fireplace

Loving the Fireplace You Used to Hate

May 14, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 12 Comments

Ah, the fireplace. The heart of the home, the hearth, the focal point of any well-appointed living room. But what if the heart of your home fills you with contempt?

Lovely, Non-Contemptuous Fireplace

In the photos I’m going to share with you below, the wall color stayed the same and no new furnishings or accessories were purchased. A lot like that old show on HGTV, Decorating Cents (that I still miss!), this makeover is what most people refer to as an “interior redesign,” aka, “working with whatcha got and not buying anything new.” Here’s the “before” of the living room. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Design Intervention Tagged With: black paint, color, decorating cents, fireplace, hgtv, living room, paint it black, pinterest, redesign, room makeover, the decorologist

Get Your Furniture Arrangement In Balance

March 26, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 19 Comments

I see it all the time: rooms that lack balance. When your furniture is not balanced, the whole room feels off-kilter.

house beautiful living room Get Your Furniture Arrangement In Balance

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Here’s a good example off an off-kilter room I worked in last week. From this angle it didn’t look so bad, in regard to furniture placement. There wasn’t a lot of color in the room, obviously. First of all, I suggested we move away from the paint color that looked a bit like a band-aid. Sorry, but pinky-beige is not your friend. Just ask Color Expert Maria Killam how she feels about pinky-beige!

DSC 0422 Get Your Furniture Arrangement In Balance

Before

Fireplace Face-Lift

January 20, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 21 Comments

Do you have a fireplace that fades away into the background? Maybe it needs some coaxing to bring it out of its shell.

This fireplace mantel was painted out the same color as the wall behind it. That’s a big no-no in my book. A mantel is architecture, like trim moulding, and should never be treated like a wall!

Blah Fireplace

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Filed Under: Design Intervention Tagged With: black, fireplace, mantel, paint

A Victorian Christmas

December 19, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 7 Comments

The Christmas festivities have begun – my family and I travelled to my husband’s aunt and uncle’s home yesterday for our annual family Christmas get-together. I just have to share a little of my aunt and uncle’s historic home.

DSC 3040 A Victorian Christmas

They have lived in this lovely Victorian home for the last 20 years, and it has been a popular Bed and Breakfast for several of those years. It even has it’s own fancy name: Academy Place – named for the girl’s school it used to house a century ago.

One of my favorite things about this home is the amazing fireplaces in many of its rooms.

DSC 3015 A Victorian Christmas

No Books Were Burned in the Making of this Post

June 17, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 25 Comments

I was inspired - so I took the plunge and did it! I filled my fireplace box with a ton-o-books and . . . tah-dah!

How About This for a Book Storage Solution?

Love it or hate it – what do you think? I just love it – and if I must say so myself, it looks even better than the ones I posted about here. It was easier than I thought – no need to fill up the entire fireplace, just stack them in the front directly in front of the gas logs (I did push them back a smidge). I took a garbage bag and lined the bottom and layed the rest over the logs so as not to smoot up my books. The ones around the edges of the opening may need a little dusting come Fall, but they should be fine.

Fireplace Chocked Full-o-Books

I get points for at least taking a chance, right? On another note, I am very excited that Heather Spriggs Thompson spent the afternoon photographing my home today – my home will be featured in her new on-line design magazine, Gatherings, coming out in July!

The Decorologist’s Bedside Table

Heather is a fabulous photographer – I can’t wait to see my home through her eyes.

The Decorologist’s Sunroom

Stayed tuned and have a lovely weekend!

Filed Under: Collective Soul, My Decorology Tagged With: book storage, books in firebox, books in fireplace, fireplace, gatherings, heather spriggs, the decorologist

This Isn’t A Book-Burning – It’s Artistic Display!

May 27, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 12 Comments

It’s finally summertime, and I won’t be lighting a fire in my fireplace anytime soon. So . . .

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I’m really considering cleaning out the firebox and stacking it full of books for the summer season.

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Why not put my love of books on display in a creative and unexpected way? I have such a large collection, it should be fairly easy to fill.

Country Living

I really, really want to do this. I’m just concerned about cleaning out my gas fireplace well enough that I don’t soot up all my tomes . . .

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I guess I’ll have to store all that fake ash stuff that sits in the bottom under the grate. Where on earth will I put that?

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Maybe I’ll go to a yard sale and buy a bunch of really crappy books to line the bottom and outermost sides with. Then I won’t have to worry about ruining the ones I love.

Fireplace from a Bookshop in Lark

I know I’ll love it if I do it, but what a shame they’ll have to come back out in the fall. I guess it’s not much different than the trouble of putting up and taking down a Christmas tree, right? Do you think I should???

Filed Under: Collective Soul Tagged With: book collection, books in firebox, books in fireplace, displaying books, fireplace, fireplace with books, storing books

5 Ways to Instantly Make Your Space Cozy!

January 10, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 7 Comments

Brrrrrr. It’s cold and snowing in here in Nashville. But it can be cozy and warm in the little nests we make for ourselves! Here are my top 5 ideas for cozying up your home in winter:

1. Bring in cozy fabrics in pillows, throws, and drapes like velvet, corduroy, or fur. Even ruffles – which are everywhere in decor right now – add fluff to make you feel just a little warmer.

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Filed Under: My Decorology, Popular Posts Tagged With: cozy, cozy fabrics, decorating, fireplace, lampshades, layering rugs, warm rooms

Dressing Your Mantel

August 25, 2009 By Kristie Barnett 1 Comment

The mantel over your fireplace is a great place to create a focal point, display beloved items, and show your personality. The mantel itself can hold objects of all kinds: candlesticks, crystal, books, pottery, collections. Little children can’t reach, so put out your favorite breakables. If you don’t have a fireplace, you can use a large shelf or even the top of a long console table to create your “mantelscape.” Here are a few ideas to help inspire a new look for your mantel.

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