Mantle Redo

I found a print that I really liked for my fireplace mantle over the weekend that has inspired me to work on the fireplace this week (more on this new artwork in a subsequent post!).

The wall above the fireplace used to be dark purple (aka "Sweet Bark"). You can still see some of it that I haven't gotten to yet in other pics. Anyways, I primed the wall and painted it the cream color (Behr's "Wild Honey") that I have throughout other areas in my home. The mantle was a soft candlelight color while the brick fireplace was white, and not the freshest of whites either. Here you see the finished wall color with white primer on the brick and the mantle scraped and sanded down and ready for priming.

Here I'm in the middle of painting the brick (Behr's "Ultra White" in eggshell finish). It is astonishing how much brighter the finish coat is than the primer! I love how the white looks against the cream color! You may notice the mantle is primed now too.

Halfway done with the brick! Thank goodness the fireplace isn't any bigger than this. I was getting REALLY bored painting all of that brick. They have a lot of texture to them and it takes a lot of brush wiggling to get the paint in all of the grooves.

And... VOILA! Here's the brick, mantle, and wall all finished! I put Behr's "Ultra White" semi-gloss on the mantle—I want the mantle to have a little more shine than the brick. This will match all of my other woodwork, which will also be done in the semi-gloss. Will put a second coat on the mantle tomorrow.

By the way, did you notice that inset space on the brick just above the firebox? It's inset about an inch and is about 9"x 18". Why is that like that? Anyone?? Did homeowners put something in that void back in the day? That space is calling out to me. I feel like I should put something there. I found this pediment the other day and it will fit perfectly. What do you think of that idea? And if I decide to put it in there, should I leave it colored the way it is or paint the pediment white like the rest of the fireplace?

What do you think, Puppers?

BAH! She doesn't care...