Oh, girls! We have been so busy around here! So busy, I didn’t even have time to post yesterday and share what we’ve been up to. But if feels so good to be getting things done.
One of the major things that I have been wanting to get checked off our list was our fireplace makeover.
I have never liked our fireplace every since we moved in our home over a year ago.
I’ve wanted to get my hands on that thing for-eva!
Here is what it looked like exactly one month ago. We were installing the hard wood floor at that time.
The fireplace had these four vents that were huge eyesores. I knew I needed to get rid of them or paint over them.
I took them off and found a lot of cobwebs.
There also used to be a small brown mantle on this fireplace that had been glued down and was barely hanging on. Adam pulled on it one day while standing on the fireplace, and down it went! I wasn’t mad because I was wanting to get rid of it anyway. 
We only had a small ledge left.
So can you agree with me that this fireplace was in need of a makeover?
Well, my first thought was to white wash the brick. I LOVED the wall my wall in my bathroom turned out (you can see that HERE), so why not try it on my fireplace?
Let’s just say that it was a project fail. I didn’t water down the paint enough, and it went on the brick way too thick.
I disliked it so much, that I didn’t even take a picture of it.
But I did find this one when Cy was working on the floor. (Yes, my sweetie works in his dress socks.)
As you can see, it didn’t turn out like I had hoped.
So we moved on to plan B. Which was really plan A, but I thought I would try white washing it first to see how it turned out. I knew I could cover it up if I didn’t like it.
We were so excited when Kevin and Layla posted their fireplace makeover just a couple of weeks ago! It couldn’t have been a more perfect timing, and Cy used it as his guideline. He had to do some things differently because of the ledge and vents on ours.
Cy got busy on building a surround for the fireplace, and I will share the steps with you tomorrow. This long post would be even longer if I included all the steps in it!
He worked his tail off on this surround!
So are you ready to see it?
I haven’t decorated it yet, so it’s all naked, but it still looks pretty to me.
Now let’s look at the before and after side by side…
Yikes! I love it!!!
Now I get to have fun decorating it.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a tutorial of how we did it.
Have a blessed day!
UPDATE:
Here is what our mantel looks like now:
looks AMAZEing!!!!!!! you & your hubby sure are handy and I love how you achieve your visoin together.
Thank you so much, Kristin!
OH TRACI!!! It turned out FANTASTICALLY! WOW!!!!!
Thank you, Kristy!
WOW!!!! Love, Love, LOVE it!!
Thank you, Kim!
“Shut the front door!” that is fabulous! Wow, I love it! Can’t wait to share this post with my hubby, he’s going to flip!
It’s awesome Traci!
Thank you so much, Cindi! We are thrilled with how it turned out.
LOVE it Traci! It looks wonderful!!
Thank you, Mandy!
Traci, it turned out great! It looks Fabulous!!!! My husband is handy like yours! What a blessing to have them!
LOVE!!! You just made my day!! I have an ugly fireplace that I have been wanting to change forever too and this is just the perfect idea!! Thanks so much for sharing all your amazing talent! it looks so beautiful!
You are a lucky lady! We only have a wood burning stove and it’s in the corner – no mantle so I don’t get to decorate it :(
Nice makeover guys..I had to redo my fireplace as well.
Kevin those weird vents got me thinking if they were probably some heat vents (attached to the housing of the fireplace) so when the fireplace got hot it would push out hot air from the top vents. The lower vents were air intakes. This is kind of what the fans do in the gas insert fireplaces today. I have a blower at the bottom of mine it comes on by a heat sensor attached to the housing so when the fireplace gets up to a certain temperature the fan energizes sucking in from the bottom of the fireplace thus blowing out hot air from the top into the room maximizing efficiency.
The cold goes in the bottom one and heat comes out the top of my wood burning fireplace, too. Its ugly but functional. When the power goes out we can heat our entire one level home with it. Nice to hang containers of water on top vents for added moisture in air.
