David Easton told me that the one piece of furniture every living room needs is a fireplace! LOL. And, he's right! The fireplace is the natural focal point. But what if it's ugly? Oh, not at first glance--after all, it's centered on the wall, is imposingly tall, and has a classic Georgian mantel finished in high gloss paint. What's not to like? Let me count the ways in which I see this "builder's special" design as an eyesore.
1. The architectural style of the two-story home in an upscale gated community is commercial Old World, replete with (a) doric columns between the living room cum great room and entry hall, (b) stone-look tile flooring, and (c) an arched-top niche above a fireplace. Problem: The all-too-classic Georgian mantel. Eeek! Why, in heaven's name, did not the builder simply create an Old World mantel/fireplace surround? If I knew who the builder was, I'd ask him! I really cannot tolerate this incompatibility.
2. The fireplace surround and hearth are the same stone-look tile as the floor! What? The builder couldn't afford to use any other material? Oh, I know--he got a huge discount on the tile by buying quantity!
3. The trim on either side of the tile surround is a thin strip of decorative quarter-round! What? Yes! Painted white, to match the mantel. Of course, the walls are a lovely beige textured surface--suitably Old World. So the white too-thin trim stands out like 2 sore thumbs! Does this bug me? YOU BET!
What to do about this eyesore that won't cost me an arm-and-a-leg? (Yes, it's MY fireplace.) After all, I'm hell-bent on investing in gold, not pouring into a house dollars that I may not get back. (You may or may not know that I was Public Relations Counsel to The Nelson Rockefeller Collection. Nelson Rockefeller--not a poor man--commended me on my practicality when I specified foam cups for a Press Party at his NYC store.)
Okay--at least for the short term, here's what I did. I stuccoed over the stone-look ceramic tile and painted tile surround, trim, and mantel the same beige as the wall. SHERWIN WILLIAMS mixed the color perfectly! Now, this eyesore is less blatantly w r o n g. I'll live with it until I'm convinced the economy is moving in the right direction and I'm willing to tear out mantel, trim, and tile and re-design/re-build the fireplace in an architecturally appropriate design! But, for the time-being, looking at it no longer makes me nauseous. Instead, I'm eyeing the back porch.....
HAPPY DECORATING EVERYONE.
