Reader Lisa is having some trouble figuring out how to make her off-center retro roman brick fireplace work for within her living room design. She initially wanted to paint the bricks white to match the built in bookshelf next to it, but her husband is a purist and prefers his brick au natural. How can Lisa make the room more aesthetically pleasing to her and still keep the natural brick for her husband? I’m thinking she was on the right track — but needs to reverse her thinking.
Lisa writes:
Hi Pam and Kate-
I love reading your blog – it’s definitely made me appreciate my 1954 rancher so much more.
I have a retro design dilemma though, and need your help! We have a Roman brick (as I understand) fireplace that sits asymmetrically at the end of our living room with a built-in shelf next to it. Previously, there was a 1980’s fireplace insert covering the fireplace, which we just removed (yay!), but now I’m not sure where to go. All the neighborhood houses have had the brick painted white or tan over the years – I initially lobbied for that option, but my husband is very anti-paint on original brick. I also read the blog on your site about staining brick, but I’m not sure if that’s the right solution for me either (is my brick too dark for that?) We recently painted the grey on the walls, which helps ‘tone down’ the red, so I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should just live with the brick the way it is – you know, ‘love the house I’m in.’ And beyond the bricks, I’m not sure what to do to the structure of the fireplace – does the asymmetrical thing work? We could cut the bricks off the side to make it centered in the space and with the hearth, add a traditional mantle and drywall above, remove the built-in in the corner – I’ve reached the point where I’m totally stuck. Help!
Our style is definitely artsy/eclectic with a little splash of collected random collected furniture thrown in (and a couple things left over from college that need to be thrown out!) Hubby is an arts and crafts furniture builder on the side, so there’s a lot of that influence in our home (I’m still waiting on a few key pieces for this room, clearly). We also have a family/extended family of artists, so we do our best to incorporate their work into our home – which is wonderful, but challenging at the same time.
I’m so hoping that you pick my room to help with – I’d love – no wait, I NEED a fresh perspective! And I’d love to do my rancher justice – I didn’t even realize how great it is until I started reading your blog (which I stumbled across while researching shingle colors last summer). Thank you!
Lisa
My key tip: Paint the built-in bookshelves to blend with the brick wall
Lisa — I think your fireplace is related to my house. I have probably the exact same roman brick covering 3/4 of the exterior of my retro ranch. That being said, I agree with your husband — I wouldn’t paint this brick — it is really beautiful just the way it is. Instead of painting the brick to match the bookshelf, why not paint the bookshelf to blend with the brick. By painting the bookshelf a medium brown that coordinates with your fireplace — it makes the whole wall on seem like one piece — thus reducing the off-center look. To further “center” the fireplace opening, try getting a tall plant (real or fake if you have a black thumb) to put on the other side of the room. The plant will occupy some of the “extra space” on that side of the fireplace and make the opening feel more centered.
I asked Lisa — even though she just painted the walls grey — if she would be game for Pam and me to each suggest a wall color for her living room for fun. Lisa says she is always open to suggestions, so Pam and I both set out to pick a color and also a rug for the space, keeping in mind Lisa and her husband’s love for Arts and Crafts style furniture and wanting to tone down the brick. I chose a warm creamy color for their walls (similar to Sherwin Williams Inviting Ivory) to tie in the color of the brick without bringing out the red tones. The rug I chose — found on Overstock.com — coordinates with what is already in the room and also has an Arts and Crafts feel to it.
Pam noticed that Lisa had green curtains and suggested a green from a story she wrote about Arts and Crafts paint colors — from California Paints called Jukebox. I found the green rug to coordinate with this color scheme from Shaw.
Even if Lisa didn’t want to change the grey walls, adding a rug to the room would help pull it together and make it feel more finished. This hand tufted grey wool rug from Overstock.com would be a good option.
UPDATE– After several suggestions from readers wondering how the wall color would look wrapped around onto the bookshelf, some further “digital painting” was done and the following shows how each wall color would look if it were carried onto the bookshelf.
Lisa, I hope I’ve given you a few ideas on how to make your space feel more symmetrical — without painting your brick fireplace.
bux1234567 says
After reading the owner’s original request and other people’s comments, I’m wondering if balance, simplicity and organization is what the owner really wants, and not strict bi-lateral symmetry.
