I've been absent a while I know. I wish I had a good excuse, but the truth is, I just haven't felt much like blogging lately. I have been working on some little projects. I will try to post about them this week. Today I am joining in with other bloggers to talk about taking risks with your home. The Nester is having a great party to encourage people to take chances.
I think deep down we all know that living life to its fullest is really about taking chances. When you really think about it "taking chances" with paint or nail holes is not that big of a deal. But it can still be difficult at times. In my case, the initial chance is usually not nearly as difficult as worrying after the fact if I made the right choice. (Not just talking about home decor here). I can be a very impulsive person and tend to just dive right in at times. I alternate between loving this about myself and hating it. I would love it all the time if I didn't have to deal with the constant second guessing that comes after the fact!
Anyway, my "risk" was in painting the shelves surrounding my fire place. When we moved in, they were the same white as the rest of the trim in our house. (shown above) I wanted something that felt cozier and more lived in. For some reason that white seemed so stark and cold to me. My husband loves cozy spaces so he was all on board with my for this one. So I went and bought the paint, and went for it.
Yeah, I am going to need to all to stop lusting after those AWESOME cables that have yet to be hidden! One risk at a time people! I went with black for a cozy, but still classic feel. I ended up distressing and adding a brown glaze to them as well.
The result? I LOVED it at first. But remember that post where I talked about lightening things up a little? Well there is that nagging second guessing part of me that kind of wants to go back to white. But I am going to live with it a while longer and add some color and brightness in some other places. All the while knowing, I went with my gut and tried something different and I am just a quart of primer and a quart of white paint away from going back if I choose.
I am LOVING your brownish black color! I am really struggling with this exact same issue. I painted my fireplace surround white because I wanted a light and bright house, but there is SO much white. That dark color looks so rich and when you get tired of it, like you said, a couple quarts of white will do the trick. I really like it though - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei like it too! what if (if you decide you don't like it) you leave the shelves and paint the backs of the shelves a different color? or you could get some wallpaper or some great fabric and put that along the backs of the shelves.. but i like the black with the color of brick you have in there! i think it was definitely worth the risk!
ReplyDeleteThe white shelving makes the fireplace recede. The dark shelving makes the fireplace pop out. If you want the fireplace to be your focal point, the dark shelving is the better choice. I think it looks nice.
ReplyDeleteI briefly considered placing my TV above the fireplace in my family room but thought it would be uncomfortable to have to stare up at the screen. How do you find it in your room?