Tile Over Brick Fireplace

It took courage but we decided to tile over the brick fireplace.  It was very inexpensive and easy maintenance since the tile I chose was Travertine look alike.  If there is soot on the tile all I have to do is wipe it off.  It also created a nice flow with the tile in the entry hall overlooking the living room.  The big issue my husband and I had was to replace the mantle. My husband did not want to put it back up. Without the mantle it gives it a more contemporary look.  So I call it Country French With A Twist.

The other issue was hanging our oil painting.  My son was so sweet to hang it as I was visualizing how high to hang it.  We had to put a special hook with a special glue as not to damage the tile.  So far it has not fallen so all is well.

Our wonderful contractor added a spotlight to shine on the painting every time we turn on our light switch.  I use to have a little light attached to the picture frame which was very inconvenient to turn on and off.  I think it also detracted from the painting to have the light on top.  Not sure what the trend is but its nice to have lighting to show off things you love.

My next job was to find a fireplace screen.  I went to my favorite Consignment store and found a screen with scrolls of gold on top for a French Flair.