Rental Revamp: Fireplace Makeover, Part 2

I gave my rental fireplace an easy, affordable makeover ... check out how it turned out!

Remember back in November when I talked about doing a fireplace makeover?

Well, I finally got around to working on it, and I can't wait to show you what I did! It was definitely worth the very minor effort.

You can see a quick peak above, but before I show you the whole after, let me remind you of the before!

Although the fireplace works, we have no plans to use it.

So my goals were to do something with that huge, ugly screen, the crooked hood, and the dusty-looking hearth. I also wanted to brighten up the whole fireplace a bit.

If you look back at that previous post, you'll see that I had created three separate mood boards. I ended up going with the "Large Plant" option.

Here's the full after ... what do you think?

I found a place to store that huge, ugly fireplace screen, and I was so happy to see it go!

Unfortunately, the hood seems to be nailed right into the brick, so I left it on for now. The removal of the screen alone made a huge difference though, so I'm happy for now.

I found a fern at Trader Joe's, of all places!

It was very inexpensive, but it needs a little TLC. To be honest, I'm just hoping I don't kill it.

My thumb has been very black lately.

The basket is from Homegoods and was also a good buy.

I love the modern shape, and the white paint brightens up the area a bit.

The basket is perfect for holding magazines and a wool throw.

On the other side of the fireplace, I added a large mask from our collection.

This photo is a little washed out, but it gives you a good view of the mask. It looks small here, but it's about two feet tall and is the perfect thing to ward off bad omens (kidding).

I'm especially pleased with the area above the fireplace.

For the holidays, I had hung these round mirrors on either side of the tree, and I didn't want to take them down. So I swapped out the original painting for a photograph that I already owned.

I love how the photograph and mirrors brighten up the whole fireplace.

Of course, I couldn't resist taking a cheesy photo in that mirror ... ha!

I'd still like to make a few changes:

• remove the hood (or just ignore it, if that's not possible!)
• repaint the hearth (it's clean, but looks permanently dusty)
• find a ceramic pot for the fern

Overall, I'm so happy with how my fireplace makeover turned out. It's bright and cheery now instead of dark and dingy.

And since I used items that I already owned, I was able to complete the makeover for about $20. Let me know what you think!

Have you done any home improvement projects lately?

P.S. Check out my whole NYC Apartment Tour here!