Lovely! Well-done!

I was all in, until I got to the backward books! I'm not sure which is worst, displaying books spine in, or having so few books to display.

nicely done! i like the book display, too. interesting.

So pretty! Gotta love the web archives.

I do not understand the backwards book trend. At all. Love the room though. Really love that tree stump table!! My cats would kill it though.

Love the fireplace and I think the books look great. I also find it funny that the person making fun of her for not having very many books has a typo in their comment. ;) Lovely room!

I just wondering what titles they are hiding?

Perhaps the book spines just aren't the right color - I was going to do the same thing in our entryway with some books that weren't the right shades. This way it looks a lot cleaner and uniform.

I think the fireplace looks fantastic with the new wall color. well done

I painted the "decorative" brick fireplace to match the walls after our latest paint job. Quick, easy and got the job done! Now we use it to store board games.....

One of my favorite things to do when looking at interior pictures is to see what books people have. It says so much about the owners and sometimes I even get good ideas about new books to buy!

I love the painted brick, the room looks modern and cozy, BUT... I just hate to see a flat screen over the fireplace. I get it, our living rooms are centered around the tv, but it's tragic to see that instead of a great mirror or painting.

I love it - it so changes the tone of the room to lose all that deep red brick. It was worth the mess! Ros

I normally hate painted brick - hate it - but I like this. In a craftsman home this would be blasphemy and harm the home's value - but I love what they did.

Love it! I too, painted over an even worse...faux red brick fireplace. I painted it the same color as the wall so the mantle, clock, and art on the wall above it would be the new focus. Red brick is one thing, but faux red brick was just awful. Love the wall color, too.

Wow - the brick color has really changed the whole "feeling" of the room. I actually like the books backwards - other than the one - it made it more noticable for me. Love the tree table but I'd probably break a toe on it :) which is why I don't do coffee tables!

Thanks, AT for the write-up! And thank you all for all the comments. We really do love how it's more "limed" rather than painted, and some of the brick's natural character shines through.

As for the controversial backwards books---I'm pretty sure one of them is The South Beach Diet and another is Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. Hence, the turning around. No--really it's just a decor decision to go with more monochromatic decorations so ALL EYES can stay focused on what really matters---the television.

As for the TV/Fireplace dilemma, we do have a more formal living room where we can gather and chat without TV getting in the way. And in that room we also have a bookcase filled with books organized by color! (I'm totally going to get my library card revoked, aren't I?)

I just love this room. LOVE. And I don't care what everyone else thinks about the backward book thing - it makes them lovely and restful to look at. Another alternative (which I obsessively did) is to cover the ugly books with brown paper and mark their spines with hand-written titles. This way you have a uniform color look and you have the titles available.
But anyway, I'm having room envy.

Great job! More interesting than just painting it white. I think we're getting a little carried away with the books people, it's just a small decorative accent and I'm pretty certain they have more than 7 books in their possession. ;-)

Gorgeous! I'm so jealous!

I love the new room! so bright and cheery and comfy looking! The only thing I would do is to replace the rug with a nice airy sisal rug...i think it will make a huge difference.

Beautiful. The tongue-in-groove paneling is amazing. I wish I had that in my house.

lol! "ALL EYES can stay focused on what really matters---the television."

The great big jacks bookends!! Where can I get them? Love, love, love them.

The room looks beautiful! Great job!

2nd the jacks bookends request!

If your books don't suit the color story, then why not make book jackets from paper that does? It's easy and cheap.

Holy (*)(*)! Good job!

Love it! It really brightens up the room now! Also digging the white painted wood log side table!

Great room, and a great sense of humor!

Re: the books- to each his own, but if you're into feng shui I'm pretty sure a practioner would say too much 'sha' besides seeming silly just for design reasons. Wouldn't you want to see what book was on the shelf if you read them? Fireplace looks great. Really lightens up
the room. TV and fireplace are like 2 black holes. I'd cover one or both. But hey... You gotta live in your home comfortably!

ok i'll defend the tv placement- they obviously like it there, it doesn't make them horrible people, sheesh. :) in our living room, there are two doors, two entry ways, the fireplace, and two windows in the living room, and no family room. there is honestly NOWHERE else to put the thing other than above the mantel, but it works for us, and keeps electronics way up high, away from wandering children's hands, and we could snake the cords through the wall into a closet making it seamless (have an infrared remote system). to each their own. i find it amazing what people gripe about.

Love the rug, the floral chair and matching cushion, and the fabulous table. Oh, and the fireplace is nice. Think the TV placement would give me a crick in the neck.

Beautiful. That room looks very inviting and stylish.

I love the whole room (and Molly's sense of humor!) Is the fireplace insert the same brass insert painted gray? My fireplace looks like your "before." I hate the brick, but I especially hate the brass part!

Molly~
Love the look and the feel of the new and improved living space. Did you refinish your fireplace doors (insert?) or did you just replace it. If you refinished - how?

Thank you! I'm about to tackle my brass fireplace insert...

