(Basement Progress) Painted Fireplace and New Purchases

More often than not, my best design decisions come from spur of the moment ideas.  Ideas that pop into my head and quickly turn into projects before I have time to think about what I'm doing.  That's exactly how a plank wall ended up in our entryway and how our fireplace ended up getting painted last weekend.

I whitewashed our fireplace a few years ago, but always felt it had a funky pink hue that didn't jive with the rest of our basement.  Just recently I started throwing around the idea of painting it white or trying to give it a more "old brick" look, but wasn't sold on either idea.  I sought advice from a few blogger friends and that's when Emily from Table and Hearth asked what I thought about painting the fireplace the same color as my doors.  Whoa, why didn't I think of that?

I already painted the front door, dining room door, mudroom doors, basement door and kitchen cabinets dark, so it only made sense to paint the fireplace.  By now you are probably aware that my absolute favorite color combination is light walls, dark doors and accents of wood tones and gold. Contrast is what I crave and I knew the best decision was to paint the fireplace dark.  It took about a half hour to convince myself it was a good idea then it was go time.

It was Saturday evening, I was exhausted, but I was also way too excited about the idea to let it wait another day.

I was able to cover the whitewashed brick in just one coat of Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (Emerald, Satin).  I used my favorite brush to paint the majority of the fireplace and a small angled art brush to cut in around the ceiling, floor and fireplace doors.

This is not how I plan to decorate the fireplace, but I thought you would appreciate it more if it were decorated :)  I also didn't show the right side of the fireplace on purpose.  I have a DIY project planned and want to wait until I'm finished to share the rest of the space.

You may have noticed by now that I've replaced just about every piece of furniture in our basement. We donated our hand-me-down sofa and opted to replace it with the Ektorp Chaise from Ikea.  I knew this space would get a lot of use and wanted something that I wouldn't mind replacing if it got destroyed by my kids.  The slipcover can be removed and washed for easy cleaning and if need be I can always buy a new one.

I also purchased this gorgeous, natural shag rug from RugsUSA!  I have a very similar one in our upstairs living room and knew it would be perfect for the basement.

100% Wool Handmade Rug

It goes with anything and it's the perfect contrast against the new dark flooring.  And....it has tassels!

The tribal coffee table is also a new addition and adds the perfect amount of warmth to the room.

I cannot believe I didn't paint the fireplace sooner.  Choosing dark gray over white is by far one of the best design decision I have ever made, ever!  I was worried the gray would make the room appear darker, but the opposite actually happened.  The white plank wall now pops and the contrast is gorgeous.

Sometimes it pays to take chances and this was one of those times that taking a chance paid off big time!

Linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick

If you're playing catch up, here's a breakdown of the progress so far:

- Plank Wall Installation and Progress

- Completed Plank Wall

- Mosaic Subway Tile Backsplash

- Vinyl Plank Floor Progress

- From Carpet to Hardware- Transforming the Stairs

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