Who Doesn’t Like a Before & After

It all started with a phone call. My dear friend and neighbor across the street called me one day and asked me to take a look at her first floor. She wanted to do a quick and inexpensive update of her living and dining rooms. We’ve all been there. Haven’t we?

BEFORE

AFTER

Her first request was to update the fireplace. The focal point of the room was sporting an old fashioned brass door, way too shiny and dated. What do we do now? She didn’t want to spend any money on refinishing the fireplace or replacing the mantel. That would’ve involved the need for fixing the wall around it and the floor. Too much for my busy, doctor friend. Well, I believe that sometimes the simple approach is the best. So I removed the old, shiny fireplace door and painted the interior black. When you paint the interior brick of a fireplace black, it makes for a quick and inexpensive update. It immediately makes the fireplace look more modern and clean.

We then selected a nice and soothing paint color to complement the strong colors of my friend’s furniture pieces and window treatment.

As we were talking about the overall appearance of the more formal part of the house, I noticed that her dining room was lacking more formal features, such as wainscoting and nice paneling and trim around the door arches. The product of this simple and quick update was clean, welcoming, updated rooms ready to receive friends and family.