Advice on old dark wood fireplace and living room

last month

Hi all

I am looking for advice on ideas for the large fireplace and shelving etc in the attached photos as well as more generally the room as a whole. Also looking for advice on what could be done to hide the insert of the fire which is just boarded at the moment.

We are "white washing" our house on a budget to start with so key requirements are:

We cannot remove the fireplace (only paint or leave as is)
We cannot remove the plate rail (only paint or leave as is)
We have budget for a new carpet (or to sand the floorboards which are a dark oak I believe)
We do not have budget for new curtains but existing ones are good quality and relatively netural

My thoughts are to paint the fireplace and plate rail either white, or a warm white/ beigey grey which would match the colour on the walls.

The room will be used as a living / play room for infants. Please excuse the mess, this is currently a hoarding room whilst we have been renovating other rooms.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Kind regards

Featured Answer

rachelmidlands

last month

That inglenook is a lovely example of arts and crafts workmanship. I think it’s referred to as tudorbethan style, possibly 1920s house?, and it’s all original including the tiles and what looks like a copper fire insert...fab. My inner self is shouting “don’t paint it!” but it’s your home. You could reduce its impact by painting the plate rail and outer architrave, did a quick mock up below.
The fire itself could be restored to a nice shine and perhaps a chimney sheep inserted if you don’t intend to use it but get it checked out by relevant professional first.
This article might be of interest to you https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/design-ideas-arts-crafts

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Comments (22)

Richard Callcut
last month
Personally I like the dark wood, but not a fan of the grey tiles or boarded up insert. Ideally I would look out for an insert that filled the whole tiled area. The current one looks lost in such a grand installation. Then I think it would look beautiful (not necessarily functioning as a working fire).
J H thanked Richard Callcut
Rowland
last month
I think you should keep the fireplace. don't paint it. if you want to do anything just change the fire and surround. you could get it restained a darker stain,but don't paint it. you could remove the glass and use a plate glass for the units and add internal lights in the cupboards, but don't paint it as it is a fabulous piece of craftsmanship!
J H thanked Rowland
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I think you should consider houssaon's idea of painting it the same color as the walls. Is the top of the tv console painted wood or is it a stone or composite? In the pictures my ipad shows me speckles (not dirt!!). My ipad sometimes *lies* to me. :) If the gray is the prominent color in the paint, maybe a darker gray would be a good choice too. If you are happy with the gray/green color next to your bookcases, then you should be able to pick a gray that would look good with both the new paint, and the bookcase. Gray next to the fireplace shouldn't be a problem :)
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Agree with alant1000 about starting from scratch, but not sure about white. They are some lovely either light grey, light green, or light caramel, which will keep the room warm feeling, and less stark. The wallpaper feature wall you presently have is far too dark for the room - if you want wallpaper, there are some lovely sparkle designs, or stick to paint and do a slightly darker colour than the chosen wall colour. Have you thought about painting the doors white? The dark curtains do not help either. Do you need curtains and vertical blinds? If you lost the curtains, the window would look neater and lighter. Hope this helps.
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I think you should consider installing wood or laminate flooring for a more on trend look. Do this first so that you have a nice frame to place your furnishing. Keep the walls painted as they are for now while you figure out what you want to do furniture wise for the room I think you should consider where the TV will be placed so that you can have good viewing and then have the sofa placed opposite the TV. This way you can enjoy the room if tv is going to be placed here. After that the other pieces will fall into place for you. You might also consider making the mantel deeper to display the radio antique?It could be a nice focal point in the room and on the fireplace. Also I like the current color of your room....it will work while you are figuring out what goes where. Paint LAST when you have your color design established in your upholstery. No need to have 100 dollars worth of paint dictating what the sofa color will be. If you do not have funds now, then place things you have now and take your time deciding what you are going to do first. But as your walls look fine and you are not sure about furnishings then do the floor and wait for the rest as funds become available.
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Sonia
last month
It has a lovely Arts & Crafts look to the whole room, and I really like it. The fireplace is lovely. The cupboards either side are confusing me a bit and they don’t look of the same era. Will they be removed? I’m not sure about the tiles, by that I mean I don’t really like them and they could be replaced with something more in keeping maybe? Here’s some images of Arts & Crafts decor. I’m not suggesting you create a museum, but keeping some of the attractive bits like the fireplace and gorgeous windows would be rather nice.
J H thanked Sonia
PRO
Paintforme
last month
Hi J,

Beautiful interior.

