Fireplace Designs & Decorating Ideas

A fireplace is a natural focal point in any room. Add interest and warmth to your home with these fireplace facelifts.

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Cozy Classic

Try Tile

Brick Makeover

Mantel Magic

Stone Pattern

Old Mantel, New Look

Style Determination

Blending In

Media Solutions

School of Architecture

Updated Style

Mixed Materials

Inside Interest

Kitchen- & Bath-Inspired

Storage Smarts

Up the Wall

Stone Faced

On the Level

Instant Update

Welcoming Comfort

Old & New

Dinner & a Fire

Regal Elegance

Asymmetrical Charm

Casual Comfort

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Cozy Classic

Red brick is a classic fireplace material, but if you're looking to create a lighter look, pair the crimson material with light-color walls. Here, white board-and-batten walls mesh with a traditional brick fireplace surround.

Get free quotes from local fireplace professionals.

Try Tile

Branch out from brick and give tile a spin on your fireplace surround. Available in almost endless colors and styles, tile can bring a distinct look to a dull surround. Consult your local tile shop or masonry pro to determine what materials and application are best suited for your specific fireplace.

Brick Makeover

Turn a dark fireplace wall into a crisp focal point with paint. Especially in rooms with low ceilings, a dark fireplace can make a room feel cavelike and look dated. To paint a brick fireplace, clean the surface with a wire brush and nonsudsy trisodium phosphate (TSP) to loosen grime, following the instructions on the package. Next, apply a stain-blocking primer to hide any soot stains. After the primer is dry, paint the fireplace. Higher-gloss paints will resist soot. High-temperature paints can be used on metal surrounds, but don't paint the inside of the firebox.

Get free quotes from local fireplace professionals.

Mantel Magic

A simple fireplace makeover can begin with items you already have in your home. Shop your existing inventory of accessories and display a few on your mantel for a quick, no-cost refresh.

Get more mantel decorating ideas.

Stone Pattern

A creative design and brick layout will give your fireplace a unique, custom look, even if you are cladding your fireplace in a basic material. Collect images of designs you like and work with a mason to help bring your vision into reality.

Do-It-Yourself:

Click here to get step-by-step instructions for redoing a fireplace with stone veneer.

Old Mantel, New Look

Outfit your fireplace with an antique mantel. Shop architectural salvage stores or buy a new mantel and distress it to create a vintage look.

Get free quotes from local fireplace professionals.

Style Determination

Use your fireplace to set the style for your room. In this space, rustic artisan tiles surround the firebox, and a sleek white mantel crowns the fireplace. This contrasting pair of organic texture and modern lines plays out in the furniture -- such as the organic wood-grain veneer on the clean-lined Parsons coffee tables and the classic rolled-arm sofa seated directly across from a midcentury club chair -- and in the minimalist color palette and use of organic textures.

Blending In

If your fireplace is flanked by built-ins, look at the whole wall as one large installation. Here, both the cabinets and mantel are finished in the same espresso stain for unity. Open shelves above the cabinets keep the wall from visually overtaking the space.

Media Solutions

Maintain a sleek, clean look by recessing your TV into the wall above your fireplace. Work with an electrician to relocate or add outlets so you can plug the TV in behind the unit rather than having the cords hang down in front of the fireplace.

School of Architecture

A fireplace that relies on details from the school of classical architecture will stand the test of time and can be paired with almost any style -- traditional elements to blend in or a modern aesthetic to stand out. The pilasters and dentil details on this mantel fit in with the bedroom?s timeless style, which is carried out via a four-poster, antique furniture, and a restrained color palette of navy blue and white.

Updated Style

For a look that is classic yet updated, try a mantel that uses traditional elements with clean lines. This shelflike mantel is supported by two columns -- a classic silhouette -- but it is devoid of any millwork or carvings, resulting in a crisp, contemporary style.

Mixed Materials

A wall-spanning fireplace can become visually heavy, especially if it is clad in large stones. Lift the visual burden by mixing materials. In this cottage, brick outlines the firebox and the hearth, providing an orderly reprieve from the wall's rustic, random stonework. A light-color grout will also help brighten the look.

Inside Interest

Consider the inside of your firebox part of the fireplace design, especially if the box is wide and commands a lot of space on the wall. Here, tile arranged in a herringbone pattern gives the fireplace extra style. Work with a mason to determine which materials will withstand heat inside a firebox.

Kitchen- & Bath-Inspired

Marble has long been a luxe material for kitchens and baths. This fireplace brings the material into the living room. Pairing the material with shades of gray used throughout the space exudes casual elegance.

Storage Smarts

Integrating firewood storage into the fireplace itself is a space-saving way to ensure you?re always ready to throw another log on the flames. Storing firewood in a nook next to the fireplace, or in this case, beneath the raised hearth, eliminates the need to find a place for the wood elsewhere.

Up the Wall

Take fireplace tile to the next level by installing it from floor to ceiling. The tile on this bedroom fireplace, while all white, gets its presences thanks to a unique geometric design.

Stone Faced

Make a statement with simplicity. Skipping the mantel and any ornamentation altogether, this fireplace wall is dressed in smooth granite. Incorporating wood tones and plush fabrics will soften the look of stone and make the living room feel less severe.

On the Level

In a room with low ceilings, pay attention to the height of elements within the space. Too many tall armoires or bookcases will make the ceiling seem even lower. Keep built-ins the same height as your fireplace mantel to create one visual plane. The built-in cabinets in this living room are only as tall as the fireplace?s mantel, which crowns its brick surround. Painting all of the elements the same color also helps with continuity.

Instant Update

Painting your fireplace surround can completely change the feel of a room. Take a traditional brick fireplace and give it a sleek update with a few coats of black paint. Here, the black is a bold contrast to the natural brick, as is the bright turquoise ceiling.

Welcoming Comfort

In this gathering area, dark brick covers the fireplace surround. The rustic brick suggests coziness and comfort, and the white mantel extended across the wall of the room perfectly balances the dark brick.

Old & New

Building a mantel from salvaged materials is not only eco-friendly; it also gives the fireplace an aged, one-of-a-kind look. Here, a barn beam is used as a mantel. Paired with the sleek, contemporary fireplace, the room has a cozy feel that seamlessly incorporates the best of old and new.

Dinner & a Fire

A dining room fireplace adds a warm, welcoming glow to a dinner party or simple meal. Make sure to keep comfort in mind when it comes to a dining room fireplace: Seat diners far enough away from the fire so they won't get overwhelmed by the heat.

Regal Elegance

A carved limestone surround on a fireplace gives a room a feel of regal elegance. For a dose of simplicity, an understated mirror tops the ornate mantel, reflecting light and keeping the room open and airy.

Asymmetrical Charm

Typically, mantels are the same length as the fireplace surround. But some cases call for a different arrangement. Here, because the fireplace isn't centered on the wall, the mantel was extended to add visual interest to the rest of the wall beyond the fireplace. Lofty branches arranged in a vase lead the eye upward to emphasize the room's soaring ceiling. Items of varying heights across the rest of the mantel balance the tall branches.

Casual Comfort

Painted brick helps create this clean fireplace surround. The simple white millwork, a shallow mantel with neutral accessories, and mirror on the wall above also contribute to the casual, comfortable look of the room.

Fireplace Designs & Decorating Ideas

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