I live for a good remodel just as much as the next person (I mean, I am an interior designer after all), but sometimes all you need is a good ol’ cheap and easy fix.

Back in the pre-Covid, pre-mom has Alzheimer days, I lived in a little beach town in Southern California, called Ventura. In this charming little town was a not so charming condo where I lived. She was built in 1989 and with her popcorn ceilings, peach 12x12 floor tiles, and the worst kitchen cabinets known to womenkind, it was obvious that she had not been blessed by the renovation goddess. Even with the great location (a 10-minute drive from the beach) coming home to this place was, well, a bummer and it made me feel bad inside.  And even with a horrible kitchen and dinky little bathroom, the one thing that got to me the most was the stupid, non-functioning fireplace.

Full disclosure- I am a professional interior designer, but I’m not super big on DIY’s. I do them out of necessity, but most of the time, It’s just not my thing. However, when it came to this place, I had absolutely no budget for any type of remodeling. But man, looking at that fireplace day in and day out made my design blood boil… so I sucked it up…DIY it would have to be.

So, what gives you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to freshening up your space? That’s right, I know you already know this- It’s paint!

But can you paint tile?  I had no idea, so I used the Google machine and started searching.  Upon investigation, seemed like some people were doing it with success, so I decided to give it a go.  Besides, it was just a vertical surface and really wouldn't suffer from any wear and tear. 

For paint prep, I cleaned, sanded, and taped off the mantel and surround. With a slick surface like tile, you’ll want to make sure that you use a good primer so that the paint will properly adhere to the surface.

When using a deep, dark color like black, have your primer tinted with the top coat color or a shade of gray. By doing this, you're going to get to the true color faster, saving you time, money, and a lot of headache since you won't have to paint 10 coats for your color to look like the paint chip you picked out. Even better, get a paint one-coat paint that has the primer already added, so it’s no muss, no fuss.

The painting took me a couple of hours to finish because I did have to go back for a second coat to touch some things up. But wow, WHAT A TRANSFORMATION!  And it only took 40 bucks that I spent on quarter gallon paint and supplies!  My fireplace wasn't functioning at the time and now that it does, it doesn’t get that hot. However, if yours does or you want to paint the inside too, look for paint that is heat resistant and made for fireplaces.

Really, I could have stopped at the paint and just added a vase of flowers or something.  But… I am a designer, so you know I had to style a little bit, right???  Unfortunately for me, I didn't have much to work with, so I bought a couple of things to help out the sitch. 

Here’s the low-down on decor purchases-

1. Mirror- West Elm, $199

Now I'm going to admit here, that I don't love this mirror.  I mean, it's aiiight.  But to me, it's one of those items that looked better online than in person.  And since I've purchased, I've seen a lot cheaper mirrors that I like a lot better.  But it's okay, I'm not bitter.  

2. Vintage African Antelopes Figurines, Walnut- Wooden Nickel Home, $50

Ok, I love, love, love these guys!  Best purchase that I've made in a long time.  They really are the frosting on the fireplace cake. 

3. Candlestick holders- Project 62 for Target, $32

I bought these at Christmas time for the coffee table, which looked nice, but when I lit the candles, I notice they dripped on the table.  No Bueno.  They were kind of in the way of t.v. watching anyway, so I relocated them to the fireplace, which I love and think should have been their home from jump.  

4. Firewood- Garden Store, $4

Ok, this I'm on the fence about and I'll tell you why.  First off, it's not a wood burning fireplace, so it seems a bit disingenuous (lame, poser-y) to have the wood for the "fire".  Secondly, I've heard that having piles of wood in the house is an open invitation for rodents, which can be a problem in Ventura.  Being the good vegan that I am, I think rats and mice are cute, but I don't want wild ones living and breeding in my house.  Also, sometimes there can be bugs that are living in the wood, that will come out and invade your space (eww).  At this point, I'm not sure what to do..it looks cute and could fill that awkward space if I bought more and stacked it high, but is it stupid? If it is, do I care?  Cause I like the look.   I don't know.  I’ll have to let this one play out…

For the rest, I just scavenged from some stuff I already had, like a couple of old vases and a lantern from Target, along with some old books and a plant and then styled accordingly.  I also used a piece of homemade ahem, "art" that I originally planned on putting in my bedroom (another cheap + easy transformation).    I painted over a totally generic blue canvas (that I could never find the right spot for) with some white paint and leftover black paint from the fireplace. Not a a total masterpiece, but it works.

I’m pretty happy with my $300 dollar fireplace glow-up. By doing a bit of DIY, I saved myself at least a $1000 dollars (knowing me, it would have been more) by skipping a full-on renovation. And again, you could really do something like this for $40 dollars or less if you skip buying decor pieces and just shop your home.

So what do you think? Is there something that’s been bugging you in your home that you could spruce up with some paint? I hope I’ve inspired you to give a bit of DIY a go so you can see how sometimes the little things can have a massive impact on your space.

Good luck!

Debbie