This color scheme is so so so beautiful.
To each their own of course, but my problem with the tv over the fireplace is not the focus on the tv itself but the fact that it makes my neck hurt!

Me likey. Go Molly go!

@hannah_a: same here! i'd love to see a pic of your setup. i struggle with not knowing how to hide the wires because i have two french doors flanking the fireplace! aka need shelving unit on the side, infront of one of the doors for the cable box :(

Me again.

The bookends were a Homegoods find. $10 each, I believe?

The fireplace screen is the original brass painted with gray automotive primer. We chose it because it can withstand high heat.

The paint color (in case anyone is curious) is Valspar Woodlawn Sterling Blue.

And the TV placement really isn't a problem. We were worried too, but the sofas are far enough back not to give us neck spasms.

Thank you again for all the swell comments.

oooh la la

That really works...blends in, no more distraction, doesn't invade the senses any longer. Well done.

Wow! The previous owners of our house painted the brick fireplace with a white, high-gloss paint. My husband and I love brick and had the brilliant idea of trying to recover the natural brick surface. After 32.5 hours of DIY'ing with rags, chemicals, power tools, a toothbrush and a very hand father-in-law (God, I love him!) we found what we were looking for: brick. I love it! But, I see this and I'm wondering what we were thinking? High-five on a job well done!

Well done! I WISH I had that kind of eye...I'm currently working on my own living room and I'm coming up stupid lol. I sooo don't have the design bone.

I love the room. Your updates take decades off its life. Great job. Can you please share the source for your coffee table?

OMG! Love this look. Great job.. NOW.. Where did you find the VW Bus on the table on the left?

I'm curious - is it still OK to burn fires with the limed brick?

LOVE this, but first thing I'd do is to take the backward books out to see what they are. Just saying...

Nice! That brass really needed to GO.

I love it. And I get the book choice. We color-coded our large wall of books, but you make an excellent point, they are far enough out of view to not distract from the tv.
As an aside, can you tell me more about the stump end table? It is so pretty!

I think that Molly does a bang up job on all of her projects. We live in a 1930's house that has an original surrounding mantle with the nice trim...fitting for the house. But the brick that surrounds the actual fireplace opening is obvious over 80 years old and is blacked and just plain ugly. I have not totally decided to paint it or to leave it alone as we are selling the house soon and I want it as "neutral" as possible.

But I have looked into painting the brass fireplace door. They make a few different colors of heat proof spray paint. I bought black from Lowes...on sale for $4 for an extra tall can.

@pyewacket
Why would anyone want books they can't see?

... because when you have them in your hands, they read exactly the same as books stored with their spines out? >.>

I'll try to answer all the questions! Keep 'em coming!

1. The brick was straight-up, legit brick. Not faux. Nothing wrong with it--just a color that we weren't interested in keeping in our new space.

2. The log table was actually featured on Apartment Therapy too! You can see the AT write up here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/before-after/before-after-from-fallen-tree-to-end-table-154513

And my original blog post about it here:
http://thenestinggame.com/2011/08/15/a-tree-grows-in-the-family-room/

3. The coffee table was a $100 Craigslist find. Some reluctant man with a toddler was being forced to sell it and we were happy to take it off his hands. You can read a little about it here:
http://thenestinggame.com/2009/11/12/holds-coffee-and-other-bevvies/

4. The VW bus was a gift to my husband from his mom. He used to have one back in the day. He also used to have a mullet.

5. Curtains. In the "Before" pic, you can see that there were curtain rods in place. I actually bought and hung some, but didn't end up liking them. This room (and the entire back side of our house) looks out onto some woods and we cannot see any neighbors. Nor does the room get much natural light. The curtains made it seem even darker in there, plus the view of the trees is so nice. It's like sitting in a treehouse. And since we didn't need curtains for privacy reasons, back to IKEA they went.

Thanks again for all the interest!

@the nesting game
Heh, I also got my coffee table from a couple with a toddler! Too bad (for them) they couldn't keep it in a guest bedroom or something.

Love!

Beautiful! Such a great decision to paint the fireplace. I can see lots of happy family gatherings in the room!

Another who had to get rid of a coffee table when the toddler started toddling. I look in envy at catalogs and Craigslist way too frequently because I really miss having one.

I love the new family room--very inviting and the brick looks awesome!

I love the way it turned out! Great job!

What an amazing difference paint makes. Love the paneling color too!!

Love this!

I, too, am not keen on the chimneypiece television, partly because it means wasting a feature space and partly because it makes the tv too high - they really need to be quite low to the ground. I'm not being critical, though - you need to do what works best for the space you have and the people who use it - and what do you do with the damned tv, a contraption that needs to be the feature of the whole room when it's on, and to disappear when it's not?

well done!

wow! What an amazing transformation! I love the result!!

