A fireplace is often the focal point of a living room, so it’s important that it enhances the space instead of making you cringe every time you look at it. When Heather and Neil moved into their 1940s traditional home in Santa Monica, their new living room’s fireplace had that unfortunate effect.
Their living room felt overwhelmed by wood: oak floors, an oak banister and an oak fireplace, all in medium-dark tones. Oak is a perfectly fine material, but in this house the abundance of medium-dark wood felt heavy and oppressive rather than cozy. Heather and Neil wanted a fireplace that would feel lighter and reflect the room’s natural light. “While it’s great to have a fireplace, and one flanked by windows, it was dated and terrible and not our taste at all,” Heather recalls.
They set out to modernize the fireplace and make it their own while keeping the project simple and affordable. To brighten the structure, they applied two coats of an adhesion primer—this eliminated the need for sanding—and followed with two coats of white paint. They also modified the boards across the front and top of the fireplace to better accommodate their television. To finish the update, they refreshed the sconces on either side of the fireplace with Rust-Oleum hammered gray spray paint and topped them with new shades from Pottery Barn, creating a cohesive, updated look without a major renovation.
The couple completed the entire makeover over a single weekend, spending under $200. Their budget breakdown was straightforward: wood, $120; primer, $12; paint, $14; spray paint, $8; and lamp shades, $20. They briefly considered replacing the greenish tile, but because this was their first DIY project they chose to keep changes minimal and focus on high-impact, low-effort updates.
The result is a noticeably brighter, more modern focal point that complements the room’s natural light and feels fresh without erasing the home’s period character. Heather and Neil achieved a dramatic transformation through careful planning, selective updates and modest spending—proof that a weekend and a small budget can make a big difference. What do you think of their new fireplace?