This baby was a long time in the making. I started thinking about changing out our fireplace tile almost two years ago and labored over the decision for months. Our old fireplace tile wasn’t awful – it just wasn’t my style and kinda stuck out like a sore thumb in our space. And our old mantel was a measly 5″ deep which made it hard to decorate since there wasn’t enough space to layer art or accessories. After finally deciding to say bye-bye to the old fireplace, picking out tile for the new one, designing a new mantel, and painting and styling it up, our new fireplace is finally done!
Do you guys remember the “before”?
As much as I love blue and white, this tile just didn’t do much for me (and it wasn’t original Delft tile – it was a reproduction). And the old fireplace surround was dated and pretty much flat as a pancake in profile:
The new one has a whole lot more dimension:
And of course the star of the show is the tile – it’s Sterling Row Wingtip tile c/o Walker Zanger and I’m pretty much obsessed with it.
The colors, pattern, and natural feel of the wood grain finish are all right up my alley.
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And since my fireplace is all fancy now, it needed a little mantel styling makeover too. I raided my hoard closet of accessories for most of what I ended up using – some of you long-time readers might recognize the background of the horse photo as a bulletin board I made for the kitchen in our old house. Swapping out art or prints will be as easy as pinning them to the board – love that! I stole the botanical print from our home office gallery wall (now I need to find a replacement!) and snagged the pair of stirrups from the saddle I still have from my riding days.
The round mirror was an IKEA find – I sanded it a bit to lighten up the finish:
The feather art was a two minute DIY (the feathers are stuck on to white textured cardstock with glue dots) and the deer print was a downloadable print bought on Etsy.
The star seed pod was found {here} (affiliate link) – it usually sits on my living room ottoman but I like it better in its new spot:
I think I’m probably the only gal in blogland with a fireplace that hasn’t been decked out for the holidays yet so guess what I’ll be doing tomorrow? I need to get a move-on because my Christmas house tour is on tap next week!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Sherry says
Gorgeous, Kris! I LOVE the tile.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Sherry!!
Sharon says
SO excited for you!! Always nice to stand back and admire the latest update in our homes. The tile is stunningly handsome. You will enjoy the chunky mantle to decorate for the holidays and seasons to come. Light a fire in the fireplace curl up and enjoy the view. ???? – Sharon
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Sharon – the first half of this month has me running, but once it slows down, I can’t wait to be curled up in a blanket on that couch with a fire roaring in our new fireplace!
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says
Love it and the new vignette. Gorgeous
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks so much Marty!
Simone Staemmer says
Absolute stunning. You have a good eye for portions and color. Love your style and taste. What I like best is that you style on a budget.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Simone! The tiling job ended up being a tough one (my original fireplace wasn’t in great condition) and was more than expected so keep the mantel accessories on a tight budget was a must! 🙂
marley says
Kris this is divine! That tile is scrumptious as well;) I love using what you have as well as meaningful items that tell a story…perfect! Cannot wait to see what you do for the holidays!
Kris Jarrett says
So sweet of you Marley – thank you!
Susan says
What a transformation. A beautiful stage for your Christmas décor. Love it.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Susan!
Denise says
Kris, your new fireplace looks amazing!! It’s so YOU!!! I know you’ll be sitting in there with your coffee…and wine…and swooning until the cows come home :)!! Enjoy. It’s a wonderful transformation. Love your accessories as well. Happy Holidays!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Denise – yes, the one worry I had in doing it is that it is SO me that maybe it isn’t generic enough for when it’s time to sell the house but I loved it so much that I just went for it. I swear that life has been too busy for me to sit down and swoon over anything lately but I can’t WAIT to do just that over Christmas break!
Denise says
Such an awesome transformation Kris! That tile is a show stopper! Can’t wait to see it all decked out for Christmas!
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks so much Denise!
Lisa @ Shine Your Light says
Kris it came out so beautifully! That tile is amazing and I love the new chunkier mantle and the clean lines of the surround. So pretty!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Lisa! I seriously cannot wait to see yours!!
Karen says
I know you must have mentioned it earlier, but what paint did you use for the mantel and trim? What a Transformation! And those tiles! Wow.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Karen! I actually used a custom paint color for the mantel and trim – it was leftover paint from painting my kitchen island and it ended up being a good match with the existing baseboards in my living room so I went with what I had!
Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says
Kris, it GORGEOUS! That tile is absolutely stunning and I love how substantial the whole fireplace looks now. You did an amazing job styling it and I can’t wait to see what you do for Christmas!
Cheers!
Shelley
Kris Jarrett says
You’re so sweet Shelley – thank you! I had big plans for Christmas art, etc. but I literally just got the mantel all accessorized this past week and didn’t have it in me to redo it again so quickly. So not much is going to change other than some greenery and stockings 🙂
Jenny@EvolutionofStyle says
Kris! It looks SO good! I’ve been smitten with that tile for awhile now, and your accessories are perfect! I love your bulletin board – so smart. Well done – that fireplace has come a long way!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Jenny – remember that YOUR blog was the one where I first saw this line of Walker Zanger tile. So excited to finally have my planning turn into reality 🙂
Dawn says
Beautiful ……very classy…..boy that blue and white belonged in a bedroom or bath…I can’t believe it was picked out for a fireplace …..I’ve hated my fireplace from the first day I saw it….faux stone was supposed to look like driftwood …..well the contractor didn’t get me to look at it before install and it was already done by the time I got to the house….charcoal and dark and looks like it belongs to the Flintstones….. Wish me luck….I love Miss Mustard seed milk paint and YOU….look forward to my emails from you and Marian eveyday….thank you, and Happy Holidays…
Kris Jarrett says
Dawn you totally crack me up with your Flintstones fireplace 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words – your comment truly made my day!
cassie @ primitive & proper says
this was worth the wait! i remember you scheming about this a while ago, and wow!!! that tile couldn’t be more “kris” than it is! and it’s styled so beautifully!
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Cassie! I agree that it’s about as “me” as it could get – if I could design a tile to be exactly what I wanted to be, this would be it!
Stacy Connolly says
Absolutely Stunning!!! Love that tile!!
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks for sharing in my excitement about it Stacy!
mary beth at MBZ interiors says
Stunning! I have brick under my mantel (painted white 20 years ago) but now I want to tile it. Happy Friday
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Mary Beth!