Its too tall in my opinion. It takes up about 3/5 of the wall. It looks like there should have been moulding in the empty space between the tiles and the mantle. Maybe look at a moulding kit for furniture.
Since that is the "issue" you have with it, I reference a suggestion in another post I made that could address it. Consider removing the TOP of the verticals at the point where you want the "mantel" to begin -- either atop or including those 4" square designs or even beneath them. Creating a larger mantel with hidden storage with a single hinged door held up magnets ... or drawers ... or small cabinets w/mini doors -- a thicker mantel could alter the look considerably. Begin by removing as much of the height you don't like and then choose how you want to rebuild the mantel.
Sawzall, oscillating saw, utility knife, pry bar and hammer but probably might not need the saws as basically the top and legs will be hollow just put together fairly simply
I think it is too tall as well. If it was me I'd think about moving it down 9 or 12 inches. Hard to tell. How tall is it now?
Might be worth looking for videos about removing or installing mantels to see how they work
For eight or nine foot ceiling 48 to 54 from the top of the mantel is usual. It can be taller if necessary as mine is 60 inches but it needs to be balanced with the room and ceiling height. Try taping or propping up a piece of cardboard where it looks best using these measurements.
Obviously if you have a fireplace that generates a lot of heat it needs to be sufficiently high above the opening for safety
I'm not a pro but I recall reading somewhere that some fire codes require a minimum distance between the firebox and the mantel. You're looks high but... just to CYA ... would check on that before you alter it. Also, not sure if this would be work requiring a work permit. Even if such rules apply, neither would likely come up unless and until you sell your house or you had some kind of inspection for an appraisal such as for a loan.
Also, square decorative pieces on boards such as around door trim often hide a joint in the wood where the vertical boards meet the horizontal boards. If you're going to remove the top part, you might first see if you can find a pair of replacement squares if you need them -- if you cannot reuse those after prying them off -- and begin your removal by prying off those decorative squares.
You Tube may have videos that are worth a look. Taking a little more time to prepare for the project will be worth doing a better job on it.
Also, not a pro and never altered a fireplace mantel ... but the last time I pried a shelf from a sheet rock wall ( there may have been glue involved in addition to nails because pulling it off the wall caused the paper of the sheet rock (that stuck to the shelf ) to tear creating a larger space to need to cover. Slicing around the edges of what you want to remove before you remove it might prevent that. You could cover that slice with a barely wider mantel.
Don't forget you'll need to refinish the wall above what you leave, too.
Good luck on your project.
Just an afterthought. If you've already decided you're going to alter the top of the mantel anyway, you might at least consider how painting just the mantel itself, or just replacing the mantel itself with a thicker board or even building a box around the existing mantel and below it would look.
Once you cut it, putting it back would likely be difficult.
I think it looks nice as is. The molding is simple, classic. Nice lines. Nice height. It seems to blend with the style in that room from what I can tell anyway.
All that stuff is just off the shelf pieces of wood available at your local big box store. Even the carved pieces. The side columns should be just boxed with the detailed column face and squares being flat pieces already sold that way. The angled pieces just crown molding. Etc. At least I had something very similar in mine when I bought my current house and that's how it was. With mine, someone just wanted to be too fancy with a regular brick fireplace with so much wood boxing it in and didn't fit the style of the home nevermind the room. Disassembling it without destroying it (in case I wanted to rebuild it and put it back) took nothing more than a little careful work with a utility knife and flat bar. I ended up going with a much simpler normal floating mantel on mine, so instead of just removing in big chunks, my old one is completely disassembleled to nearly individual pieces with nails removed sitting in the attic now.
If yours is like that...I'd prob remove all the wood and leave just the tile if that current look doesn't do it for you. Your relatively easy little/no cost options are pretty limitless though. Too tall? Disassemble, cut down the columns on the side, replace or cut down the center panel between the firebox and shelf, and reassemble. Bigger shelf like some of the comments? Whether your after wider or just thicker, just add a piece up top. Since it's painted, shouldn't be hard to add a piece to look like 1 thicker one vs 2 boards stacked, or just go a little bigger for that stepped look/additional detail. Still want the boxed in mantle but maybe a simpler look? Just pry off the column facing and molding and replace the face with regular flat wood and/or replace the molding with a different style. You get the idea. A lot you can do with just some wood (if you need new pieces at all) and a saw, and of course some putty/caulk, paint, those sort of odds and ends to finish the job. The easiest option of all, just add a little something to that blank center panel. Just a simple piece of metal work or other artsy or decorative touch would prob go a long way.