We would happily paint this for you in any chosen colour:) Sorry Rachel!

However, the whole wall is a masterpiece with a value, and restored would be an investment.

Best Wishes,

Paintforme
J H thanked Paintforme
J H
Original Author
last month
Would you be able to recommend any possible colours and areas to paint. I have considered painting the “back” of the book a mid/dark blue/green and the “sides“ of the nook a stone/natural colour which would match the walls
J H
Original Author
last month
I will tidy the area and expose the fire insert properly this weekend for a better photo
minnie101
last month
It’s quite tricky, i with Rachel and am screaming don’t paint the wood, it’s so beautiful. However, they are a little tricky as they don’t really feel part of the room in dark wood. What if you were to paint all the wood except the actual fire surround? You have a kind of reddy stone colour in the tiles. That would highlight both the fire and the panelling so they don’t blend into one. I think varnishing the floorboards would look lovely but then you’d have to add a large cheap rug to make sure the kids toys don’t destroy it...

I’ve added another link to an arts and crafts house by Ben Penreath for inspiration (he has painted the panelling in all but one room!)

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/ben-pentreath-arts-and-crafts-house
J H thanked minnie101
J H
Original Author
last month
Hi Minnie

that is a beautiful house - like that white look with the Morris wallpaper. Perhaps leaving the mantle as the last thing to paint.
minnie101
last month
It’s stunning, I also really like some of the Morris papers which never seem to go out of fashion. The carvings on the actual fire surround just look too beautiful to paint and you often lose the detail unless you’ve got a really good decorator?

Sadly the wood is too dark for me to do a mock up for you on a painting app as I tried earlier
rachelmidlands
last month
I had a go with the paint app I’ve got. It’s a bit rubbish and limited on colours (yet to find a decent paint your room app) but hopefully gives you an idea. Tried to do what I think Minnie suggested by leaving the fire surround as well. Ben Pentreath’s work is fab and I love his use of textiles.
Defo get a professional in if you decide to paint.
J H thanked rachelmidlands
J H
Original Author
last month
Amazing - thanks Rachel. I think if we have some bold wallpaper the all white (in a silk perhaps) could be nice.
J H
Original Author
last month
Out of interest. What app are you using there
kazzh
last month
As others have noted, it is absolutely stunning! So i am firmly in the no paint camp....I think I read a suggestion to see if you can lighten the feel by first changing the wall color in the side cupboards and see if changing the glass to plate glass - so agree! You could always take this as a first step and see how this changes things before going the full paintout path.
J H thanked kazzh
rachelmidlands
last month
The app I’ve used is called paint my wall. Like I said it’s not the best as you can’t get straight lines, colours are garish and I’m not sure if you can change opacity, but it is simple.
J H thanked rachelmidlands
Alison Wilkinson
last month
Personally I would keep the fireplace as is it’s true craftsmanship...but would change the tile inserts to possibly a dark green.
J H thanked Alison Wilkinson
Sue S
last month
Get some sheets of mirror glass cut to size and put them in the backs of the cupboards, this will reflect light back and break up the dark area.
J H thanked Sue S
J H
Original Author
last month
As promised, managed to tidy (including the dead pigeon)
minnie101
last month
Ooh, yuck 😂

it is a difficult one. It’s so beautiful. My brother has an arts and crafts house and my step-mum and I were in his ear about some of the wood 😂

Is there a separate living room for adults then with similar features? Do you actually like the wood yourself?
J H
Original Author
last month
Yes, we have a similarly sized separate living Room with a bay window and tall ceilings. It has a more standard fireplace though which we will in time replace
J H
Original Author
last month
Also, the old floorboards appear to be in quite nice condition.
J H
Original Author
last month

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Advice on old dark wood fireplace and living room

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