Evolution of a fireplace

When Bethany moved to her new home one thing she felt that she had to do immediately was tame that fireplace wall.  The mantle was unusually high which threw the whole look off, so the first solution was to paint it all white.

Painting the interior doors black helped, but the white fireplace just wasn't the answer; the height still bothered us.

Then she recruited her brother and hubby to tear down the mantle and frame it with shiplap. They used high grade pine 1" x 6"s.  I later painted out the white in favor of black brick.

We love this result and though may one day stain the shiplap, we like it 'au naturel' for the moment.

This house is so fun to work on! We are taking it slow and in stages. Her Stark cut and bound room size sisal is a magnificent addition.  1st layer complete!