Today Kari & Kijsa are hosting a “Mantel Party,” where everyone takes a photo of theirs and posts it on their blog. I know you’ve seen photos of my mantel before, but it sounded like too much fun not to play along.
Here’s a photo from right after we moved into our house. My daughter Lily was only a toddler then. (Excuse me while I take a moment to ponder where the last 4 years went…)
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that “home” is a work in progress. It’s not something you can create overnight and be done with it. Mine is always changing and evolving. I actually keep photo albums for each of the houses I’ve lived in with pictures of our rooms as they have “grown” with us. It’s never just a simple “before” and “after.” It’s more like “before” and “after-after-after”! So I thought I’d show you a few of the photos I’ve taken of my mantel in the four years we’ve lived here.
The family room was pretty blah and lifeless (except for that sweet girl who was playing in there!), so the first thing we did was paint the walls in a darker shade of beige called “Pecan.” Here’s how it looked with the new paint color (and a new fireplace screen that I found for practically nothing at TJ Maxx!):
It was an improvement–but still just didn’t have enough oomph.
So I asked Handy Dave if he could add some crown molding to the room, trim out those small square windows, and maybe add an overmantel? He had never done anything like that before, but he’s always up for a challenge. So, after Googling “overmantels” to find out what they were, and then buying lots of new tools, he set to work. (You can catch a glimpse of my handy hubby in the mirror as he took the picture.)
Here is the first version he came up with, but it just wasn’t…quite…right (I set a few things up there just to get an idea for how it would look):
We figured out that using the same crown at the top of the overmantel that we had used around the room wasn’t dramatic enough. So we went back to Lowe’s and bought a heftier piece of crown to center over the top.
I also didn’t like how the white background looked, so I asked him to repaint it the same Pecan color as the rest of the room. This was the result:
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to keep things in my family room and kitchen neutral and change the colors on a whim. Here’s what the mantel looked like last Fall:
And here’s what it looked like at Christmas:
This summer, it’s lighter and more neutral, but I’m planning to add turquoise to it soon. I’ll be sure to post a photo of it when I mix it up again.
Lily and I say thanks for stopping by! Now hop on over to Kari & Kijsa’s place to see who else is sharing their mantel with the blogosphere today. You’re sure to get lots of fresh ideas for decorating yours!
If You Want to Take a Peek Around:
- Before & After: My Writing Room Makeover
- Lily’s Little Bathroom Makeover
- My Real (Messy) Life: A Tour of Our House on an Ordinary Day
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Very pretty! I love your fireplace screen too! Susie H
Very pretty!!! Love the colors of your walls and how you incorporated it into the area above the mantle!! I also love the black.. it really pops against the creamy color!!! And those toile chairs!!! Your look is very streamlined and simple. I love it!!
This is a great tour!!
Lily sure is cute too!!
What a great post – you’re right, the mantel is the first thing to evolve and reflect new tastes or different times of the year.
What great post! Love the through the years and incorporating your changing tastes!! Beautiful rooms and great ideas!!
blessings,
kari & kijsa
Very pretty, I’m getting some wonderful ideas from your site!
Oh, I so enjoyed seeing your mantel “being born”…it is just absolutely BEAUTIFUL….
Thanks for sharing,
bj
Very nice & clean lines.
Julia. Oh how I love that room. I know I gushed the first time I saw the pictures, but man. I love that room. I think I bookmarked the first post months ago to show my husband what he could do (like Handy Dave did!!) to the wall above the mantel. I love it. Have I mentioned that?
) I have been looking for a mirror like you have too… but nothing is in my price range. lol
Julia, that was so much fun. I loved seeing how your fireplace area evolved through the years.
It looks great, and I love your family room. Very light and inviting.
This has evolved into a gorgeous space! The effects you added over the mantel are great! Lily is just precious!
Rhonda
I like each picture better than the one before! They’re all just beautiful. I’m getting so many great ideas today. Thanks!
Oh, I love that room. Its so cute
It’s amazing what a little trim can do!!! Love the photos.
Very, very pretty. I really like the new look with the added molding. It really changed the whole feel. Beautiful.
Trixi
Great ideas and lovely history!
I LOVE your family room!!! I love the furniture and the mantel. That crownmolding makes a world of difference! It looks great!
Your family room is fantastic. So ‘pulled-togather’ that I’m looking at mine now and tapping my chin. So many things to do…
Love the improvements on the fireplace.
Wow! What a fabulous blog! Enjoyed seeing the transformation of your family room. The colors and decor are so warm and inviting. Your idea of keeping an album/journal of the homes you’ve lived in is such a great idea as well. Great post!
very fun Julia. amazing how quickly things change…and by things…I mean our kids, more than anything! You have such a lovely living room…and such a great hubby for doing handy things like that!!
What a great story of a changing mantel. I like the way you played with it until you had what you really wanted. I’ve never heard of an overmantel…but my own Mr. Handyman Husband might be hearing about it! Great idea.
Loved seeing how your mantle has evolved over time! Your mantle is beautiful…gorgeous room!
~Des
LOVE your mantel and that whole room! I love seeing how it progressed, it looks absolutely GREAT! Love your blog, I will be back for sure!!! xo!
