Caitlin Creer Interiors
Being someone who loves fall, I also love everything cozy — and that includes fireplaces. They make a room feel warm and inviting, provide a strong focal point, and are fun to decorate for the seasons.
I usually switch up my mantel for spring, fall, and Christmas. This year, though, I’m skipping a fall mantel because the fireplace is about to get a makeover.
No, that photo is not of my fireplace. If only! The fireplace shown above and below, by Caitlin Creer Interiors, is my inspiration for the project. While our tile and hearth will differ, the treatment above the fireplace will be similar to what you see in the picture.
You might remember I mentioned plans for planking and shared some inspiration pictures. I don’t mean the kind of planking Jack likes to do — I mean horizontal paneling. This fireplace concept has been floating around in my head for a while.
Horizontal paneling will be the main change, and it’s the type of update I’m excited about for this space.
Caitlin Creer Interiors
My fireplace has always been a bit of a challenge. I appreciate having one — I love that it turns on with the flip of a switch and the mantel surround has a design I like. But the huge TV niche above the mantel is awkward. If we put a TV there, it would be too high to watch comfortably because our fireplace is unusually tall.
To keep the room functional, our TV sits on the wall to the right of the fireplace. That allows the sofa to face the TV directly, so we don’t strain our necks while watching shows.
Because I like to style the mantel, I’ve used temporary solutions to conceal the large niche, such as cupboard doors or leaning a mirror against the wall. They’ve worked, but I wanted a more permanent fix to make the space look finished.
Another issue was the tile. In photos it might read as black tile, but in reality it’s gold-flecked granite that doesn’t suit the cottage vibe I want. The large surrounding tile felt like a giant dark area, which made the whole wall feel heavy.
I’m ready to finish these lingering projects because, while I enjoy renovating, my true love is nesting. I want finished rooms where I can fluff things, relax, and enjoy the space without ongoing projects everywhere.
I’m pleased to have the staircase finished and to have the living and dining rooms to a point where they feel done for now.
The kitchen has been slower going — the functional part is essentially done, but the cabinets still need painting. Reliable painters have been hard to find in my area, so that’s stalled progress.
While I wait, I’ve made lists of other tasks to complete before the holidays. Making lists helps me feel like I’m moving forward even if work is slow.
Because the family area and kitchen share one open space, I want them to feel cohesive rather than disjointed. That’s why we removed the cabinets in the breakfast bar — to improve the flow between rooms. The image above shows how the space looked at the start of summer.
We’ve made quite a bit of progress since then, and I remind myself of that when the pace feels slow.
Earlier in the summer I had the walls painted Polished Grey by Glidden, with the ceiling in Glidden Wood Smoke. I decided to shift the palette toward blue tones instead of the previous greenish undertones, so the new colors have blue and brown undertones that look better in our light.
Although the paint reads more gray in some lights, it definitely reads blue in ours, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I like it. Once the room is fully arranged and decorated, I expect to love it even more.
And yes, there is a mattress leaning against our wall — there always seems to be something large and random in progress around the house. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.
We painted the wall color a bit lower and used a slightly darker ceiling color to make the room feel cozier despite the high ceiling. The plan was to separate the two colors with a flat molding trim to add architectural interest.
That’s still the plan to complete, along with other finishing touches.
Today our kitchen contractor returned to help with these lingering projects. We’re not natural DIY carpenters, so having professional help increases the chances that these projects will finally reach completion. I’ve added a few tasks in the hall and main entry to create a more cohesive look throughout the house.
If only I had a full-time assistant to keep up with all my ideas.
After the cabinets are painted and the trim work is finished, the remaining tasks are replacing the flooring between the kitchen and family room, painting all the trim, and installing new bamboo blinds. We’re making steady progress toward the finish line.
Thanks for following along!
Stay tuned at 7PM PST for the Fall Nesting Mantel & Porch link-up.
Come back to share your fall posts — I’ll have the link-up ready then.
If you missed the last Fall Nesting party and want to see what was linked up, you can find those links in the Fall Around The House post.