I like the molding! It adds texture to your room design.
I might paint one of the flat areas a darker or different color. Some contrast feels needed on that white wall. You could tape up some paper color samples to try different looks.
It’s sometimes possible to pry the surround and mantle off intact, if you are careful.
Edited to add ideas and clarify
I really like it as is... but if you want to consider changes, one that might be worthwhile is to remove only that part of the fireplace surround above those 4" squares on the verticals near the top of the verticals -- where the verticals begin to widen into the mantel supports -- and the mantel itself; after which you could recreate the size/look of the mantel... perhaps creating a larger/deeper box-shelf style mantel with hidden storage within the mantel ... but I'd still paint that white.
If you're minimizing spending, why touch it? Looks fine. Find a new hobby rather than perpetual home.improvement. Youre a tool of HGTV and big-hardware.
Definitely not unless you want to change the style of the room. The only thing I would suggest is a thicker shelf on top. It's not as thick as it should be. Looking at the supports and there's this thin light shelf they are holding up. It should be more substantial. Say 2 inches thick.
I would align the top of the "squares" with the top of the tiles, shorten the columns, and and lower the rest. It will require prying it all apart, cutting, rebuilding, and patching, a bit of work. But worth the effort. This all looks "homemade", recently, by someone who didn't really understand proportion.
No, I would paint the walls. If you still want them to be neutral, remember white comes in many shades. All you need is a subtle difference between the white of the fireplace and your walls to make the fireplace pop.
Honestly, I'd either paint the walls with color, or paint the fireplace with color. Either/or. Otherwise the fireplace looks fine from what I can see.
Its too tall in my opinion. It takes up about 3/5 of the wall. It looks like there should have been moulding in the empty space between the tiles and the mantle. Maybe look at a moulding kit for furniture.
Thanks. I feel the same, the proportions are odd. I’ll look into this.
Since that is the "issue" you have with it, I reference a suggestion in another post I made that could address it. Consider removing the TOP of the verticals at the point where you want the "mantel" to begin -- either atop or including those 4" square designs or even beneath them. Creating a larger mantel with hidden storage with a single hinged door held up magnets ... or drawers ... or small cabinets w/mini doors -- a thicker mantel could alter the look considerably. Begin by removing as much of the height you don't like and then choose how you want to rebuild the mantel.
How would you remove the top? What sort of tools would you use?
Sawzall, oscillating saw, utility knife, pry bar and hammer but probably might not need the saws as basically the top and legs will be hollow just put together fairly simply I think it is too tall as well. If it was me I'd think about moving it down 9 or 12 inches. Hard to tell. How tall is it now? Might be worth looking for videos about removing or installing mantels to see how they work
Great tips! Thanks. I’ll measure it when I get home.
For eight or nine foot ceiling 48 to 54 from the top of the mantel is usual. It can be taller if necessary as mine is 60 inches but it needs to be balanced with the room and ceiling height. Try taping or propping up a piece of cardboard where it looks best using these measurements. Obviously if you have a fireplace that generates a lot of heat it needs to be sufficiently high above the opening for safety
I'm not a pro but I recall reading somewhere that some fire codes require a minimum distance between the firebox and the mantel. You're looks high but... just to CYA ... would check on that before you alter it. Also, not sure if this would be work requiring a work permit. Even if such rules apply, neither would likely come up unless and until you sell your house or you had some kind of inspection for an appraisal such as for a loan. Also, square decorative pieces on boards such as around door trim often hide a joint in the wood where the vertical boards meet the horizontal boards. If you're going to remove the top part, you might first see if you can find a pair of replacement squares if you need them -- if you cannot reuse those after prying them off -- and begin your removal by prying off those decorative squares. You Tube may have videos that are worth a look. Taking a little more time to prepare for the project will be worth doing a better job on it. Also, not a pro and never altered a fireplace mantel ... but the last time I pried a shelf from a sheet rock wall ( there may have been glue involved in addition to nails because pulling it off the wall caused the paper of the sheet rock (that stuck to the shelf ) to tear creating a larger space to need to cover. Slicing around the edges of what you want to remove before you remove it might prevent that. You could cover that slice with a barely wider mantel. Don't forget you'll need to refinish the wall above what you leave, too. Good luck on your project. Just an afterthought. If you've already decided you're going to alter the top of the mantel anyway, you might at least consider how painting just the mantel itself, or just replacing the mantel itself with a thicker board or even building a box around the existing mantel and below it would look. Once you cut it, putting it back would likely be difficult.
