The Fireplace

We got the den ceiling scraped and painted a pale blue.  We hung the new fan.  We ripped out the nasty carpet and laid new hardwood floor.  Now, the fireplace.  Here was the den when we got the house.

 I sold the fireplace mantle on craigslist the first week after we closed.  I had big plans for the fireplace but it took us a while to finally get to it on the list.  Here's what it looked like two weeks ago.

Pretty ugly.  I picked out some pretty awesome travertine mosaic tiles at Lowe's to cover the red brick.  I wanted the tile to have a natural look, with holes and rough edges.  This tile was perfect.

We got the tile on, got it grouted, and got several coats of sealer on it to give it a little sheen.  And then we put up my favorite part - the mantle.  It is a cedar log that has been drying for 5 years.  It was planed and sanded and hung up to make my fireplace lovely.  And here is the finished fireplace...

It totally changes the look of the room.  The room feels homier now, lived in. 

This room is starting to come together and it's exciting!  The furniture will go upstairs in the game room once we get it ready and I will get new furniture for this room.  Can't wait for that.  I still need to paint the French doors leading to the back yard on the other wall adjacent to the fireplace, but all other cosmetic changes to this room are complete.  It feels good.

The before again.

And after.

  What do you think?