A Quick Fireplace Mantel Refresh

Our dining room has a fireplace in it, and I love that it adds a lot of character to the space. There was one problem, though, that has kind of bugged me all along. The fireplace mantel was a very dark wood that ended up standing out more than I liked. I felt that it made the space look a bit choppy and disjointed next to the white and gray fireplace surround and the tan walls.

Eventually, I would like to paint the room because the tan color isn’t my favorite; I honestly have no idea what color I would paint it, though. But, in the meantime, I found a gallon of white paint in our basement, so I decided to do a quick refresh for the fireplace wall.

One afternoon, I taped off around the mantel and got to work! I painted three coats of white paint onto the mantel itself, and I also painted two coats of white paint on the wall above the mantel. I decided to tape it off so the white matched the dimensions of the fireplace box below since there wasn’t a clear ending place otherwise.

It took a couple of days to get used to it, but I am really liking how it turned out. I like the way the white paint highlights the fireplace as a whole now, rather than it being three distinct parts between the tile fireplace box, the dark wood mantel, and then the tan wall above.

Here are a couple of before photos so you can see what I’m talking about, and then keep scrolling for the after photos.

BEFORE

AFTER

It’s funny how such a simple project can be so satisfying! It definitely goes to show that a little paint can go a long way in changing a space.