A Modern Farmhouse Fireplace Update

It’s Ginny here with another design agony question and this time we have some really fun after photos to share with you. Erin, co-founder of blog Suburban Bitches emailed asking for some help with her fireplace renovation.

Danielle, one of our designers (who just started an online pillow shop) got to work on coming up with two design directions that Erin could work with.  For both design options we went with a modern/rustic theme that would work well with the existing vibe of the room.

For design option #1 we kept the overall feel light and bright. We think the crisp white fireplace wall will contrast nicely with your existing wood panel wall. We recommend a floating wood mantel. We selected sconces for both designs to add some personality and interest.

Design option #2 we recommend using a stone surround and mantel. We love the modern look of the one on the design board. We added your existing wood paneling to the top section of the fireplace. We love the repetition it creates and how it unifies the space.

Erin came back with two questions:

1. If I choose to get a more modern fireplace insert, would there be one of the options that you see working better than the other with the new insert? We agreed that she should get something that felt more modern but advised not to do anything that felt too contemporary. We also suggested that the new insert could be used for both of the options we suggested.

2. Would it be better just to gut the whole wall and start over? I’m not opposed to starting over if the results are better than trying to make what is already there work. We didn’t think that she needed to rip out the whole thing, especially if she was trying to do this on a budget. We always love opening shelving at EHD and since it was such a long wall.

Now with Erin having her own blog, she documented the whole process and even did some layout mock-ups that showcased what we has suggested with the shiplap and how she interpreted our ideas.

The first mock-up focused on keeping the majority of the wall intact but replacing the stone with the horizontal white shiplap and adding a rustic wood mantel.  She also added the mirror and sconces like we suggested.   We pretty much agreed with everything she said in her blog post and whilst definitely helping to modernize the space this option felt off balance because of the lack of symmetry from the shelves. The location of the TV also felt kinda strange and got lost in that shelf nook.

The second option felt a lot cleaner with it’s symmetry and uniformity. And while I personally don’t love putting TVs over the top of fireplaces this did feel right to me.  I did however miss the shelves, and felt that a full wall of shiplap might start to feel too one note.  So I suggested to Erin that she could do two narrow shelves either side of the TV in a similar size to the one she had on the left. I also advised her to consider doing less drawers on the bottom and that way it would feel even cleaner.

For her final reveal post she did a mock-up showing some of the changes we’d discussed.  I think by adding the shelves it feels more considered and breaks up the back wall with some nice cohesion. And since there are only 6 shelves, they would be easy to style out so that they aren’t full of tchotchkes that I knew she didn’t want to end up with.  I also loved the idea of the sconces sitting above the little shelf nooks to help bring some three dimension to the wall.

And here is the end result! Pretty cute don’t you think? It just feels lighter, brighter, and overall just happier. I like that she went for a narrower fireplace and that way the wall isn’t governed by two larger black boxes and the TV has a good amount of breathing space around it so that it feels like it’s not taking over the wall.  I also love that she opted for a smooth wood mantel and shelves rather than a more rustic approach. Unless you can hunt down a really beautiful piece of live edge wood or have an awesome country barn, rustic mantels can start to feel heavy and dated.

Opting for the three drawers makes the hearth feel less busy and the shaker style fronts bring in some detail without feeling over done. These are also balanced out nicely with the simple black hardware and ties in with the sconces.

Because we’re pretty open about how much things cost over here, I cheekily asked Erin if she’d be willing to share how much she spent on the project.

I’m pretty open myself so I don’t mind sharing the cost with you. We spent around $10, 000 on the wall. And typing that out makes me think, crap- how does one wall cost that much?!?! A little over $4K of that was spent on the fireplace insert and installation alone. Those things are super pricey. Another large chunk of money was spent on the carpenter who framed out the whole wall, built new drawers, cubbies floating shelves, and mantel, and custom made the ship lap. He is on the expensive end of carpenters, but his work is impeccable and he shows up everyday and sticks to a timeline. Qualities that are rare in contractors! The cement hearth and fireplace surround was pretty reasonable and came in right around $2K. Which is really not that much considering we had a hearth that was over 10 ft long. Doing any sort of natural stone or quartz would have cost much more. There were other small costs here and there like electrical, plumbing, and painting. And looking back the whole thing cost more than I expected when I first ripped down the rock and decided to re-do the wall. But that’s usually how home projects go.
“I really enjoyed working with Emily and her team. Being a fan for years of Emily’s work, it was a great opportunity to get some design advice from someone I admire. And Emily’s team did a great job responding to my questions and have even helped me with a few other little questions I had along the way of the project. Both of the design options presented were very much within my style and gave me new ideas to consider for the wall.” – Erin Hatzis

Sources:

Vintage Barn Angled Shade Sconce | Lucent Lightshop Chandelier | Kerouac Black Leather Chair | Fireplace Insert |

Thanks to Everyday Interior Design for sending along their after photos.

Photography by Kelli Kroneberger

Craving more Design Agony and E-Design posts? Check these out: Should We Paint Wood Panelling?, How To Layout A Narrow Living Room, Kitchen Nook Refresh, Cures For A Maple Orange Kitchen, Master Bedroom Refresh Plan, A Rustic Mid-Century Family Room, Neutral (Well Mostly) California Nursery.