If indeed balance is what you’re after, I offer this:
1. Leave the brick unpainted.
2. Paint the walls and bookcase the same color. The gray in the last image offers enough contrast in hue to make the fireplace remain a focal point, but the gray’s and the brick’s similarity in weight/darkness still holds the room together. I’m afraid that the cream and green paint schemes disintegrate the room.
3. A wall-to-wall, textured carpet will also integrate the room, as well as add warmth, without introducing more complicating lines to an already busy room. While adding an area rug might help anchor the furniture, the rug’s perimeter introduces more uneccesary lines..
4. Place the couch along the wall opposite the window and center the couch on the window. This placement will balance the room side to side, and, because the depth of the couch is also about equal to the width of the bookcase, makes the bookcase make more sense.
5. Center the television below the window. Consider a console storage unit to contain the TV. This will give the TV some weight to balance the couch, as well as conceal equipment. Also, having the TV away from the fireplace means that these two focal points don’t compete with each other. Keeping the TV low is not only more in keeping with the mid-century period, it also is more natural for viewing. The viewing angle for humans at rest is about 5 degrees below horizontal. Given this, placing a TV up high, like over a fireplace, just creates a strain. Last of all, this placement prevents glare on the TV screen.
6. Get larger draperies that run floor to ceiling. On the right side of the window, take the draperies all the way to the left corner of the fireplace. I’m not sure what’s happening to the left the window. Ideally, take the draperies to the next left inside corner. This further simplifies the room and will give the window more presence. It also creates a clean back drop for the TV.
7. Place a square corner table to the right of the couch, and then place an armchair perpendicular to the table. This makes an L-shape arrangement of your couch, table and chair—good for conversation, TV viewing and fireplace viewing.
8. Getting a slimmer couch and armchair, like Crate & Barrel’s Petrie sofa, would also help. Your existing upholstered pieces, while nice, have much heavier proportions than the sleek, horizontal proportions of your Roman brick.
Looking forward to seeing what you actually do. Good luck.
pam kueber says
Lovely recommendations, Bux! Are you an interior designer or architect?
Bux1234567 says
Hi, Pam, yes, I’m a contract commercial designer, mostly designing office spaces, but I’ve also designed for restaurants, senior-living communities, and retail.
What really brings me to Retro Renovation isn’t what I do for a living. I, like so many others on the site, own a mid-century-modest house—in my case, a 1955 split level. Your manifesto expresses my sentiments on mid-century-modest housing exactly, and your site’s a continual resource as I “love the house I’m in”—such great information so well presented with enthusiasm, insight, warmth and wit. You do such a great job. Thanks for the site!
pam kueber says
Awe, thank you, Bux, you made my day! I feel like a rank amateur compared to you when making my suggestions! Glad you are reading — and contributing!!!
nina462 says
Thanks bux! I entered my comment way below, but then forgot to mention that I did purchase a 1960 RCA console tv, that I will be putting in front of my window, and then rearranging my furniture so that my room will be more ‘square’ than ‘rectangle’…and that the tv doesn’t compete with the fireplace.
In fact, I had an old tv guy come to the house to look at the RCA, and he was amazed at it. He also would install a newer tv in the cabinet if needed, but he managed to get the RCA working with cable. Wow!
Can’t wait to rearrange my furniture this weekend – thanks to Bux suggestions.
bux1234567 says
You’re welcome, Nina. I hope the changes work out for you. Would enjoy seeing the end result. 😉
BungalowBILL says
Since you already have a taste for Arts and Crafts I would suggest you look for inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright. The horizontal lines of the brick fit into the Prairie and Modern style. I’d look at photos of Fallingwater or Usonian homes to get ideas.
The colors the furniture and brick want are earth colors; greens, Cherokee Red, and warm oranges and ochres and maybe a textured grasscloth on an accent wall.
You can mix Arts and Crafts and Modern. It doesn’t have to be an either/or.
Lisa says
That’s excellent advice – thank you!
Sarah g says
I painted me fireplace and have never looked back, it looks so much better but mine was a really dark red brick. If you do paint it I would suggest anything BUT white… Too stark! I recommend Manchester tan or bleaker beige by Ben Moore
Kelly Wittenauer says
You have a gorgeous mid-century modern fireplace! Instead of trying to traditionalize it with paint or, worse yet, a mantle – try embracing the modern. It cries out for a star burst clock or some metal & wood artwork instead of the paintings that hang there now. I like the asymmetry, but if you prefer to minimize that, painting it to match the brick seems to do that best. Remove the soot stain from above the fireplace if possible. I like the idea of a swag light to the left of the fireplace. And agree with Pam about swapping the furniture layout. Your window sits high enough to get away with the TV in front of it, especially if you put it on a slightly lower stand. I also agree with those who’ve said the room needs a bit less furniture.
