This Bungalow’s Fireplace Is So Green, It’s Almost Black — It’s Absolutely Striking
“The living room was our first project,” Maudie Francek says about her and her husband Ronnie’s 1928 Milwaukee home. Because the couple was tackling the whole home room by room, they needed at least one space away from the renovation messiness in other parts of the house.
“We knew it would be the space where we spent most of our time, so we wanted to create a comfortable landing spot to relax in as we tackled the rest of the house,” Maudie shares.
The “Beige That Covered the Entire House” Needed to Go
While the room had “great bones,” it just needed a little elbow grease to let the original features shine. Plus, it needed a fresh coat of paint to tackle the “beige that covered the entire house.”
They Immediately Chose a New Paint Color to Brighten Up the Room
Before Maudie and Ronnie moved into their new-to-them bungalow, they refinished the floors. As soon as that base project was finished, they jumped straight into the living room revamp by selecting a new wall color.
The couple chose Sherwin-Williams’ “Snowbound” for the walls — brightening the space and adding warmth to the darker living room and connected dining room.
They also refinished the alcove’s shelves to the left of the fireplace, the baseboards and trim, and the French doors leading into the living room. By restoring the natural wood, Maudie and Ronnie added layers to the transformation with different tones of warmth between the original wood and the freshly painted walls.
Painting the Fireplace a Fresh Color Made the Tiles Pop
When it came time to tackle the fireplace, the original brick had been painted, and “the tiles were getting completely lost” against all of the beige paint. And while Maudie and Ronnie weren’t new to stripping paint off of original features from previous projects, they wanted to try something different for their living room.
“This time we decided to fully commit and paint the entire fireplace,” Maudie shares. “It had already been painted before, so we saw no harm in giving it a fresh color that fit our style.”
After cleaning the original hearth tiles with extra scrubbing and elbow grease, they discovered part of the design was a rich green-brown color. They chose Sherwin-Williams’ “Andiron” by color-matching the refreshed tiles.
“As soon as we painted [the bricks], the tiles popped,” Maudie notes.
They Wanted to Keep the Decor Simple and Comfortable
When it came time to decorate, the couple kept it simple with nods to mid-century modern in the furniture they selected and their love for the outdoors with the plants they brought into every room.
But overall, Maudie and Ronnie focused on creating a comfortable space that they not only could enjoy throughout renovations of the other spaces, but also long after they made the Wisconsin bungalow their home.
Check out Maudie and Ronnie’s full house tour and see how they transformed the primary bedroom! Inspired? Submit your own project here.
