kris keeps pushing for a recliner - woof.  In his defense, we saw one at Room and Board that was a caramel leather, and really sleek - no clue it was a recliner, but it still wasn't really my taste.  We will see - if we can find one that is a compromise of comfort and style, then maybe I'll eat my words, but when I think of a recliner, I think of something like this, and that makes my stomach turn.

Anyway, that's where things stand as of now!  Hopefully, next time I'm talking about the living room, it's to post pictures of our fabulous new sofa!!!  Yay!

Fingers crossed that it doesn't get delayed like the coffee table!

xo

Plans for the Living Room

Soooo... there hasn't been much news on here about what's going on in the living room... and that's because not a ton has been going on in there since our fireplace update.

I need to take some "before" photos, even though they're more "during" photos - while the rug from the living room of our last apartment has made itself a new home in our bedroom, the furniture currently in there is the same as before for the most part.  Here's a little refresher from before we moved:

Two love seats... lots of dark fake wood furniture...  I did the best that I could with what we each brought to the apartment together, and we made it work for two years.  I actually kind of liked it once I distracted from all the things I wasn't loving (black man couch... super duper modern everything...)

Well, things are about to change... and SOON!

We just bought THIS sofa from Pottery Barn a few weeks ago. It looks a bit dwarfed in this photo, but it's big.  Really big.  And sooooo comfortable! I can't even put it into words.

We opted for the upholstered version and it's being made for us in this fabric:

It's got a subtle texture like linen, and little nubby bits here and there, and it's perfect.  PERFECT.

I originally wanted white, but everyone talked me out of it.

I mean I get it - it's just not practical.

I already know how anal I'm going to be once we get our new sofa.  People will have a glass of red wine and I'll be holding my breath the entire time.  And with a white sofa... I can't even imagine the sticky baby fingers of the adorable blonde babies we'll eventually have near this thing.  This sofa is an investment for us... something we see having for the next 10 years (at least), so I figure a textured fabric with a little grey and a little tan will help mask spills, and dirt over time.

We saw this fabric on a sofa in the store (photo below), and absolutely loved it - Kris was actually the one who noticed it.  The below picture is a really accurate representation of how it looks in real life. Much lighter than the above swatch, and I'm hoping I love it as much when this thing arrives in another month...

I'm also thrilled that we'll be getting rid of our current coffee table in the very near future.  After buying the new couch, we also bought the Box Frame Coffee Table from West Elm.  God I love that store.

Anyway, scroll back up to the picture of our old apartment for a reminder about what our current coffee table looks like.  I HATE the storage on the bottom.  It was practical for our apartment that literally had NO storage... but it always looked so cluttered.  Under the coffee table was where half of our Christmas decor lived for 11 out of 12 months of the year.  I only wish I were kidding.  Awful.

It was cluttered, and really detracted from everything else.  Plus the enormous dark coffee table was so huge, and manly.  Just this huge dark blob taking up an un-godly amount of room.  I can't wait for it to go away.

Already in our new place, we have a new rug - it's a nubby natural fiber jute rug (same one as the below picture), and it just makes things feel so light and bright.

With it I've layered our white cow hide that I adore.  I don't know that I've really ever photographed it for the blog but it's great... there's a picture of it in this post.  With the new coffee table, you'll actually be able to see it!  Hooray!

In the meantime, I'd been waffling between getting new side tables or trying to revamp what we've got. In the end, I'm going with the "revamp" option since there are other high ticket items on my list ahead of "new side tables".

What to do with them??

They currently look something like this (except the top is solid "wood") - you can see them peeking out in the first photo of this post if you need a real reminder.

They are fine - simple enough lines, functional.  I don't HATE them the same way I really hate our coffee table, but the fake wood veneer kills me.

I just haven't really known what to do with them to change them into something that I'll like, and it has been plaguing me... ok that's admittedly a bit dramatic, but it has been on my mind.

Anyway, a few weeks back, I saw this little makeover on the below chest of drawers, and knew instantly what I wanted to do...

Chalkboard paint.

No priming needed.  They look sort of like zinc which has the coolest finish, and I think that they'll fit right in with the more earthy palette we've got going on.