Meredith R.
Our last house had a difficult to furnish living room. I found that not limiting myself to furniture placed against walls helped. For example, where you mentioned the implied hall from front door to kitchen – an L-shaped sofa with one leg along a wall & the other extending along part of one side of that “hall” might work. Perhaps with a credenza or sofa table behind.
Chaucea says
Om nom nom… I LOVE the final green example!! 😀
Sara says
I love the fireplace! My fireplace has the same brick, but mine has pink mortar. I am so glad you’re not going to paint the brick! I love the idea of painting the bookcase to “match” the brick and I like all of the wall color options, especially the green. I love love love arts & crafts style and I think green really sets off the wood tones. So many great comments above…I’ll just say you have a beautiful room and good luck/have fun!
lisa says
I think she should extend the grey color to the bookcase, but paint the back (behind the books) olive to match the curtains, and tie it all together with an area rug. Also, I think it would look best to have only one art piece hung on the fireplace brick. Something a little larger might be better than what is there, but at least remove the smaller painting.
You’ve already gotten decluttering suggestions, but I will be specific: remove the lamp table and chair that are near the tile floor area and replace with a narrow table/chest OR with a large piece of art. Hang the TV on the wall approximately where it is and get rid of the piece it is sitting on OR if you need that to store DVD player & other stuff paint it to match the walls so it blends in and disappears. All your other furniture looks fine to me, but you might consider a larger, square-shaped ottoman and some colorful throw pillows.
Finally, consider hanging your art so the top line is the same height for all pieces around the room, and arrange each group into a grid-like pattern. I think that arrangement can help traditional-looking wall art meld nicely with a more modern setting.
pam kueber says
Here is what the commenter said:
“Symmetry is an illusion. Balanced asymmetry makes for good design, good living spaces (architecture and gardens), relaxation and tranquility.I think more people need to learn about Wabi Sabi.”
We talk a bit about wabi sabi in my collage class. My very minimal understanding was that is was sort of “the imperfect is perfect.” I need to learn more. I think I will luv wabi sabi.
tammyCA says
When I took Japanese Art History in college and learned all about the asymmetry, but balanced concept they are known for…it was an a-ha type of moment for me…it clicked that what I was drawn to was asymmetry in design/art (also, I always feel off kilter anyway..lol.)
pam kueber says
I am really into this one, haha. I just had another idea. Lisa says her husband makes arts and crafts style furniture. How about: Rip out the bookcase, and rebuild it with quarter sawn oak in the classic A&C finish. This would “blend” with the bricks similar to brown or brownish red paint. Use period appropriate hardware if you want to add doors on the bottom of the bookcase. Match the hardware to whatever screen you put in the fireplace.
Robin says
I actually like Lisa’s original layout best. I think the grey works great with the color of the fireplace and I’m not a fan of grey walls. But unlike Lisa, I love the asymmetry of the fireplace. The living room reminds me a lot of my own with the big fireplace (although mine is centered) and picture window. Mine is also a long rectangle with a fireplace at one end. The only things I would suggest would be to:
1) Remove a few pieces of furniture, it’s too cluttered in the room. I love Lisa’s antiques but they make the room feel small and crowded. The scale of the furniture is also wrong – big fluffy upholstered furniture and Arts and Crafts tables and chairs look a little awkward together. I struggle with the same problem because most of my pieces were purchased second hand or were cast offs from friends and family. At some point, replace the sofa and recliner with matched pieces with clean lines to mimic the tidiness of the fireplace (something I still can’t afford to do in my own home, sigh). This is a living room that begs for some clean and airy mid-century furniture.
2) Definitely add an area rug to pull the room’s colors together.
3) If you really hate the asymmetry, paint the bookcase to match the walls.
4) Of Pam and Kate’s suggested color schemes, I like the lime green the best. But I still think the grey looks nice.
5) DO NOT mount the TV above the fireplace. It’s a look I really don’t care for – somehow it makes the TV seem like a trophy, like a deer head. At the very least, it makes a big, loomy black square on the wall.
Robin says
I guess what I should have said was – paint the bookcase to match the fireplace if you don’t like the asymmetry. Personally, I’m jealous that you have an asymmetrical fireplace but do what makes you happy.