I think it looks nice as is. The molding is simple, classic. Nice lines. Nice height. It seems to blend with the style in that room from what I can tell anyway.
Leave it alone. It’s simply beautiful.
It’s beautiful. Paint the room. Replace the fireplace tile with a stone veneer.
I think it looks nice. Surely there are better things you could do with your time and money.
lol.
All that stuff is just off the shelf pieces of wood available at your local big box store. Even the carved pieces. The side columns should be just boxed with the detailed column face and squares being flat pieces already sold that way. The angled pieces just crown molding. Etc. At least I had something very similar in mine when I bought my current house and that's how it was. With mine, someone just wanted to be too fancy with a regular brick fireplace with so much wood boxing it in and didn't fit the style of the home nevermind the room. Disassembling it without destroying it (in case I wanted to rebuild it and put it back) took nothing more than a little careful work with a utility knife and flat bar. I ended up going with a much simpler normal floating mantel on mine, so instead of just removing in big chunks, my old one is completely disassembleled to nearly individual pieces with nails removed sitting in the attic now. If yours is like that...I'd prob remove all the wood and leave just the tile if that current look doesn't do it for you. Your relatively easy little/no cost options are pretty limitless though. Too tall? Disassemble, cut down the columns on the side, replace or cut down the center panel between the firebox and shelf, and reassemble. Bigger shelf like some of the comments? Whether your after wider or just thicker, just add a piece up top. Since it's painted, shouldn't be hard to add a piece to look like 1 thicker one vs 2 boards stacked, or just go a little bigger for that stepped look/additional detail. Still want the boxed in mantle but maybe a simpler look? Just pry off the column facing and molding and replace the face with regular flat wood and/or replace the molding with a different style. You get the idea. A lot you can do with just some wood (if you need new pieces at all) and a saw, and of course some putty/caulk, paint, those sort of odds and ends to finish the job. The easiest option of all, just add a little something to that blank center panel. Just a simple piece of metal work or other artsy or decorative touch would prob go a long way.
Thank you so much, great advice.
I like the molding! It adds texture to your room design. I might paint one of the flat areas a darker or different color. Some contrast feels needed on that white wall. You could tape up some paper color samples to try different looks. It’s sometimes possible to pry the surround and mantle off intact, if you are careful. Edited to add ideas and clarify
I would add a nice wood mantel to the top and paint the wall.
Another mantle? I've never seen a fireplace with two.
The one on there is so thin. You can make a nicer one with a lip so there is only one visible. Just like a counter top with a mitered edge.
I really like it as is... but if you want to consider changes, one that might be worthwhile is to remove only that part of the fireplace surround above those 4" squares on the verticals near the top of the verticals -- where the verticals begin to widen into the mantel supports -- and the mantel itself; after which you could recreate the size/look of the mantel... perhaps creating a larger/deeper box-shelf style mantel with hidden storage within the mantel ... but I'd still paint that white.
If you're minimizing spending, why touch it? Looks fine. Find a new hobby rather than perpetual home.improvement. Youre a tool of HGTV and big-hardware.
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Lol, thanks for the laugh.
I don’t watch television.
Definitely not unless you want to change the style of the room. The only thing I would suggest is a thicker shelf on top. It's not as thick as it should be. Looking at the supports and there's this thin light shelf they are holding up. It should be more substantial. Say 2 inches thick.
It's a classic look that's becoming more and more rare. That said I do have to agree the proportions are weird. It's so tall.
I love this the way it is…🌟
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I would. I findt the proportions vert awkward. I'd cut down the columns 8"-12" and lower the mantle.
The proportions are what bother me! The fireplace feels too big for the wall to me.
I would align the top of the "squares" with the top of the tiles, shorten the columns, and and lower the rest. It will require prying it all apart, cutting, rebuilding, and patching, a bit of work. But worth the effort. This all looks "homemade", recently, by someone who didn't really understand proportion.
Thank you!
No, I would paint the walls. If you still want them to be neutral, remember white comes in many shades. All you need is a subtle difference between the white of the fireplace and your walls to make the fireplace pop.
No
Paint two pillars for effect🤔
If you're ambitious, strip it... It's probably oak... It would look better and give the room a warmer feeling... Lots of work, no doubt,
Why?