SFGate

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I love your fireplace and find the antique door to be a wonderfully innovative solution to the problem of what to put on a mantel with an abundance of vertical space. Some logs in that basket on the hearth would be nice.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

kpoff I would lose one candlestick, and lean a framed black&white photograph or painting against the doors on one side of the mantle. The frame should be dark, simple, and clean lined, not too fussy. I'd find a chunkier basket, dark rattan or at least with some dark reeds running though it.

Dytecture I agree the fireplace and stone looks right at home in this picture. However, I find the wall color blending in too much with the stone in the photo. I would go with a darker gray tone.

Davis Design Group, llc I agre - it might be the wall color that is boring

jjdesignkloos i totally agree with Dytecture--gray--or maybe a blue-gray.

pcmom1 Take the candlesticks off the mantle and try them on the hearth, on the side opposite the basket.

Love the doors, but they will sort of dictate your colors, so pull from them. Add some throw pillows in the blue gray instead of the red I see.

gontygirl The problem is that it's all one color. If that door (which is a great idea!) had more oomph to it, such as color it would add to the focal...

gontygirl Also, change those beautiful candle sticks to something darker...if you don't want to change the door color. Add them to the same side and put a hanging plant (fake) for color in a dark colored planter

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design It's the subtle nature of the whole fireplace that I like. But others are right that a different background would offer more interest. I could see painting the walls a coppery color such as SW 0039 Portrait Tone.

Interiors International, Inc. I like the fireplace and doors.You could add vertical columns looking like the support the mantel. This could be done in a different stone or wood. Add a thicker decorative piece under the mantle to beef that up. Then put in a Granite or stone slab around the fire box to add color and or texture.

decoenthusiaste SW7620 Seaworthy is a dark blue/gray that would be striking and would pop the door as the focal it is meant to be. Try the candle sticks together on the right side of the hearth,

aprilgregg I love all of these ideas. My house is all earth tones, reds, golds, etc. But I couldn't pass up these blue doors. The room is 20'x20'x20'! So a lot of paint and I need a color that would go with house scheme. I live in Texas hill country.

Dar Love the door, how creative.

decoenthusiaste Post more views of the room so we can see your scheme/style, and make more spot on suggestions.

collettec Love the door, all excellent suggestions above. I like the idea of the candlesticks for balance, but they're very plain, maybe something with a little more detail or color, perhaps bringing in the blue of the fireplace door.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design You wouldn't have to paint the whole room, just the fireplace wall.

aprilgregg Here are more pictures at different angles. Some are not the best quality

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design It's a beautiful room, and a light coppery tone on the FP wall would look great. Perhaps B. Moore's AC-8 Butte Rock. I'd select a color that picks up the tones in your sofa that is nearest the camera in the photo on left. It looks like the same color is also in the doors.

aprilgregg Carolyn, there is a niche with tv and armoire on left wall. If I paint FP wall, do I paint the niche the same color?

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design You COULD also paint the niche. I can't see it well enough to know whether you SHOULD.

decoenthusiaste The blue of the door would look good in the niche and then dropped around the room in pillows, throws for contrast and interest. The room is beautiful but, as you said, is a bit boring or bland due to the sameness of the palette.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design April, if the TV niche is currently painted an accent color, then it should either be painted the new accent color or be painted to match the other walls. We don't want 2 accent colors.

triselmore Call me crazy, but in addition to painting the walls, I would add even one more layer to the blue doors that completely embraces the fireplace as a magnificent work of art. I envisioned something like this:

aprilgregg Thank you for all of your ideas. It's difficult to put things on mantle because it has to have a narrow base. I might move my candlesticks to another spot. I like the idea of painting the FP wall. The niche is currently painted slightly darker then wall color. I will add different pillows too. I'm also working on my dining room. My dining room is the one I added to discussion board looking for center piece ideas.

aprilgregg Triselmore, those are gorgeous!

karen paul interiors You have a wood carving on your coffee table which is most likely too small. I can't tell for certain. I see something such as the wood carving that has a 3-D aspect to it and that has lots of good curves. Something such as your carving, set off to one side, would be the perfect understatement. Personally I'm not onboard with breaking up the walls with different colors.

lpmenache I would add a pair of sconces to either side of the doors. They can be of candle like variety. Also add a round table with lamp between the two sofas with a lamp on it. The coffee table while pretty needs to be square rather than rectangular so that it talks to all the seating. Use a patterned fabric the color of the doors that brings texture to the sofa. Group candle sticks together on hearth on one side.

pcmom1 Yes, try the wood sculpture that is on the coffee table a few other spots: On the hearth the light color of the stone should make it stand out. Might need to sit it atop a large book.

Also try it on the green (?) sofa table in place of the bowl.

And, while we are at it, also try it in your dining room as part of your center piece or on the buffet.

aprilgregg Those are great ideas!

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I very much like your candlesticks where they are on the mantel.

jjdesignkloos I love the fireplace wall exactly as you have it...it's beautiful. I agree with Carolyn--all you need is some paint on that wall to really make it shine!! I don't think it is boring at all...I think it is a show-stopper!

