Decor help plz!

mamie329 · March 2010

I posted this on D&R but am hoping for some more suggestions. The seller of our new house was SUPPOSED to be selling us her faux fireplace, which I wanted. I think it adds some visual interest to the big living room, and I like the way the white pops out against the dark greige wall.

But she sold it to her sister.

So now I'm wondering if I should just buy my own (can get something similar on Overstock for $183._ Is it worth it? Can I do something else with that space?

SBS0628 · March 2010

I think it looks good. It adds visual interest to the wall, and plays well with the white trims on the walls/doors.

Is it $183 plus shipping? Are you or W particularly handy (i.e., could you make it from scratch for cheaper?)

angelfire0412 · March 2010

Maybe check some local thrift stores for one? I know my mom just donated hers to St. Vincent de Paul. I think it's ok, but I don't think I would spend $200 on a fake fireplace. I would rather hang something with more character, I think even finding a cool looking old door or window would be awesome!

hawkilady · March 2010

I wouldnt spend the money (but I'm also cheap) - could you do some ladder bookshelves or is the a way to rearrange the furniture to put the focus somewhere else?

I dont think you would notice the fireplace was missing if you never knew it was there and didnt arrange the room so it was the focal point.

SBS0628 · March 2010

Wait...maybe my dumb California brain is confused...

Is the fireplace not in the wall? It was my understanding that the black part (like, the icky metal grate) was attached to the wall and just the white decorative exterior (essentially, a big ole' frame) was the part that was now missing. As such, you kinda HAVE to do something about the fireplace still being in the wall, right?

But from the other posts, perhaps the fireplace is a stand alone unit? Like, it's just a blank wall now? Seriously, I don't mean to come off as a total idiot, but I've NEVER seen/heard of that before...so if it's real, please correct me.

mamie329 · March 2010

Haha, it's not attached to the wall. It's a moveable faux fireplace (that you heat with either electricity or gel inserts). I like it primarily as a decor piece and not as a heating source. Our house isn't all that big that I think we would need extra heat, but who knows.

mofe · March 2010

I thought it was attached to the wall when I saw it the first time. Now that I can tell it is plugged in I don't like it as much. I think you should move what you have and than decide if you want another one, or if you want to do something different.

megs1383 · March 2010

i love the look of the fireplace, but considering the cost, I'd probably go a more functional route... like someone mentioned getting nice bookshelves... or maybe you could do a nice entertainment center as the rooms focal point. My brain always wants bigger pieces of decor to have storage in it, bc i absolutely HATE clutter and am always to make sure everything has a place to be put away.

I LOVE the wall color in your living room by the way! I've been searching for something similar for my house...

mamie329 · March 2010

Thanks all! For some reason I was attached to that mantle. I'm hoping I can achieve a similar look with something more functional I guess. I'll keep looking!

mamie329 · March 2010

megs, have you done any painting yet? I do love that color, and the DR (which is a lighter shade, more gray) color. It's like a dark greige to me.

hawkilady · March 2010

Megs in the picture it looks very much like the color of my kitchen which is "Sauteed Mushroom" (I think its Behr but it might be Valspar, can't remember if we got it at Lowe's or Home Depot) but it looks great with white woodwork and our white cabinentry.

megs1383 · March 2010

yeah I was lookign for sort of a modern grayish-tan color. Kind of neutral but dark enough to make the white trim and fireplace pop.

We havent painted anything yet... we wanted to live in it a little first to really figure out what we want, btu now we'll be busy with the new puppy for a while, so hopefully we can do all the painting sometime this summer...

Leigha12 · March 2010

Mames, I agree with the other ladies. I'd hold off. See what you can do and make the place your own vision before trying to replicate what it was before. Target has some really cool leaning shelves that would make a great wall space taker.

mamie329 · March 2010

Leigha12:
Mames, I agree with the other ladies. I'd hold off. See what you can do and make the place your own vision before trying to replicate what it was before. Target has some really cool leaning shelves that would make a great wall space taker.

You're right. I need to slow down. We don't even need that much! Except a dining room table and chairs for our formal DR. And two area rugs. Oh, and the storage cabinet for extra pantry space in the kitchen. And a lawnmower. And new entry doors. And paint for the second bedroom. :-/

stephriz · March 2010

The white really pops against that wall, but you can get that look with any piece of furniture. Unless you have your heart set on a faux fireplace, consider a bookshelf or a boxy, heavy cabinet painted white. You could do a bar cart or a thrift-store dresser painted white and used for storage.

Have you figured out the furniture layout in the room yet? It may be a good place for your TV to go.

I'd say don't lock in a fireplace just yet.

Leigha12 · March 2010

Ooooh, bar! Bars are way more awesome than faux fireplaces

We love our bar!

mamie329 · March 2010

Haven't totally nailed down furniture layout. This room is much bigger than our current LR. I was considering doing a similar layout to the seller (which is similar to what we have now except our TV is directly in front of the sofa). To the left of that picture in the corner is their TV. Against the front of the house with the big window is their sofa.

keb270 · March 2010

We have this house salvage place in our town that goes into houses that are being remodeled or torn down and takes things out to try to reuse. I was in there last week and they have a few fireplaces that they had taken out. Some were just the wood that surrounds it. Do you have anything like that near you? There is also a Habitat for Humanity store that does similar things nears us. Just a thought if you want to try to recreate the feeling.

By the way, the house is uber cute

mamie329 · March 2010

Thanks keb!

Now I think I may be dreaming it, but I swear I saw some ad (televised? newspaper?) for an antique furniture place around here. Maybe I"ll look into that too. Ugh. Is it mid May yet?

Decor help plz!

Re: Decor help plz!

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