Hello! I’m excited to share our fireplace remodel project with you guys. Welcome back to the High Cotton Style Guide, and if you haven’t been here before, thank you for stopping by! We moved into our current house back in May, so we’ve been here about 8 months. The house was built in 2002 and is still in fantastic condition. But as a lover of home design and decor, I look at every room and see a potential project!
When we looked at houses, we weren’t necessarily looking for a remodel. The first house we looked at was perfect – even by my standard. Unfortunately we got beat to the punch and someone put an offer on it before we could make our move. But, I truly believe that God had our current house prepared and waiting for us!
The houses we looked at were completely move-in ready. But I need to be able to put my own personal design touches on a space. So, an “older” home that’s still in great shape is just what we wanted. We found this house in the perfect, private neighborhood and I felt like it wanted my help.
This house has a great floor plan, a fantastic view and neighborhood, and plenty of space for us. I just want to add a little bit of personality to it! The first project on my list was the fireplace because I knew exactly what to do with it (more on this later). I wanted to take it from this boring, dated, brick corner fireplace to something more modern.
Fireplace Inspiration
My first major fireplace inspiration came from one of the houses we looked at while house-shopping. It had a floor-to-ceiling black fireplace and I absolutely fell in love with the look of it. It looked modern and unique but still really cozy and warm. The dark, moody paint color made it the focal point of the room.
I also always get major inspiration from the design aesthetic of the girls of The Spoiled Home, CC and Mike, and Studio McGee. They use a lot of moody paint colors and cozy textures, but put a modern spin on their design projects. Their dramatic style is really eye-catching, but crisp and clean (sharp, as my grandpa would call it) decor. I love a good mixture of rustic and refined.
I drew from all of that for my fireplace inspiration and decided just to go for it and paint the fireplace black. We had already used this exact black paint color on the board and batten we installed in our powder bath (still need to post about that). We got out our leftover paint and started by painting the brick portion of the fireplace.
Framing out the Fireplace
Next, we started by framing out the fireplace. I wanted to add the top and make it floor-to-ceiling for a couple of reasons. First, we wanted a TV mounted on top of the fireplace (I know, a design faux pas, but really it makes the most sense for us). I also just felt like having half of a fireplace in the corner looked a little dated and awkward.
My idea was to remove the white shelf topper before we framed the rest of it out and added a mantel. Dale, being the creative but practical thinker he is, decided it would just be easier to build a frame on top of what was already there. (Duh!) That saved us demolition efforts and mess.
Dale built a frame that we could attach the drywall to and placed it on top of the existing fireplace. Not removing the existing topper made this easier, because he could just place the frame on top of what was already there. He drilled it into place, attaching it to the studs in the walls and to the top of the existing fireplace.
Moving the Electric Box
This next step was doable for my husband because he had the necessary experience, but I would highly suggest hiring an electrician. We moved the electric box/receptacle out from the wall to the frame using a 5′ piece of Romex indoor electrical wire. This was an important step because otherwise the receptacle would have been hidden underneath the drywall.
Drywall, Taping, and Mudding
Next we needed to attach the sheets of drywall, tape, and mud them. This process requires a little more time because you have to let the mud dry, then sand it, and then repeat those steps. Dale did a fantastic job taping and mudding. From what I understand there is a little bit of an art to it to make sure you get the right amount on without over-doing it. (If you don’t do it just right the mud can crack and fall apart.) We ended up mudding it two times (letting it dry and sanding it in between).
Once all of that was finished, we painted the top half of the fireplace with that same black paint color. I thought about adding shiplap or something for more interest. But we figured, since we were mounting the TV most of it would be hidden anyway. It turns out I really like just the flat drywall because it looks more modern, and the brick on the bottom helps to balance it out.
The Mantel
I am in love with the mantel, (I know that sounds silly) because the wood just really bring a lot of warmth to the room. Since the walls are white, my rug is white and grey, my couches are white(ish) and the fireplace is black, the wood really breaks all of that up. It brings a slight bit of rustic warmth to the otherwise modern space.
We chose pine for the mantel (1×10″ and 2 1X8″s) in case we totally messed it up. Dale built floating shelves for me in our old house so we essentially did the same thing here. He created 3 floating shelf cases to attach to the fireplace (it has 3 sides). He used a circular saw to cut 45 degree angles. This way the seams are mostly hidden, and you can’t see the edges or ends of the wood. However, we did use quite a bit of wood filler on the front cracks (the cuts didn’t line up properly, but we decided to go with it). I actually like that it brings some interest to the stain color.
After the wood case was attached around the existing mantel, we filled the knot holes and seams with wood filler. Once the wood filler was dry, we sanded the wood. Then Dale applied 2 coats of stain (letting it dry in between) and then finished it up with an oil-based polyurethane coat. We created a mix of stain using MinWax Golden Oak and Special Walnut. I love the finished look!
All Finished Up
After the mantel was all dry, we finished up by mounting our new TV (thanks to a Black Friday sale), and I added a couple of small decor items to the mantel. I still haven’t totally decided how I want it decorated. For now, I’m loving the minimalism. This room has become one of our favorites in the whole house. We spend the most time here now because it’s cozy, and Dean can play with his toys while we cook and watch TV (mostly sports in our house). I am so happy with the way it all turned out!
I should also mention how much I love my husband for taking my ideas and making them happen. He is seriously an angel and he only complains sometimes (ha!).
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading all about our fireplace remodel. I chose to accent it with a gold-framed gallery wall, which you can read all about here. (I include how we hung all of the frames and some tips/tricks!)
Check back soon for some more remodel projects because I can’t stop and won’t stop (sorry Dale). I love sharing these with you guys but more importantly I love hearing your feedback! Come visit me on Instagram (@caitminschy) or comment on this post to share what you thought about this project!
Until next time!
xo, Cait
