One Room Challenge Week #4:
Coastal Bedroom & Fireplace Makeover
It is Week #4 of the One Room Challenge which means we are past the halfway point of this 6 Week Design Challenge started by Linda at Calling It Home. This is my fifth cycle of the Challenge and this time I’m making over our whole Master Suite: both our Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom. If you missed the past weeks don’t worry, you can click on the links below. And you won’t want to miss them because there is a DESIGN FREEBIE to go along with each week’s theme!
One Room Challenge Week #1: Traditional Coastal Bedroom Makeover
One Room Challenge Week 2: $950 Boho Bathroom Makeover
One Room Challenge Week 3: How to Style a Nightstand
Traditional Coastal Bedroom & Fireplace Makeover
For Week #1 I shared my Mood Board vision for my Master Bedroom Makeover. You can grab the whole Mood Board as well as the entire Shopping List in my Free Resource Library by clicking on the Mood Board below. An email will be sent to you with the link and password to view all of the Design Freebies, including this one:
$950 Modern Boho Bathroom Makeover
For Week #2 of the One Room Challenge, I shared my plans for a Mini Makeover on my Master Bathroom. Instead of a full remodel, I am only doing a cosmetic update of the space. In fact the plan is to makeover this Bathroom in a Modern Boho Style Bathroom for just $950! I’m planning on painting the existing cabinets, keeping the counter top, and keeping the flooring, shower, and bathtub. Instead I’m focusing on simple DIY updates like paint, decor, artwork, hardware, mirrors, and new faucets.
You can grab this Free Mood Board + Shopping List, also in my Free Resource library by clicking below:
One Room Challenge Week #4:
Bedroom Brick Fireplace Makeover
I have never had a fireplace in my Master Bedroom before. In fact one of the things that sold us on our home is its three fireplaces. However, this bulky, outdated fireplace was a complete eye sore to the space. I literally hated it-I didn’t even want to use it. So I knew that doing a fireplace makeover had to be part of the Master Bedroom Makeover.
This is the “before” of our bedroom:
Board & Batten Fireplace Makeover
To save time and money, I knew I had to keep the existing brick fireplace and doors. Instead, I wanted to dress it up to fit our traditional coastal style a bit better. Due to code issues I knew we had to keep the brick around the firebox, so I went looking for some ideas to dress up the rest of the structure. I found this beautiful fireplace by Jenni Seffens. I loved the vertical board and batten, the traditional mantle, and the exposed brick. Our brick was already painted, so I knew we would paint everything white to help blend together.
The Inspiration for the Fireplace Makeover
My Super Fancy Fireplace Building Plans
I married into a family where remodeling was in their blood. My father-in-law is a master carpenter and started his own remodeling company. My husband bought that company from him about 10 years ago (which is where I worked as an interior designer for 11 years myself!). So instead of creating fancy, dimensioned building plans like I would for my clients, when it is our own projects…we go a bit more simple. As in, I sketched this “plan” in about 3 minutes on a back of a scrap piece of paper and handed it off to my father in law! We have worked together on so many projects that he gets my vision and I trust his decisions to implement my designs.
A few years ago I actually had our mantle built by a carpenter using pre-made corbels & crown molding, with MDF material. We were able to re-use this mantle with the new board and batten design.
Coastal Fireplace Makeover “During” Process
My father-in-law started by covering the majority of the brick with sheets of MDF to create a smooth surface. Then he added this vertical battens, dividing the front of the fireplace into four equal parts. We left enough brick around the firebox to meet the local code. To give the battens something to die into, he added a horizontal band at the ceiling, and a simple pencil molding around the base. He used the same pencil molding around the brick area to finish it off.
Truthfully I didn’t love how much exposed brick was left under the firebox, but since the fireplace didn’t have a hearth, we were stuck with that position. If you are going to cover your fireplace, but sure to check for the minimum dimensions you can hang a mantle, add a combustible material, or what type of flooring can go in front of the firebox. For that reason, we ended up leaving the existing tile (even though it is NOT my fav).
Fireplace Makeover + Mantle Decor
Since our fireplace is all white, I knew I needed some decor on our mantle to dress it up a bit! I found this wire horse sculpture on a trip to HomeGoods and I snatched it up without even knowing where I would use it. Luckily, it worked perfectly on our fireplace mantle. To balance it out, I actually added a grouping of DIY mercury glass vases I already owned. You can actually see the tutorial of how to create these right here:
DIY Mercury Vases from the Dollar Store
And to fill the space in between, I wanted one simple, oversized print. I used an inexpensive 24″x36″ poster frame and filled it with an Etsy print for under $10! I printed it off at Walgreens and framed it myself. To see the link to grab this artwork you can find the whole shopping list for this Master Bedroom Makeover right here:
Get the Bedroom Makeover Shopping List
Board & Batten Fireplace Makeover Reveal
And here she is…my finished beauty! You can never underestimate the power of adding white trim to any surface! I used Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White” for all of the fireplace trim. We spent around $1000 on this makeover-with almost all of the budget going to the labor for the fireplace makeover. The materials themselves are extremely inexpensive, so if you have some handy DIY skills, this one is a no-brainer! Dressing up the mantle decor with a few simple items finished off the look.
