Heartwarming hearth reno

BEFORE

This family room had an enviable shell: peaked 12-foot-high ceilings and an open-plan layout adjoining the kitchen. The mantel anchored the room, providing eye-pleasing symmetry – if you could get past the dated decor, that is. “Our goal was to bring the space up to date and create a comfortable area where the family could spend time together,” says Eileen Marshall, colour and design consultant with Home Colours & Decor in Oakville, Ont. With two teenagers in the house, some of that time consists of watching television.

AFTER
To keep the room clean-lined and fresh, the boys’ prized flat-screen TV is now in a central spot over the floating mantel. Even if one or both parents are in the kitchen while the boys watch a show, there’s still a feeling of family togetherness.

Minimalist mantel “My client hated the existing brick-and-wood mantel,” says Eileen. After drywalling over the brick, a floating mantel was fabricated from MDF. “The moulding used replicates the bookcase trim, tying the wall elements together,” she says.