Before and After: See How Black Paint Made a Traditional Fireplace Wall Pop
When Jessie Ecker of Eye in the Detail moved into her home a couple of years ago, the first update she made was to paint her fireplace surround a dark gray.
In the last two years, though, her style has begun to evolve from, as she puts it, “‘farmhouse’ to a little more ‘modern,'” so she decided to grab a paint brush and take to the fireplace again.
Initially, she only planned to paint the surround black, but she decided that it looked so good and modern that she would keep going and paint the paneling around it. Hello, paneling details and statement wall!
Overall, the project took Jessie about a week to complete. And get this: The supplies cost her one big nothing. She used reclaimed wood she had found near her grandfather’s old farm and leftover scrap wood to make the mantle. The black paint (Black Magic by Sherwin-Williams) was also leftover from a previous project. She did spend some money to style the fireplace; while she usually shops her own home for decor, she wanted to push forward with the more “modern” and less “farmhouse” look, so she purchased a gold mirror and a few faux plants for under $200.
To anyone considering painting their own fireplace dark and bold, Jessie says to be brave and go for it. “It’s just paint,” she writes. “If you don’t love the change, you can always change it back or even try something new. Don’t be scared to step outside of your comfort zone. You just might surprise yourself and others.”
Thank you for sharing, Jessie!