I mean how great does the finish on those (faux) drawers look??  Answer: amazing.

I also think that that finish will tie in really nicely with the finish on the frame of the coffee table:

I mean... right?????

So good.

Other things to think about for the living room..

Art.  That's been on my mind quite a bit lately.... some updates for you there (hopefully) soon.

Throw pillows - I want to stick with more classic patterns, and I've really been drawn to a white and cobalt color-way.  I'm also open to other shades of blue too...

Side chair - now that we're getting rid of both love seats (hooray) and replacing them with one sofa, we'll need a chair to go where one of the love seats currently is.  Should we do a solid neutral?  Too boring? What about a subtle pattern? Solid color? Something bold?

I don't know people.  There is still lots to think about, but soon it will be coming together, and I cannot wait.  Seriously... CANNOT.  WAIT.

More updates coming soon... I hope!

Fireplace Makeover

Happy Wednesday guys!  I wanted to share a project that I worked on over the weekend...

Our fireplace got a fairly substantial makeover!

We are so lucky to have a fireplace in our apartment, but as the focal point of the room, it had been looking a little sad...

Here's the evidence:

It wasn't terrible - but it had certainly seen better days.

From far away it doesn't look SO bad, but up close the stone was really dirty (and this is after about 45 minutes of scrubbing).  It also had several deep cracks running through it.  Nothing non-livable, but I'd been scheming about a fireplace update for a while.

See - up close you can really see the permanent grime and the cracks.

The stone was also really yellowed, and wasn't very pretty to begin with so I was confident that I could improve upon it's facade.  I had seen several DIY projects that got the wheels spinning.

On SMP Living they did a hack on an Ikea table that turned out amazing...

On A Thoughtful Place she tackled a small countertop in a similar fashion...

And over at I Heart Organizing, their coffee table got a sweet makeover with marbled contact paper.

All the makeovers had turned out really well, and the contact paper looked gorgeous in the photos.  After kicking the idea around for a few days, it seemed easy enough to tackle, so I placed an order for this roll of carrera marble contact paper.

I will say, when I saw the price tag, I was a little surprised, but $65 isn't a deal breaker - especially when the stone was in such bad shape.  I'd also looked into less expensive options on Amazon, but after reading some mediocre reviews I pulled the trigger on the more expensive product.

I later realized it ended up being the less expensive option in the end!  The other rolls of contact paper did not have enough for me to cover our entire fireplace, but with this roll, there is 50 feet of contact paper.

I win!

Here is the first piece of contact paper after I got it installed on the fireplace.  One long sheet covered quite a bit of the fireplace front, and so even though I wrestled to get to to lay straight and flat (no bubbles) I still had to peel it off and redo it a few times.  Regardless of the several first attempts, it went up relatively quick.

An extra pair of hands would have been helpful, but since the contact paper easily peels off without loosing it's stickiness, it was totally fine.

I made my way row by row, and did my best to match up the marbling pattern on the seams - it doesn't have to be perfect - no one is looking THAT close - but I didn't want it to be super obvious.  If you're doing a smaller space, or you don't mind wasting a bit of the contact paper to get it to line up perfectly, you should definitely try.  I was covering a large surface, and didn't want to run out halfway through, so I went for "close enough".

I measured the width carefully, and then added a few extra inches than I'd actually need before cutting it out.  Once it was up, I then used an exacto knife to cut away any excess on the sides.

After this point I was feeling good... the contact paper was going up quickly, and I'd finished the majority of the front in just about an hour, but it quickly slowed down from here...

Cutting around the molding proved to be a HUGE pain in the butt, and much harder than I'd anticipated.  I wasted a few sheets of contact paper, so it was a blessing I had plenty to spare.  I found it was easiest to leave the paper backing on while tracing the molding around the contact paper as best I could, and then cutting it out roughly, adhering the paper down, and then cutting off the rest.

There are still a few spots that aren't perfect in those tight nooks and crannies, but I'm not going to sweat it.  It's pretty well camouflaged.

Despite my exacto knife cuts, I found that when I finished the edges looked so raw still.

Not loving it.  You could really tell on the edge that it was contact paper, and not actual marble.  Ignore the messy cuts here - I ended up re-doing this section after snapping a few pictures.

