Hi guys!! Today I would like to share some pics of our original fireplace and built-ins and how dark and dated it once looked. It has seen various changes over the few years of living here and I still want to make even more changes to it in the near future, but today I thought I would show you how it looks as of now.
First, the fun part. Let's look at some before pics.....
![Fireplace Built In | Easy DIY Paint | Dark Oak Before Picture](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_76c52fb5e18b4677bc39f6a447c9bd14~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_110,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_76c52fb5e18b4677bc39f6a447c9bd14~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
![Fireplace Built In | Easy DIY Paint | Dark Oak Before Picture](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_7a01610ddbdf48d085df0162741af0db~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_196,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_7a01610ddbdf48d085df0162741af0db~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
![Fireplace Built Ins | Easy DIY White Paint](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_f2232e8566914d6ba0268fbfcf283f72~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_196,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_f2232e8566914d6ba0268fbfcf283f72~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
And here is what it looks like now after a big paint job...
![Brick Fireplace with Built-Ins Painted White](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_e0f1182ed8e54846b8202ce2f9feb9d5~mv2_d_1242_1242_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_e0f1182ed8e54846b8202ce2f9feb9d5~mv2_d_1242_1242_s_2.jpg)
![Brick Fireplace with Built-Ins Painted White | Farmhouse Style Decor](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_219c56b0bc914fb09c661e184af76a71~mv2_d_1242_1554_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_184,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_219c56b0bc914fb09c661e184af76a71~mv2_d_1242_1554_s_2.jpg)
![Brick Fireplace with Built-Ins Painted White | Farmhouse Style Decor](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_5eb696c2c3224977858d87e7459a6f17~mv2_d_1242_1550_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_183,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_5eb696c2c3224977858d87e7459a6f17~mv2_d_1242_1550_s_2.jpg)
![Brick Fireplace with Built-Ins Painted White | Farmhouse Style Decor](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/651821_a811fa5053b444db870d52ee7afa9f9d~mv2_d_1242_1547_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_183,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/651821_a811fa5053b444db870d52ee7afa9f9d~mv2_d_1242_1547_s_2.jpg)
By painting all the original orange-toned wood out to Benjamin Moore's White Dove in their Advance Paint, and refinishing the mantel with an antiquing wax this room now feels 1000 lbs. lighter and brighter!!
I also painted the brick out white after living with it whitewashed for a while. I found the whitewashed bricks didn't quite cover the brown undertones enough, so I opted to just paint it straight out in Benjamin Moore's Simply White.
I know some of you may see these after pics and think "how could you paint over all that beautiful wood!!?" I get it, it's not for everyone. I know me though, colour and my interior spaces can affect me mentally. If a space doesn't surround me with light and brightness then I can get rather down....may seem a bit extreme, but it's so true. I need the colour and paint choices in my house to be on the brighter side or I get grumpy. Do any of you get that way??
Well guys, I hope these before and after's were fun to see. I still want to shiplap behind the bookcases and rework some of the "fancier" upper trim work to have more clean lines, but for now, it's a happy, bright and airy space to be in!
Love,
Dale xo