Cheap + Easy Fireplace Makeover

I live for a good remodel just as much as the next person (I mean, I am an interior designer after all), but sometimes all you need is a good ol’ cheap and easy fix.

Once upon a time, I lived in a little beach town in Southern California, called Ventura. In this charming little town was a not-so-charming condo where I resided.

It was built in 1989 and with her popcorn ceilings, peach 12x12 floor tiles, and the worst kitchen cabinets known to womenkind.

It was obvious that this place had not been blessed by the renovation goddess.

Even with the great location (just a 10-minute drive from the beach), coming home to this place was a bummer- and it made me feel like shit.

And among all its flaws, the one that irked me the most was the ugly and utterly useless fireplace.

Full disclosure- I am a professional interior designer, but I’m not super big on DIY’s. I do them out of necessity, but most of the time, It’s just not my thing.

However, when it came to this place, I had absolutely no budget for any type of remodeling.

But man, staring at that fireplace day in and day out made my design instincts kick into overdrive.

So, I decided to roll up my sleeves and embrace the world of DIY.

So, what gives you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to freshening up your space? That’s right, I know you already know this- It’s paint!

But here's the thing, can you actually paint tile?

I had no clue. So I turned to my trusty friend, Google, and dove into some research. After a bit of investigation, it seemed like there were folks out there successfully giving it a shot. Besides, it was just a vertical surface, not prone to much wear and tear.

To prep for painting, I got down to the nitty-gritty. I cleaned, sanded, and carefully taped off the mantel and surround.

With a slick surface like tile, a quality primer is your best friend – it ensures the paint sticks just right.

Now, here's a handy trick when you're working with a deep, dark color like black.

Have your primer tinted to match either your paint color or a dark shade of gray.

This little move will fast-track you to the true color you're aiming for- saving you precious time, hard-earned cash, and a boatload of frustration because you won't need to slather on ten coats just to match that paint chip you fell in love with.

Even better, consider snagging a one-coat paint that comes with the primer already mixed in – it's a no-muss, no-fuss way to tackle your project.

Now, for the rest of the makeover, I got a bit resourceful. I raided my stash of odds and ends, like a couple of old vases and a lantern I snagged at Target. I threw in some weathered books, a trusty plant, and styled accordingly.

Oh, and I also used a piece of homemade ahem, "art" that I originally planned on putting in my bedroom. It began as a generic blue canvas I couldn't find a home for, but I transformed it with a coat of white paint and some leftover black from the fireplace. Not a a total masterpiece, but it worked.

In the end, I was pretty darn pleased with my budget-friendly fireplace glow-up.

Thanks to a bit of DIY magic, I saved a good chunk of change by dodging a full-on renovation.

If you get creative with what you already have, you can probably pull off a makeover like this for as little as $40 to $60, without splurging on new decor pieces and “shopping your home”.

Now, how about you?

Is there something in your home that's been bugging you and could use a fresh coat of paint or a little sprucing up?

I hope I've inspired you to give DIY a shot because sometimes, it's the small changes that make the biggest impact on your space.