If You've Got it…Flaunt it!  When it Comes to a Fireplace, That is.

by Shannon Weissleder

Fireplaces are Highly Sought After

Fireplaces are highly sought after here in Colorado. Buyers dream of getting cozy and nestling up fireside next to loved ones. Fireplaces are where people want to hang stockings during the holidays and enjoy lazy Sundays watching movies while the fire crackles. In the design world, they give a room a feature wall to work with and focus for furniture arrangement. When putting your house up for sale, make sure the fireplace takes center stage. Buyers will be attracted to a room that has the character and warmth that a fireplace can provide.

Make Sure Your Fireplace Shines

If are you are lucky enough to have one in your home, make sure your fireplace shines. You can give your brass fireplace frame a simple update by spray painting it black with high heat spray paint. Below is an example of a brick fireplace that I simply added ledgestone over the top of the brick from floor to ceiling for an easy update. I was able to leave the existing mantle.   

Make the Rooms Feel More Cohesive

In another example, I tiled over an old brick fireplace and carried the tile to the kitchen backsplash to make the rooms feel more cohesive. The tile also gives the room a more Mediterranean style. I have also tried to give the illusion of a fireplace-like wall in the duplex (pictured below) by creating “hearth” seating and shelving around a TV wall. It gives the feeling of a fireplace without adding the expense. The wall was very plain when I purchased the unit and I was able to achieve the look and functionality I wanted by adding shelving instead of a fireplace.

Stage the Room Around your Fireplace

Staging the room around your fireplace helps to show it off. Pictured below, you can see that I just painted the mantle to match the trim in the house and spray painted the brass to black. I designed the room pictured below around the free-standing fireplace. Then, I placed a rocking chair with a cozy blanket draped across the back to pull at buyers' heart strings. Sometimes you want an inexpensive solution that's easy to do. Often, you don't need to do anything at all to a fireplace besides adding a few well selected accessories. Flaunt it! Even if it feels dated, buyers will love to envision many of their dreams coming true right there by that very fireplace.