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Hello, I am an avid viewer of HGTV and a follower of your website. I've actually made some changes in my home with the help of the website. Thank you! Now I need ideas for remodeling/decorating my ugly,boring mantel/fake fireplace. As you can see on the photo. Can anybody give me an advice on how to fix/decorate this.

Thank you. Thank you!

Alice88,
WELCOME to the boards!

First, I do not think you have a boring ugly faux fireplace!

First question, since there are no 'faux' fire logs, or anything other than the tile or paint that makes it look like a fireplace, do you want to 'keep' it as a fireplace?

OR: remove the tile, and boxed in area in that lower section and add doors so as to have a storage place for media perhaps?

I would also add a frame with speaker cloth attached for the center portion (can be on hinges) to cover the area and hold your small tech stuff that is currently on the bottom (so remotes will work). There is paint-able cloth on the market. Then you would have a neater more organized space where this faux non functioning space is.

I say non-functioning because this space does not supply you with adequate storage for your media (the TV fits nicely though) and currently you are not enjoying this unit as a faux fireplace either.

Your wonderful family photos that you have on the unit now can be transferred to your stair wall of other treasured family photos.

If you are going to make this 'unit' more like an armoire, you might want to paint the whole thing the color of the trim instead of the color of the walls, this way it will have more of a built-in look as opposed to part of the wall with cut outs.

Good luck with your project! Looking forward to seeing what you decide on and how you solve this decorating challenge.

The problem with your faux fireplace and its setting is that you have 3 focal points. the t.v. , the picture grouping and the fireplace opening.

IMHO, the picture grouping seems not to belong. that in itself is battling for attention with the outlets, sockets and cords. Would it be possible to make some sort of screening for both the t.v. section and the one between that and the fireplace?

Or perhaps you could take all the electronic
equipment and have that be in the middle
section. (see attached photo of a very casual treatment of electronic equip/c.d's in an informal space) You could then add fake logs to the firebox and maybe in the future have a gas fireplace installed.

Or as Mary Ruth says, just ignore the fireplace aspect of it and just use for more storage.

Welcome to the boards but we on this site are just regular folk, who also watch HGTV! And like to talk about decorating problems!

I'm not going to offer a solution, just an observation. The first thing I see in your px is the white square, plug behind the photos. Very distracting.

Thank you guys for all the replies and suggestions. I really appreciate your time reading my post.
@Mary Ruth: I was thinking of putting a fireplace screen to cover the gadgets., would my remote work if I do? I'm thinking it should since it is a screen.

Alice, glad you moved this from the DS thread. Thanks for the add'l info - the more you provide, the easier it is for us to think about your situation, IMHO. Glad you're considering many options. BTW, sorry if I didn't specifically spot your stereo components previously - I wasn't looking at the individual items.

When you describe your space, it sounds very cramped. I previously noticed the door adjacent to the built-in (to the garage?) and also kinda' figured that the kitchen might be on the left-hand side, out of frame. Even before you mentioned your sectional and the tight space, I didn't get the impression that this was an optimal place for tv viewing. That's why I previously suggested moving the tv.

Wondered if the back wall (right-hand side w/photos) would work for the tv or if an extra bedroom was available to set-up as a tv den. BTW, do you have room for the sectional? Did you downsize and have the sectional previously in a much larger home? Unfortunately, sometimes furniture just doesn't work in new homes/spaces.

If it were my space, I wouldn't use a f/p screen. In that small area, with a door adjacent to the built-in, I believe it would be far too bulky and take up too much space. (In fact, I would probably cut that corner too tightly and scrape my legs, coming in the door.)

WRT the tiling option, I believe it would be too distracting and, just like your photos, basically set up another focal point. If you tried it, using the floor tiles, it would create too much contrast with the other materials, IMHO.

After reading your additional information and all the other good suggestions, I continue to vote for having 2 (not 4) doors constructed to cover both the top and middle sections, closing off the tv when not in use and (hopefully) folding back when open. Your tv components could then move into the middle section.

Thinking about your stereo components, sorry to suggest this, but is there any way those could be relocated out of the bottom portion? How about installing some basic wall shelves (available from your local big box store) and displaying them? If you need to plug into the cable, could they be set up right around the corner, towards the stairs? It shouldn't be difficult to string speaker wire/cable to hook them up.

Incidentally, the outlets and cords from everything (tv and stereo items) all initially jumped out at me. Ikea has very inexpensive cord caddies and other items to stow them away. Office supply stores and possibly someplace like Walmart(??) would probably carry those, too. WRT both the outlets and speaker wire/cable, paintable covers are available.

If you relocated the stereo components and covered the top and middle sections with doors, that would allow you to do the simple candle display I mentioned on the DS thread, above. Moreover, although a relatively minor item, I truly believe the doors would be a nice update to your property for resale purposes, too - if that applies to your situation.

All, JMHO.

Hope some of that's helpful. Good Luck!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: AguaBella,

I am not sure about remote working through firescreen (not knowing what it looks like). And a fire screen (as mentioned above) is just another item to trip over or adjust.

I am not sure why a 'fireplace' would even fit here, storage seems to be the FIRST priority in that room and I would forgo the 'esthetic' decoration of a faux fireplace (which is not really a fireplace display) has been transformed already into a media center. Since you can't give the 'fireplace' all it deserves to BE a fireplace, then make what it is into the best it can be of that (media center).

Form follows function. You can make the media cabinet be a better focal point by improving on that idea.

Whatever route you choose, I'd definately brighten it up perhaps with white.