Sometimes it's the smallest touches that make the biggest impact. That is so true for this one space I'm working on. My clients have a very contemporary style but their home architecturally has very traditional influences so the trick or should I say challenge is to seamlessly bring both styles together so it flows without competing or feeling disjointed. I'm firm believer that you cannot ignore the architecture of a home when designing the interiors; you have to find a way to unify both.
One the biggest challenges to accomplishing this in their family room has been their fieldstone fireplace. It's a gorgeous two-story fireplace but it seemed too rustic and traditional to really fit in with their more contemporary style. It felt very disconnected from what was happening in the rest of the room.
{Room before pic}
But here's the bigger challenge, we needed to find an inexpensive way to change this. I found some gorgeous inspiration online that definitely had a more contemporary feel but they'd require and entire redo of the fireplace which definitely wasn't in the budget. Plus, these styles all felt too modern for their home.
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I sat staring at this fireplace thinking what could we do that is low budget but big impact and it hit me, "the mantel". What if we just changed out the mantel to something more streamlined and did it in a finish that spoke to the other wood tones in the space? We priced it out and turned out this was in the budget and completely doable – yeah!! So, we came up with a design that would fit over the existing mantel and my clients hired a contractor who they've trusted for many years, Dave Clark, to complete the work. I think he did an AMAZING job – don't you?
We also decided to lean a couple of pieces of artwork on the mantel versus just hanging one piece above. This definitely gives it a more relaxed look. I'm so excited how this turned out and even more excited that now the fireplace feels like part of this space – like it belongs. We're still working on adding a few more finishing touches to this room but what difference changing out that fireplace mantel made. Yes, sometimes it's the littlest detail that can really bring something into a space!
P.S. – If you'd like help creating a space that is uniquely yours, contact me about our design services and setting up an inquiry call to learn more.
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