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design Agreed!

aprilgregg Thank you!

aprilgregg Please excuse the mess! But this is my tv wall. Do I paint the niche and FP wall same color?

aprilgregg Please excuse the mess! But this is my tv wall. Do I paint the niche and FP wall same color?

aprilgregg I plan on searching for a square coffee table... Maybe something antique or old barn red to utilize space better. I also like the idea Carolyn had of using a large container of logs on hearth.
Are the floral things out dated on the sides do tv?
I'm in process of purchasing new accessories... Decorating never ends!

aprilgregg Carolyn, I love the butte rock color! Thank you for that suggestion!

kitasei I like the idea of dark tv walls so that the screens disappear. In that vein, I wouldn't have decor that highlights it, like your sconces or bouquets(?). As it is now it's like an alter to the tv. Otherwise a great room!

sharleeg are you kidding, I LOVE those panels! Your FP needs a large iron screen to add more weight at bottom. Personally, I would also like to see paint a darker shade on walls to further contrast with the stone. Best of luck! Great space!

sharleeg Caramel on the walls!

pcmom1 Your tv nook has room for a much larger tv. That would help to fill the space. And, as suggested by kitasei, take down the sconces.

Or, that whole nook would be great with a built in cabinet to hold, and maybe hide tv. Would be great to have some lighted shelves for books or accessories.

pcmom1 PS: I like the sculpture on the sofa table!

dexterdenver2 I think the texture of the Door is competing with the texture of the stone. Creative solution for that big of a space, but I think you want something big but simple- something with plain black n clean lines. Maybe a tall mirror w dark chunky brown wood frame.

karmastudios Quick fix would be to get lampshades and pillows that have that blue color in them somewhere to tie it in. Also, a really large piece of furniture such as an antique wardrobe, that you can customize to put your TV in and close to hide when not in use.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I would not paint the TV recessed area the accent color. I would have it blend into the background color. There does not seem to be a reason to emphasize the TV area. The emphasis should be on the FP wall.

aprilgregg Pcmom, I've already moved the sculpture to the sofa table. :-)

aprilgregg Carolyn, that's a great point about the tv wall. Unfortunately in my home, the tv is often the focal point! Ha!

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design Ah, yes April, I understand that, but it is the TV that unfortunately is the focal point and not the recess within which it rests...if it ever rests!

karen paul interiors I know you are on to other things right now but I keep thinking about your doors. I'm wondering if you can find some rather tall, skinny topiaries (a pair) to complete your vignette.

alwaysdesigning I agree with bringing the colors inth epanels into your room so it looks like they belong. Get a little more unmatchy with the candlesticks and bring in some shine to the mantle. You need some balance and color at the hearth and floor level to bring it all down into th space. Good luck

aprilgregg

Karen, I'm obsessed with the houzz app and have been searching pics all day! I found this pic that shows flowery things on either side of door. The mantle depth is very narrow and I've struggled finding things with height that have narrow bottoms.

Dani Pollard I think the only problem is that your mantle itself is way too skinny and is underwhelming and not in keeping with the scale of the room... I would add a big chunky piece of wood from one side to the other. Something like an old railway sleeper.




And I love your old doors and candlesticks. Great idea and beautiful muted colours. I probably wouldn't make any of the changes others are suggesting... Except maybe painting the alcove wall black so TV becomes invisible :) and a bigger basket at the bottom to ground the fireplace.

If you wanted to lessen the formal impact of the symmetry of the fireplace, and make it more welcoming, then maybe add a framed photograph half the height of the candlestick, and placed in front of, and leaning against one of the candlesticks.

Have fun and take care, Dani

karen paul interiors To April....Go find yourself a floral (silk) warehouse in your area and brainstorm the idea and have them made. I really love the idea of considering your doors just that and then asking myself, what would I find on either side of the door? It's so fun when your imagination brings an entire concept to fruition. I absolutely adore the very bold concept of the doors on the mantle. All YOU have to do is see it all the way through to completion for your concept. I love your room and what you've done. Just keep thinking WAY outside the box until everything makes sense to anyone who looks on it. Think "living" vignette. :)

csabdalla Honestly I think everything ( walls, stone, door, candlesticks ) are all different tones of the same color - brown. That's why it looks so boring. If you painted walls a crisp white that would immediately make your fireplace standout. Don't be afraid to paint that door a bold color.

Everything you have is just blending into one another so nothing stands out.

aprilgregg Thank you to everyone who posted ideas!

pcmom1 To beef up the mantle: create a false beam, sort of like a cornice box, to slip over your current mantle.

sms9758 wow awesome room to work with. You have a lovely home and I think the door idea is ingenious. I think the simplest idea though would be to remove the candlesticks, slip the door to the right of the mantle and add something shorter with texture (like the topiary) to balance it all out. Don't always worry about making everything balanced as in 2's. Juxtaposing items that are out of kilter can make a scene feel remarkable.

aprilgregg Does anyone know how I would add a beam to an existing rock mantle?