Molly, I think you did a fabulous job on a not so easy task! I am surprised by the negativity I sense in many comments, but do not take it to heart. The art of tact is one of fading popularity, but obviously not out of necessity. We all wonder what to do with big black screens designed for homes, in my case a 40 year old mix-match and with the wiring to match. And, I am an avid book reader-never-give-em-upper, but I got it! Books as bookends, and you're framing a specific title, 2 jobs in one! I'm sure you have other books but they're yours to do with what you will! And have a grand old time doing it, too! You're a sparkler in my book!
Renee!

Anyone wondering what that fireplace/chimney heat does to the flat screen and books?
I always wonder when I see people putting the flat screen above the fireplace. Have you put your hand on the wall there when a fire is going? Can get pretty hot...

Beautiful!!

I would have love to see the "after" on the front page, though ... Do you realize, AT, that your site has taken a turn for the less-than-sexy because of all the "before" pictures you decided to put up recently?
Sometimes I don't even want to read the posts because I'm so turned off.

I normally amn't a fan of the books-spine-in look, but I think it does work here because you have just one spine out, and not the centre one either.

And I love the cushion arrangement on your two straight-backed chairs to the right of the fireplace - the way the front cushion straddles both chairs it's like they're a couple snuggled up together or something LOL

I think you have a great eye and a real knack for beautiful assymetry. I love your style and would really like to see a full house tour.

did you switch the wallpaper from beige to light blue? how did that happen?
p

eek! I spoke too soon.. I see now that it's paneling and not wallpaper. Well done! what a cozy room.

I love the room. The carpet is gorgeous!

Painted brick is one of my favorite easy makeovers. Whether it's the outside of a house, an interior wall, or a fireplace, it updates, tones down, softens and warms up the look of brick in a cottage-feeling way. Very nice. Can't wait to have my own brick to paint.

I think this looks great -- I did something very similar, but just used Portola Paint's limewash. It has a beautiful natural look that is also breathable, because it's not really paint, it's limestone. Very easy to apply (my preschoolers helped!).

I love the whitewashed tree stump. I'm so totally doing that.

Love the fireplace. Agree with others that people who turn their books spine-in don't care about books.

Honestly, I love everything but the fireplace. I might like it better if any of the accent pieces on it had the color that the rest of the room has. Right now it's just...there.

The TV over fireplace: yes, it would be grand if Molly could have place a wonderful art piece there that she cold have remotely turned into a flatscreen when she wanted to view tv, right?
IN an ideal world.

Really wonderful! Great job.

The only thing:
I think some nice full length curtains would really take this room to the next level.

Just a thought.

The "limed" fireplace is a vast improvement.

Assuming you don't use the white fireplace, why not put the TV inside it? That would be a much better viewing height.

The spine-in books make me cringe, as do books organized by color. If appearances supersede utility for you, knock yourself out.

The ironic thing is that people who choose to organize books in nonsensical ways do it strictly for appearance sake (I mean, why else WOULD they-- it certainly doesn't facilitate locating books to read... which, last I checked, is the purpose of owning books); yet it never seems to occur to these people that the appearance they've worked so hard to create maybe ain't so flattering.

Nice. I almost wish I had an ugly fireplace to make look nicer.

Well done, a great improvement.
Anyway it's not forever- if the next resident doesn't like it they can strip the paint. I love it.

Where did you get the drum shade light. We have been looking for something similar... or did you make it yourselves?

Findalicia, In the blog is says that the pendant light is from CB2. I have been debating getting it for a while, only 59 bucks I think.

Molly - you are funny :) Your makeover looks great.

I did a double take on the after shot - have the same orange chair, and just ordered the same tan sofa. Small world!

Ohmygod yes. I love this room. I could quite literally spend years in this room. So comfortable and relaxed looking, yet such class. Well done!

I am showing this picture to my landlord this week and convincing him that this looks way better than a fireplace that has been painted to look like red bricks. Faux brick paint should only be used to cover poorly executed graffiti.

Love the orange and white fabric on the upholstered chair!

Hi, there. I love the look of this fireplace, and I was headed out to buy the materials to refinish our red brick, when I noticed this comment in the original BDDW post. We're a fairly green family, and we're really concerned about having joint compound close to a heat source. Does anyone know of any alternative materials?

From the original post: "The Dangers Of Joint Compound Joint compound is composed of gypsum or sometimes limestone, polyvinyl acetate, and benzene (the preferred solvent). A natural or synthetic starch is used as a binder and mica, clay, talc or perlite is used as a filler. Ethylene glycol helps to control the drying time. Antibacterial and anti-fungal agents are also added. Many of these substances are known toxins. In a Harvard study done for the EPA, joint compound was found to release as many as 25 volatile organic compounds or VOC's. Six of the compounds they identified are suspected human carcinogens. The picture gets worse because the release of these VOC's into the air of your home increases over time. That's right. Instead of decreasing as you might expect, the vapors were found to increase rather than decrease depending in temperature and humidity conditions. Interestingly, the higher the temperature and humidity the more VOC's released. This means breathing the air in your home may increase your risk of cancer - indefinitely."