I had to giggle when I watched your mantel change… we did the same thing with ours! Great minds…
I love the way yours looks and hubby did a great job
rue
I enjoyed seeing the transformation over the years! The round mirror in contrast to the angular moulding is so wonderful!
Thanks for your nice comment on my blog. I’ll be visiting often!
Great mantel. I love the round mirror and how it contrasts with the square windows. Smiles, Paula
Julia,
I am enjoying your blog.
Just in case you don’t know about Urban Tour this weekend.. http://thecincyblog.com/2008/06/19/2-easy-ways-to-tour-urban-cincinnati/ I am looking forward to some good pictures of the bathrooms from you!
Have a great weekend.
Beautiful! The overmantle and trim around the windows is exactly what your pretty fireplace needed!
The overmantle really gave the fireplace a real “wow factor”!
And your decorations are simple, yet elegant.
Beautiful! I love the way you change it around.
Love that overmantel, Julia! Your hubby did a fantastic job with it all & way to have the vision on it. That additional crown at the top was the icing on the cake. I love that wall color too & the toile, since I’ma big toile fan myself. Your familyroom looks so warm & inviting!
I peeked at your office makeover too & girl, that is fabulous! You must love it now.
Rhoda
Just stopping by to see your mantel. I love your whole room! Everything is gorgeous!
Thanks for stopping by my blog it’s always nice to “meet” new people. Your room is fab. and the two black and white chairs are so pretty. Your daughter is too cute peeking out from the sofa. I have one of my own and I can hardly believe she will be a freshman next year. Time sure does fly.
Blanca
love allt he seasonal changes. love the room in general, somehow it kind of reminds me of my familyi room – same layout and colors!!
You do a beautiful job; I love the way you change things seasonally. I do a teensy bit of that, but I think you’ve inspired me to take it a step further this year. Thanks for the ideas!
Such a wonderful party to attend…I love you interpretation…your mantel must feel pretty special. Oh and I have to say your room is stunning!
I just loved each and every display on your mantel. And especially the black toile. I am partial because my art studio is all in black and white toile. You have a lovely blog and I so enjoyed my visit.
Celestina
la rea rose
Julia,
Great job, I love the overmantel. I especially like how you piece the story together. As always the best decoration is your adorable Lily
Seens like yesterday mine were that small…
Night night,
Kathy
I want little square windows too! Lucky Duck!
Thanks for letting us in and letting us take a peek. Very inspiring. I scrolled around and was so impressed with all the work with your blog…
Looks like you have such a fun family.. .Kayce
When we had a fire place, we had a mirror similar to that over the top of it. I loved it.
I love it decorated for all the different seasons too!!!
This room is beyond GORGEOUS. I love the black/white and the wall color just glows. You are sooooo clever. b”eautiful!
Great overmantle! I really love the wall color. Do you know the name and manufacturer? Thanks
Hmmmm. Even after looking at your photos over and over again, I still love it! My mantle has improved slightly over the past month, and I’m so excited to have so many links to check out. I”m reminded again of how much I love your idea of changing out the accent colors for the season. The grate in front of the mantle was such a great find. Once my baby is walking and steady on her feet I’ll look for something similar. It really adds to the whole look!
Love how you added pictures that are for each season! Love the simplicity and clean lines. Your sweet little girl in the pictures adds a special touch as well!! Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne
What a gorgeous mantle. This is excatly what I want to do with mine per your moulding! Your room is gorgeous…and so warm and inviting.
I love it all.
Love,
Sue
Such a pretty room with nice mantel work!
Fun to see the changes you made. What a nice job your husband did on the wood trimm work. He’s a handy guy.
Isn’t Dave good to have around! What a difference the paint and molding make!
I really like your paint color. What it is called? It’s very warm and inviting.
Mirror mirror on the wall who has the greatest mantel of them all?
Great post!
Buck
Interesting changes and the room “feels” good. On the other hand, are you aware that you’ve made one of the top 3 decorating errors? Never put a mirror over a mantel. That’s because when you’re sitting, all you can see is the reflected ceiling. I do like the dark wood and the roundness – perhaps a wreath or a a round plaque?
Davina–
Ha. Yeah, I’m crazy like that. There’s also a rule about not putting family photos on the mantel, but I’ve broken that one in the past, too.
That family room is really dark and small and the mirror helps bring a little more light in. It reflects the kitchen chandelier and the natural light from the window over the sofa. We have a wooded lot, so light is scarce. Even in the middle of summer it’s shady in here. I guess it doesn’t bother me to see the ceiling when I’m sitting. I never even noticed! -Julia
Re the mirror – I know what you mean by trying to brighten up a dark room, and a mirror is one of the most effective methods. I’ve got a tiny guest bedroom where I specifically bought mirrored closet doors to brighten things up — and yes, I’ve heard the one abt no family pictures in the LR – but aren’y family rooms OK?
Oh, that’s interesting. I never heard the distinction between putting photos on family room mantels vs. living room mantels. Does anyone out there know the answer to that? Maybe I wasn’t breaking the rule after all! -J
Gorgeous! Love your Fall look.
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