Brick Fireplace Makeover

We recently gave the dated brick fireplace at the cabin a facelift. For years and years we have discussed what we should do to refresh the large wall that is a focal point of the cabin. Here's a look at what we started with.

There were a few things that bothered me about this wall. The proportions were off in that the fireplace box was dwarfed by all of that brick and the windows felt too narrow and got lost in that sea of brown. To my eye, both the windows and firebox size were the main issue. Everyone who came and stayed at the cabin through the years weighed in on their opinion, many popular ideas were painting the brick, which I considered often but felt too modern for my taste. Tearing out the whole wall and building a larger natural stone fireplace would have been my first choice if budget wasn't a consideration but, alas, we are always looking for more affordable options. So we decided to attempt to "fix" the proportions with paneling and this was a seriously nerve-wracking project for me because I still just wasn't sure of any of it until it came together at the end. Because we could only work on weekends and we try to balance also getting out in the woods, it took us a few weeks to finish.

We also lived with a few Farrow and Ball samples of paint, checking out the lighting different times of day. That is Calke Green on the left and Lichen on the right. We also sampled Verte de Terre (as you can see in the upper pic) which I thought was my first choice but ended up being too light and leaned more blue in our space. Especially with Farrow and Ball, samples in the actual space have become an important step. After much debate and voting, we landed on Lichen. 

We used tongue and groove paneling purchased at Home Depot for this project. As soon as the paneling was up we were really pleased with how it helped fix the proportion of the size of the firebox. This fireplace now mimics the original fireplace that is in the kitchen and was built when the cabin was. The bricks in the family room don't have that lovely patina that the original ones do but they do still lend a rustic vibe so I'm glad that we kept some of the brick as this is a cabin in the woods after all. The fireplace in the kitchen is painted Backwoods by Benjamin Moore.

I love how the lichen lends so much vibrancy to the space and is reminiscent of the leaves just outside the windows. It reflects the light in such a pretty way too. But after we finished painting, the windows still felt a little lost to me and I started brainstorming how I could change that.  

And so I added some curtain panels using the very rudimentary Photoshop I have and I liked the proportions so much better! I reached out to my friends and VHC Brands and they were happy to collaborate on helping is finish up this space. The curtain panels are Sawyer Miller Charcoal plaid. 

They also sent us some throw pillows in their tea cabin design and I used throws that I already had on hand to complete the look.

This cabin has been in my husband's family for many years before we purchased it from them 3 years ago and so I always try to remain cognizant of everyone's memories and preferences. There has been a taxidermy deer hanging over the fireplace forever and while none of us are hunters, it has become a mascot that everyone calls Jim. And so we did add a screw to return Jim to his rightful home and I do like that I can now also change him out for a paint-by-numbers that is more my style some of the time. 

We still have plans to add wood planking to the ceiling and to add the same wood flooring that is on the rest of the main floor to this space as well. But, we are taking a break to enjoy the rest of the summer and will continue more in the fall.

Thanks for stopping by!