Fireplace Facelift

Remember the painted fireplace? As we learned over this winter, the ugly brick wasn't our fireplace's only flaw. While it had been fitted with gas logs, the permanently opened dampers (as required for gas log fireplaces) let in a nasty draft when there was no fire and sucked up all the heat when there was. Therefore, an insert was the natural step to take the fireplace from drafty to toasty. In doing so, we gained some serious aesthetic improvement as well. 

Let's go back to the beginning. 

Then I painted it. 

Now it shines!

Our second fireplace underwent a slightly less dramatic facelift. 

Now that the fireplaces are looking their best, I need to figure out what to do with their mantels. Any suggestions?