Elizabeth recently contacted The Design Tabloid to ask our resident Décor Diva some advice…

Elizabeth asks:

“I moved into a 1960 home that has a marble fire place. I will never use the fire place and I have cream colored leather furniture with lavender and pink pillows, and shams. The fire place has white marble around it. HELP I WANT IT TO BE A WOW FACTOR WHEN I WALK IN AND I LOVE BOLD COLORS!”

Décor Diva says:

It’s a little difficult to give specific suggestions without knowing exactly what your fireplace looks like or what your personal style and taste is. I will, however, mention several possibilities and share a variety of awesome inspirational images I sourced around the web.

A fireplace has such wonderful attention-grabbing potential and turning a fireplace into a room feature can be quite easy with the right inspiration.

It gladdens my heart to hear that you love bold colour as I do too, and the sole act of painting a fireplace in a brave colour can immediately change it from drab to a striking feature. A bold painted wall would be a brilliant contrast to your white marble fireplace. You can also consider a daring wallpaper – geometric, floral or textured (whatever suits your style best). If you are unsatisfied with your fireplace surround and mantle you can always paint that a bold colour and leave the fireplace wall a neutral colour (there are a few nice images illustrating this below).

A fireplace wall is also an excellent space for a “gallery wall” – a grouping of photos, art and framed prints. OR maybe just one big bold statement piece – a gorgeous work of art or a big ornate mirror (if you are a lady who likes glam). I have also recently seen a gorgeous interior where the fireplace wall was hung with a collection of mirrors in various shapes and sizes – it looked seriously cool.

The fireplace mantle can be used to display your treasures – make small groupings of interesting things. Play with the scale of the objects but be careful not to overload your mantle – keep balance in mind.

Since you are not going to be lighting any fires you can use this area for additional features. Fill the space with candles or collectables. This can also be an awesome spot for some potted plants. Another option is to board the opening up – the gap can then be tiled, painted or clad in mirrors. Below is even one or two images of fireplaces converted to house books!

I hope one or more of these ideas or images have piqued your interest and served as inspiration. Take the time to source objects that speak of you and your home. Good luck with the process and have some fun!

Love, Rose  x x x

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