apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Are you serious?!! That wall is awesome. My suggestion would be to de-clutter and just play that shit UP as much as possible.

If you really, truly hate it, I could maybe see matte black, white, or charcoal grey paint, but personally I prefer the natural look.

Man. Could we just swap houses?

How about clearing the clutter off of it and using it as the springboard for a cool retro/lodge decor - lots of plaids (draperies & slipcovers), knitted pillow covers & throws, vintage country wooden furniture (both painted and natural) oval rag rugs, brass lamps/lanterns, fleamarket obsolete sporting-goods (skis, snowshoes, oars, paddles), inexpensive handmade pottery, etc?

Honestly, the veneer doesn't look that bad in these pictures. It's the clutter that gets in the way. The butterfly picture in front of the fireplace could be a neat idea if it was actually the size of the fireplace opening, and while you could certainly prop some pictures up on those shelves the one on the right is far too big.

I'd strip everything off and go minimal with the accessories, all in a unified color (white or light blue could look nice if the wood is as gold-toned as it looks in these pictures). A larger picture could be hung in the alcove where the guitar is currently propped, and you could fill in the bottom alcove with enough shelves to use as bookcases.

Play *with* the wall, not against it, until you're certain you've got the budget and skills to deal with any disaster that might come with removing it completely.

Agree with the others--the first thing you should do is declutter that area.

The mantels/shelves are placed rather oddly. It took me a few seconds to even locate the fireplace because it's not really a focal point. Could you take down the mantels/shelves? They seem randomly-placed and don't add anything to the space.

Once they're gone, I'd go super-minimalist with decorating. Paint the space to the left of the fireplace a taupey-brownish color to help blend it in more with the stone wall. Maybe you could put floating shelves there to display a unified collection of books or pottery or something, but I'm unsure whether you want to draw attention toward the fireplace or away from it. If the latter, then putting something attractive in that niche would help.

Then I'd put a lot of potted, big, leafy green plants all around the fireplace. It would help conceal the facade without fighting it too much.

BTW:
That mantle shelf to the upper left of the fireplace opening?

PERFECT spot for a flatscreen TV.

...and if you're going to paint the walls - Think dark colors like Brown, Navy or Green to emphasize the lodge/cabin style.

I would declutter but not do the lodge thing.. to granny house, and if the place is dark.. aughh just not my thing

I too would keep it minimal, probably minimal white but would definitely throw one or two very pop out color items in there. A modern art piece or else.. would brighten up the feel..

Get rid of all the stuff first! Then I would paint the walls a light sage green.

I like the idea of filling in the bottom left alcove with bookshelves. I'd put a large framed painting in the top alcove. And the other mantel...I would leave it mostly bare, maybe add two or three vases or other objects you want to show off.

My first thought was Hobbit Hole : )

Agree with all the declutter comments - all the stuff just makes it worse. Definitely paint out the white wall area in a taupe or tan shade pulled from the "rock" and hang a picture - something that really stands out - on the wall above the shelf. Somebody mentioned additional shelves in the bottom left corner - good idea as long as you keep the clutter there to a minimum. Or maybe you could find a big lidded basket that fits under the shelf on the left as storage. Fill up the little arched cubby with fireplace wood.

Maybe paint the brick fireplace trim a darker shade to draw attention to the fireplace (?) - I'm not sure.

Whatever you do, please send "after" photos!

Yes de-clutter and de-clutter, basically take everything of the shelves and mantle- start over.

I would get nice charcoal grey pottery, some pops of yellow, orange into the mix think ethnic and earthy ceramics vintage pieces from flea markets, ebay, etc. Some African baskets weaved in red, black, brown for the landing where the dollhouse is.

Modernize the furniture, simple grey flannel upholstered sofa, kelm rug, faux sheep skin throws on the chairs..go modern cabin with touches of ethnic and texture. Low lamps in bronze with milk white glass shades.

Agree with what most are saying. Maybe you could do the whole flat screen in the fireplace thing?
Just work with it! Good luck, can't wait to see after!