Wow! It turned out beautifully! It makes me wish I had a fireplace. Enjoy
Woahhhhh! My mouth literally is hanging open at the after pic. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I can’t wait to see the whole room. You guys are so handy.
Best transformation evah!
It’s awesome! I love it and can’t wait till you decorate it for Christmas!
Oh good grief Charlie Brown …!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys NEVER cease to amaze me and I already know you guys are amazing … so you’d think I’d get used to it by now!!
Absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE it! Great job…
I enjoy reading your blog so much! always excited to see a news update on your home!
Thanks of being who you are!
I absolutely LOVE it! Esp. with the black paint on the bricks! Gorgeous!
Traci and Cy I LOVE IT!!!! I can’t wait to see how you decorate it!!!!
It’s gorgeous!!! Well done.
Amazing!! Not that I would think anything less. You are Cy make the most amazing team, and have a super talent. That fireplace is wonderful, and I cannot wait to see it all dressed up!!
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! You guys are so talented!
You have outdone yourselves once again! WOW is all I can say.. and GORGEOUS!! I’m loving it.. can’t wait to see the tutorial.. our fireplace is pretty sorry and could use some sprucing up. Thanks again Traci for another beautiful, inspiring makeover :-)
God Bless,
Jeana
This one left me speechless! WOW!
Joyce
HOLY MOLY! Its gorgeous!
What a brilliant idea! I love it!
It looks AMAZING!! I LOVE it Traci!!
Oh wowsers. I love it! It’s gorgeous my friend. xoxo
It’s beautiful! I saw that same post from Layla and wanted to do the same thing to my fireplace, but mine would be harder to do. We would have to cover three sides of it with board and that could be pricey/time consuming/hard. Our fireplace sticks out quite a bit from the wall. Your finished product definitely makes me want to try though…it’s beautiful!
Amazing transformation!! Great job!
Judy
Wow!! It looks so beautiful now! Love it!
WOW! That’s incredible!
Love it! Wish I had a fireplace so I could copy it! :-)
Big Huge Wow!! Amazing!!
I love it! What an awesome job Cy did! What a lucky lady to have a hubby that can do everything you want to your house! I can see the wheels spinning in your head as you decide how you want to decorate it! Oh, how fun!
I would have never thought to do that! So smart! I love it so much. I can’t wait to see it all decorated!
Gorgeous, Traci! I love the color on the brick and how it contrasts with the white surround. Can’t wait to see it all decked out ;)
BEAUTIFUL! I can’t believe that is the same fireplace!!!
Oh Traci (I’m making a long, loving sigh right now.) It is absolutely beautiful. That turned out way better than I was picturing as you were going along in your post. All I can say is WOW! I love it. I really cannot wait to see you put your decorating touch on it.
Very nice job.
It looks amazing!!! I can’t wait to see how you decorate it!
It looks fantastic! Such a great architectural element now – can’t wait to see how you did it, as a fireplace makeover has been on my to do list for awhile now…
love the surround! Now you and Layla and Sarah make me want to do some sort of treatment to the wall above my mantel. I don’t have brick and the bottom is fine but I love the molding on top! :) Not sure I am in love with the black brick but I think it it will grow on me as you decorate the mantel and the rest of the room. ;) Great job, Cy and Traci!
I love it Traci…. even better than the white-washed brick! Looks sooo good! Can’t wait to see it decorated… esp. for Christmas! :) Blessings!
That. Is. Gorgeous. !!
Beautiful!
Traci, this absolutely made me giddy! It’s so beautiful! I love how it turned out. Great job!!! The colors of your home inspire me. I am currently transforming my kitchen. The cabinets are going from barn red aged with black to creamy white uppers and beige lowers. I cannot wait to have it all finished. :)
GORGEOUS! What a night and day difference – I just love it!
Fabulous!!!!!
1st word that popped out of my mouth when I scrolled down to the ‘After” – WOW! Nothing else really covers it. FAN. TAS. TIC.!!!!
LOVE IT!!!!!!!
Wow, it now just looks so much bigger…. and grander….. and really pops! Lovely job.
