AD - I completed this project as part of a brand partnership with Craig and Rose.
#Unsameyourhome.
If you have been here for a while now, you will know that this is the second time I have given our fireplace an upcycle in the last three years. The original fireplace was a cream marble hearth and surround, framed by a dated ornate mahogany wooden frame. I transformed it into a more modern monochrome focal point to the room.
Redecorating the living room has been a long time coming, after living in the house for nearly three years, it’s one of the rooms I have been desperate to decorate. And in true Form and Balance style, we have been taking our time in slowly renovating it.
We have been working on our living room makeover in partnership with Craig and Rose. They challenged me to “Unsame” a space within our living room and where better to start than the fireplace. Craig and Rose encourage you to show your personality within a space by using colour to tell a personal story of your home.
My main aim for our living room was to create a cohesive and contemporary relaxed space that was aesthetically pleasing but functional for us as a family to live in. I don’t do interior ‘trends’, I usually design a space that feels practical yet beautiful to live in.
I love a neutral colour palette that is complimented with dusky tones of colour. My go-to colours are always black, off white, beige paired with a muddy olive or greyish pink. I am branching out now into more 70’s inspired colours like rust or brown tones. With this in mind, I wanted to go for something classic but with a modern twist. I feel that Craig and Rose’s ‘Lucienne Olive’ is the perfect addition to the “Mallord walls’ but more on those later.
This is an easy upcycle to transform your fireplace and give any room a little lift.
You will need;
- Tin of Craig and Rose light grey primer.
- Tin of your desired fireplace surround colour – I used the Craig and Rose Lucienne Olive eggshell
- Black spray paint
- Green frog tape or masking tape for those of you who don’t have a steady hand
- Selection of paintbrushes and a mini foam roller.
- Sharp blade and scissors
NOTE. We currently don’t use our fireplace. If you are going to use your fire then I would highly recommend doing your research on what products are safe to use and heat resistant.
Step 1
Make sure the fireplace is switched off from the mains is disconnected from the main power/gas source if it has one. Take the fireplace insert out.
Step 2
Using a knife and hammer remove the original mouldings that had been pinned on.
Step 3
Remove old plastic vinyl to reveal original marble.
Step 4
Using a sanding block give the whole fireplace surround sand down and clean. Tape off the marble using masking tape.
Step 5
Give the fireplace two coats of primer and wait till completely dry. Don’t worry if it looks a bit patchy.
Step 6
Now to add your colour! Use a slim brush for the edges and then using a small foam roller apply a nice even layer of paint. Leave to dry then apply another coat.
Step 7
Using the primer, prime the inside of the fireplace. Then paint the inside using Craig and Rose stone effect paint.
Step 8
Using paper make a template by folding it within the fireplace to create a template for a wood base. Trace around the template on a sheet of MDF and cut to size. Paint the wood piece using the Craig and Rose stone effect paint and then paint the interior of the fireplace insert.
Step 9
Remove the fire surround and as much of the insert as possible. Luckily ours is held on by huge magnets and therefore simple to remove. I washed it down with soapy water and left to dry. Then I gave each of the three pieces two good coats of black spray paint.
Step 10
Once everything is dry, assemble it all back together and style using candles and voila! Stand back and admire!
And that’s it! I adore this muted Olive colour paired with the marble; it’s warm deep tones have given the room a whole new modern focal point, which is exactly what it needed.
What do you think? Will you be giving this DIY a try?
Thanks for reading,
Em x