Painting a Fireplace Mantel – Choices Galore

When we first moved into our house the first thing I wanted to do was to paint the fireplace. Unfortunately almost everyone who came into our house argued in favor of keeping the oak color. So, instead of doing something rash that I could possibly regret, I decided to wait.

Six months later, I still desperately want to start painting that fireplace mantel. BUT (you knew there had to be a “but” right?) I’m glad I waited, because I’m pretty sure I would have painted it white. And although I like white, I’m not sure that’s the best choice.

And hey, having those Photoshop skills and a blog with awesome readers can prove helpful once in a while. I figured I’d do a few mockups of the room with the color choices I’ve been thinking about and let you all comment on which one you think works best. {Please ignore Finn sleeping by the fire in the photos, it was 18 degrees here today.}

Ready?

Here is the current oak-colored state:

As you can see the mantel is MASSIVE. So the paint color has to be just right. I’ve thought a lot about a black mantel lately:

Then there is this great gray that I think would be perfect, with whites and darker grays washed in to create a marble-like look:

{Excuse the fuzziness, it’s hard to create a computerized marble-look quickly.}

Or maybe a darker gray?

And finally, we have the very popular white:

But I don’t love the cream wall color with the white, so I tried this:

Oooh. Gray walls. sigh. I’ve been wanting gray walls.

I really don’t want to paint the room. But, now I have to see how it looks with the darker color:

I could just keep going and going with all these options.  So I’m going to throw it out to all of you..

Which option do you prefer?

1. Natural. Don’t touch a freakin’ thing!

2. Black and dramatic.

3. Gray/Marble-Washed.

4. White. White. White. Like every other house in the world.

5. White and paint the walls gray.

6. Dark gray mantel and light gray walls.

Let me know what you think in the comments, and don’t be shy if you have another great color combo that you think might work!

Thanks friends!

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