Love the boards above the mantel. I too just redid my fireplace – 12″ wide of dark brick with ledge is now travertine tile and some wall space, and the mantel was remodeled to work in the new tiled area. Love the inspiration.
Sorry mean to say 12 feet, not 12 inches.
Wow! That looks SO GOOD! I love the color you painted the bricks. I don’t know if I could ever talk my husband into painting the bricks of our fireplace, but I’m definitely considering it now. Great job, Cy!
It is so beautiful….you have a great gift. I never can visualize how things will look when done, but you do a great job. My hubby is much better at diy than I and I’m thankful for that. Can’t wait to see it decorated. Just in time for Harvest Time
Oh my gosh, Traci!!!! It’s BEAUTIFUL!!! Your Cy is truly an amazing craftsman, girl! I can see why you’re head over heels in love with it…..and him. lol! GREAT job!!!
xoxo laurie
Oh I love the fireplace re-do. I am never surprize to what you can do, I gave that up a long time ago. Beautiful… Thankes for sharing.
It’s beautiful! I love love love it. I have a question for you. I have a GIGANTIC brick fireplace that takes up a huge portion of our front sitting room. It comes 4 feet out from the wall and goes all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. I love it for it’s uniqueness but it does not fit my color scheme. It is cream and the rest of our home is white, taupe/grey, black. Would white washing cream brick be a good look or just awful? It is so huge & such a focal point in our living/dining area that I don’t want to mess up. Thanks Tracey! You’re amazing!!!!
OHHHHHHH, how beautiful! You two are wonderful together – I need to show my husband what a wonderful team you make! Great job!
Love it! The first time I saw Kevin and Layla’s I shot the post to my aunt to encourage her to change her ugly brick beast! (she had been trying to come up with at way to change it of course;) I’ll just have to tempt her with yours too!
Amazing transformation! It looks great!
Love, love, love your fireplace makeover. Can’t wait to see your home when you are all finished.
That looks great!!
WOW! You guys did an amazing job! I love the colors and just the whole look of the area. I cant wait to see what you use to decorate it with – I have always wanted a mantle like that to change with the seasons :) Great job!
I’m so excited for you! I love the new fireplace surround. It really compliments the other updates you’ve made and flows so well with the rest house. You must be feeling so proud!! Can’t wait to see the final living room reveal…
Sharon
Fireplace looks awesome. It makes me want to change mine but my ceiling is so high. I have to admit, when I saw the exposed brick painted in black I was shocked initially…..but now I see how it ties in with the door. You are so smart!!!
beautiful”)
Oh my lands wow. I gasped when I saw it.
Can’t wait to see it all decorated!
Amazing, Traci! Your Cy is a miracle worker — can’t wait to see how you decorate it. Have fun!
xo Heidi
Oh Traci–this has to be my favorite project so far–at least I think so, there have been so many. You guys have really outdone yourselves. Congrats–Belinda
Cy and Traci, What a great job you have both done. I also was a little shocked at the black brick, but immediately noticed the refreshed black front door to tie it together. Do you two realize if you could clone yourselves and put that listing on ebay, you could be independently wealthy!! Oh wait, there are those four handsome, well-behaved boys coming up the ladder!! Lucky you.
Linda S. in NE
Wow…that’s so cool!
Traci, it’s gorgeous! I don’t need the step by step to tell me that it’s beautiful. :)
I love it! I like the grey brick. I just posted today about the make over on my mother’s fireplace check it out it ya have time.
http://lesrondabatchelor.blogspot.com/2012/10/nanas-day-fireplace-redo.html
Oh wow, Traci!! I love the makeover. Loved what Kevin & Layla did too and you knocked this out of the park. Tell Cy he does some fabulous work. Enjoy, I know you’re excited to get finished too. xoxo
Way to go, Cy! Traci, it’s just beautiful. I know you’re relieved to have that project DONE–and what a difference it’ll make in your home! I’m so glad for you!!