I agree with everyone else - Lose the clutter.
I really like LoriSF's suggestions. I would paint the veneer a white color and paint the wall a subtle color - like a light gray. I would almost paint the trim white too (maybe do a coat of primer to see how you like it?) Then add in touches of bright colors like orange, red, or yellow. Definitely need to modernize the area.

That wall has quite enough personality without all of that crap festooning it.

Leave the stone veneer and woodwork alone. Paint the rear wall a rich colour (burgundy, aubergine, royal blue etc). Stock up the wood store, edit the fire tools down to the bare minimum, and tidy up the left side so that only the essentials remain (like, say, the stereo and the CDs). Put the dolls house somewhere else. If you need the storage, put a wooden chest on the stone shelf where the dolls house is now and put everything else in there.

Speaking of the dolls house, am I the only person who sees two empty beer bottles in there? Who are you people? ;)

I think it could actually work if it was balanced better. Esp moving the large picture and not having lots of small nick-knacks and electronics on the shelves.
Maybe you could post a new pic with everything cleared out, might help get some more ideas?

Maybe store wood where the dollhouse is?

i would first organize all of the clutter

then i would paint the whole thing white. the shapes are unsual the way the wall ends, the square place with the butterflies, the half circle and the shelf. could you fill any of those in? add more shelves or put shelves into the shapes (assuming they aren't functional)?

continue with the shelf theme and add more shelving! you'd have what appears to be a built-in bookcase, going with the flow of the stone wall....

don't paint it...it's gorgeous!

I'm the umpteenth person to say it, but:

THAT WALL IS BEAUTIFUL. It has SO MUCH PERSONALITY. Work WITH it, not against it.

If the problem is too little light, perhaps you should paint the other walls white and lighten up the carpet. Then maybe add some furniture that isn't dark, heavy and wooden. (For example, cover the dining table with a cool tablecloth, and loose the brown on the bed.)

And most importantly: DECLUTTER. It looks like an unloved space.

I like the stone veneer too! I think you could work with it in the spring and summer to give this room a great garden-y feel by adding plants on the shelves and around the fireplace.

Like everyone has said, it definitely needs some decluttering and also color. This room is very bland right now, but with a little work it could look really good!

Work WITH it, not against it.

Wise words applicable to any renovation or redecorating, fuzzyEgg.

I also think that wall is awesome! Are there any windows at all in the space? Would it make sense to hang/lean a mirror (something with "character") on either the right ledge or on the upper left niche? You mentioned the space is dark so a mirror could bring some light to that part of the room. Think of the rock as a pattern, a very large pattern and keep the rest of it simple. A few large scale items in the niches would finish the wall off nicely.

whether or not you like the stone, your big issue is the lack of light. my main advice: you will never make it look like there are windows in there, no matter how light you paint it. light walls do not a window make.

GO DARK! go dark and cozy. you can't fake windows and natural light, so light walls just highlight your problem. if you make everything dark, however, it becomes a super-cozy little cave. i'd do a very deep, soft blue-gray, to play off the warm wood and stone color. do an even darker gray carpet. let any light colors be from accents, like art and pillows. and most important: paint the ceiling. you'll feel cocooned instead of trapped.

I'm curious if part of the reason you never use the room is because you don't really have an explicit need for the room - or, you aren't sure how to use the room? You're obviously getting by OK without using the room all the time (I'm assuming) but would like to utilize the space more?

In addition to everyone else's comments, one thing you might consider is what kind of activities you'd LIKE to have happening in this room, and tailor your decisions on that. If you put a lot of time and effort into the room, but never consider how you want to use it, you'll just have a better looking room that you still never use.

Do you already have a general living area? Is this more of a den -could it be a craft room? Do you already have a place to watch tv? Would this be a better place to watch TV (a lack of light would actually be benificial for viewing purposes). Do you have kids and do they already have a play room? If not, could you somehow make this into one? Etc etc.

Good luck!

I'd kill for this room. If I killed and got it, I'd strip the fireplace wall of absolutely everything, including the mantle, leaving just the stone and the fireplace. Done. Gorgeous.