And since I mentioned I don’t love (i.e.: hate) the existing tile, I took the focus off of it with a couple of HomeGoods woven baskets. I put in extra blankets in here (and my children strangely love playing inside of them as well!)
I painted the fireplace Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White” for a crisp, clean look. Since I had to paint the fireplace anyways, I went ahead and painted the yellow walls of the bedroom. Truth be told-I actually used a custom paint mix that was given to me! However, using Benjamin Moore’s “Gray Owl” would be a similar look to these walls.
Instead of the fireplace being an eyesore, now it is my favorite part of the room. I love the transformation, and I love that we were simply able to update the existing brick fireplace instead of starting from scratch. The fireplace makeover was the only remodeling project we took on as part of the Bedroom makeover, so now I can concentrate on the decor.
Bedroom Makeover Freebie: Best Nightstands Under $200 Round-Up
And now on to the best part…the weekly One Room Challenge Freebie! Since my project is all about our Master Bedroom Makeover, I wanted to share some of my favorite bedroom nightstands. The best part is every single one is under $200…some even starting at only $50! There are so many styles and configurations included in this Nightstand Round-Up that you will be sure to find something you love. You can grab this freebie in my Free Resource Library:
Best Nightstands Under $200 Free Round-Up
And once you choose your perfect nightstand for your Bedroom, be sure to style it like a Pro! If you missed it, last week’s One Room Challenge Freebie was a free Guide. You can see it in my Free Resource Library by signing up for free below:
How to Style the Perfect Nightstand
One Room Challenge: Bedroom and Modern Boho Bathroom Makeover
Next week is Week #5 of the One Room Challenge and I’m going to share the BIG REVEAL of my $950 Boho Bathroom Makeover. You’re not going to want to miss it! You can catch up on all of the past weeks of this One Week Challenge but also tons of other real Postbox Projects to get even more ideas for your home! You can find them all on my BLOG or I can answer any questions you have at kristin@postboxdesigns.com
Here is a sneak peek at my Bathroom Mini Makeover that I will reveal for Week #5:
And please check out all of the other beautiful transformations going on right now with hundreds of designers all over the country! You can view them all at One Room Challenge!
Can’t wait to see you back for the bathroom reveal!
Kristin
Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says
The fireplace looks amazing – and I think I actually had the inspiration one pinned at one point! Have a great weekend!
Shelley
PostboxDesigns says
Thanks so much-it is such a better look than the massive white brick. Isn’t that inspirational photo gorgeous?? Too funny!
Denise says
Wow, what a fireplace transformation! Can’t wait to see the bathroom!
PostboxDesigns says
Thanks so much! I’m finishing up the bathroom now so I’m going to reveal it NEXT week (fingers crossed!) 🙂
Albertina says
Love the new look of your fireplace! It looks fabulous! And perfectly styled! Great job.
PostboxDesigns says
Thanks so much for your kind words! Most of it is some great Home Goods finds that I stumbled over!
Catherine says
Great work! I really enjoyed your posts and I’m a huge fan of your mood boards!
PostboxDesigns says
Thank-you so much! I appreciate your kind words 🙂 I feel very blessed that I get to do this for a living…and actually get paid for it!
Sheena says
That fireplace! 100000 times better! And I totally didn’t notice the tile at all because of those amazing baskets. Great job Kristin!
PostboxDesigns says
I know, right??! Ha, I’m glad my basket trick worked! We have the same tile in our kitchen as well…it is eventually going to get ripped up. Maybe for another ORC!
Morgane says
Wow, this is a great fireplace makeover. I have a very similar fireplace in our living room, but the back (which is also brick) is the 2 story wall of the staircase….How did your FIL attach the MDF to the brick?
I love the decor you put up on your mantel, especially that horse! Did you buy it recently? My daughter is a horse lover/rider, there is always more space for horses!
Good luck with the rest of your makeover, the bathroom looks awesome!
Morgane @Bear, Dolly and Moi
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Morgane, That is really funny because that fireplace ALSO has a matching downstairs fireplace…whose back is the two story wall of our staircase. It sounds like we have a very similar design situation! We haven’t done much to tackle the downstairs fireplace because it is massive. But that will eventually get a makeover too…lots of white brick! As for the actual construction I believe he used lag bolts to adhere the mantle. I’m not entirely sure about the MDF trim-the holes were pretty small, so some sort of trim nail.
The horse came from Home Goods-I love it! I feel like I always find horse decor when I’m there, so maybe take a look around your local store and see if you can find a treasure 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words!
Tracey says
Love it. What paint did you use on the fireplace brick?
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Tracey, Thank-you so much! I used my new favorite color: Benjamin Moore “Simply White”! It is a soft, pure white and I’ve been smitten with it 🙂
Krista Saturnia says
Where did you get those great thin black frame bathroom mirrors? That’s exactly what I’m looking for! Thanks!
PostboxDesigns says
Krista, Yah! I’m glad you like them! The mirror comes in several different sizes and finishes: https://www.houzz.com/product/126557977-28×42-rectangle-metal-frame-mirror-black-contemporary-wall-mirrors OR you can find the entire Shopping List for this bathroom in my Free Resource Library right here: https://www.postboxdesigns.com/subscription-page as a Cheat Sheet! 🙂 Kristin