As usual Traci, it’s absolutely gorgeous! Cy certainly does beautiful work. It’s certainly worth having to buy dress socks a bit more often when you get results like this! If I had a fireplace, I’d probably be copying this idea, but alas I don’t. Still waiting to see what you do with the window in the bathroom. I just saw an idea on Stay at Home-ista. They put in a normal window, but it looks like they have marble around the outside of it and then they installed a frameless piece of glass on the inside edge on hinges so it can swing open to wash the window. She says it works wonderfully. Sharon
LOOKS AMAZING! I can’t wait to see how Cy did it! :-)
I love how you painted the brick black. Gorgeous!!
You should check out Camille Roskelly”s fireplace makeover at Simplify blogpost. The top part of your makeover is identical to hers. Nice job
Love this! Holy smokes what a transformation. Sorry if you mentioned this and I missed it but what did you do with the vents? We have an old 1970’s fireplace that is about to meet my diyness soon and those darn vents are stumping me!
WOW! What a beautiful transformation! Yes, I just did give my fireplace a dirty look for looking so…blah. haha! Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve had materials sitting here for a year to do something with it. Maybe the fireplace glared right back at me since I’ve neglected it. lol
Have a great weekend, Traci!
This is a wonderful transformation. I love that you used the dark grey on the hearth. Just perfect.
I love this, Traci. The contrast between the grey and the white is perfect. Makes me want to get on our mantle project- pronto. Thanks for sharing.
Wowzers! Great transformation Traci and I bet you can’t wait to get started prettying it up some more!. Have fun and I can’t wait to see her all decorated.
xoxo,
Kim
Wheeww!!So stunning!Very unique outcome!Great job :)
Thank you!!! This is exactly what I have been looking for! Our fireplace is a BIG project right now ( along with many others)!! I cant wait to try this!! Thank you again <3
On my gosh you are so lucky!! It is so beautiful and so is the entire room! We are in a stinkin rental and feel like we will never find a house. You are so blessed! What a gorgeous job! Kudos to Cy and also to you!
I also have a fireplace with the four vents and everything I read says not to cover them. Do you use your fireplace and if so, have you had any problems?
Hi Tara,
We are not using our fireplace. If we do, we will probably use gas logs.
Hope that helps! :)
Traci
Hello Beneath my Heart
Saw ur fireplace redo on Pinterest. What color gray/black is the brick painted? Thanks! It looks great!
Shelby
It’s called, “Ebony Fields” at Lowe’s. I used Valspar paint.
wow…what an improvement…..just beautiful.
Does the fireplace still work even though the 4 vents were covered with wood? I love how it turned out! Did you learn any other options for removing the 4 vents? My fireplace is the same. Thanks!
Cristina,
We currently do not use our fireplace because we need to get the chimney cleaned, but yes, it still works without the vents. :)
Love love love the new look. What did he use for the ceiling moulding? Looks nice but simple to let the fireplace get all of the attention.
We just used a simple 1×4 for our molding. Thanks for stopping by!
I know I’m about four years behind, but holy cow that is an amazing transformation! I am totally copying you! Thanks for posting.
YAY! That makes me happy! Thanks for your kind words. :)
What color of grey paint did you use?
It’s called “ebony fields.” I got it at Lowe’s.
Unsure if anyone else addressed this but if your house is older, then I probably know what those vents are. They’re a passive draft system that heats a room beautifully. Basically the (original) firebox would be a heavy gauge steel or iron that conducts heat well and behind/around it is a series of ducts. Once you get the fire hot enough, this heats the air inside the ducts, which double back on themselves, and forces it to rise and be expelled out of the top pair of vents while creating a draft that sucks air in through the bottom set. My house, which dates to the 30s, has an unmodified fireplace with this design and you can get the room as hot as if you had the central heat on with a well-built fire.
Taylor thanks for your post. I have a house with a fireplace like this, too. I wasn’t sure how common they were, but I appreciate that you posted your information.
I do like my fireplace, but the makeover that was done her looks very nice.