Woof.  I literally could not stand it.  The seams were jumping out at me.

Pretend that these pictures actually showcase my handiwork after it was redone.  The edge between "marble" and wood still looked raw and unfinished, but the rest was smooth, and seamless.

The edge where the contact paper met the brick interior, it was also pretty raw and ragged looking.  I needed a solution.

I headed to Lowes, and wandered around the store looking for the perfect thing to trim the edges with.  I originally was thinking something brass would be awesome.  The idea of trying to cut through brass was not so awesome.  I ended up buying some pre-primed and painted wood strips - the flattest I could find, and a pre-primed and painted quarter round piece of trim.

A few cuts here and there, and presto-chango... we had some very finished looking transitions between "marble" and brick, and "marble" and wood floor.

The flat ~1" wood strips trimmed out the mouth of the fireplace between brick and contact paper, and really cleaned that up, while the quarter round finished off the area between the wood floor and the hearth.

BOOM.

It looks pretty amazing right??  I mean the trim is so subtle that most people wouldn't notice, but it really changes everything, and takes this fireplace from "pretty good", to "finished off like a pro".

A few areas still need a bit of caulk to fully seal the gap in the seam between wood and "marble" but it's looking SO GOOD.

I also have to say, taking my time, going slow, being careful to keep my cuts straight, and being meticulous about smoothing out every air bubble really paid off.  Even when it meant peeling off the contact paper, throwing away a wasted piece and re-doing it... it made all the difference.  It looks SO REAL now that it's finished.  You'd have to get your nose right in there to tell it's contact paper.

Because of the cracked, pocked marked stone underneath, those imperfections show through the contact paper a bit, but I think it actually makes it look a bit more authentic.

As for the air bubbles, they really are unavoidable as you smooth the contact paper down over the surface.  Try to get as much out as you can by pressing hard and smoothing the air out to the seams before fully sealing it down, but for the small stubburn air bubbles that remain, use a pin to pop them (I just used an earring since we didn't have a pin).  Poke a small hole in the middle of the air bubble and smooth out the contact paper around.  The air will squeeze out of the hole, the teeny tiny hole disappears, and there's no more air bubble.  Everyone wins.

I found it was really helpful to use a towel when pressing the contact paper smooth (instead of a rubber squeegee or credit card).  The instructions on the back of the contact paper said to use a towel, it it was great.  It spared my little fingers quite a bit, although I did end up with a little blister on my thumb from all the pressing.  Totally worth it though.

I mean, this is as close as it gets... pretty real.  The colors are really crisp, and the marbling is really pretty.

Here is a close picture of one of the seams - as you can see it doesn't line up perfectly, but close enough, and the seam is WAY LESS noticeable than it had been with the old stone facade.

Look at the seam now from far away... it's hardly noticeable, and certainly less noticeable than it had been with the original stone (in case you're having a hard time finding it in the picture below, it's perfectly lined up with the top of the fireplace opening).

For comparison's sake, here's a picture of the seam on the original stone - it was pretty obvious.

Finally, I want to talk about a second update to the fireplace that you probably didn't notice... look inside the fireplace at all the discoloration - the black soot, and the ashy grey stone.

Ugly.

Enter a can of this high heat paint from Rustoleum.

I'm 90% certain this fireplace is non-functioning... it certainly hasn't been used in at least the last 5 years... but functioning or not, the last thing we need is to light this building on fire.  I don't want to test this out, so we're not going to light any fires in here.

That said, this high-heat paint is meant for projects like this, so in case it ever does need to be used, we're good to go.

The paint was much more liquid-y than normal paint - almost like oil - and was super stinky.  Open the window when you use this!  Luckily, it went on in one coat, and dried relatively quickly. Now the inside of our fireplace is a uniform solid black, and the perfect backdrop for all our pretty candles.

I got the idea from Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere who had a similar set-up going at her old house.

I think the white candles against the black is really dramatic and pretty, and now it's so romantic at night.

So that's it - a little elbow grease, creativity, and about $80, and our fireplace has a whole new face!

What do you think of my little makeover?  Was it worth the blister on my finger, and about 5 hours of work?