Fireplace Update

We have this gorgeous fireplace right off our kitchen in a small living room, but with our renovation we knew we wanted to update it. The brown and black brick didn't go with the light and airy -yet cozy- look we wanted, so we took on a project to white wash it. My mother in law and sis in law helped get it done on Labor Day! 

We loved the black mortar and wanted to keep it somehow, so essentially mixed 3 parts water + 1 part paint and lightly went over the mortar with a paintbrush. It was really runny and watery, but the mortar absorbed it and up close gave it a light white speckled look. 

I loved the character of the brick and wanted to keep it somehow. The challenge was making sure the fireplace didn't look like it was painted pure white. We made a mixture of 1 part water + 2 parts white paint. Then we used paint rags to soak and wipe over the brick. It definitely took awhile (about 5 hours start to finish), but it kept the character of the brick and kept it from looking "too perfect". 

Now we plan to repurpose the mantle and replace the gold glass doors with black.

I was so nervous to do this project because this fireplace is the main focal point in the kitchen/dining/living area so I knew if I messed it up then the whole room would be off. I'm so excited with how it turned out! 

Now I can just imagine snuggling a newborn by this fireplace this February.. :)

BEFORE: