5 Reasons to Love a Dark Grey or Black Fireplace + 10 Dark Fireplaces to Love

When we first stepped foot in the lakehouse, I spotted the wall to wall fireplace and immediately pictured painting out the pine wood paneling and discolored concrete "stone" a deep, charcoal grey.  I wanted a modern, dark grey fireplace to help balance all of the creamy whites and bold shades of aqua I was dreaming about.

Nearly three years later, Hubby and I both love our DIY charcoal grey painted fireplace!  Over the years, dozens of readers have written to me to say they were inspired by our fireplace and painted theirs a striking shade of grey too (varying from light grey to a near-black, like ours).  Sometimes it's so helpful to see someone else try something before taking the plunge and I'm happy to be a guinea pig!  I was certainly inspired by other dark grey fireplaces I saw online and it gave me the confidence to give it a try.  Stories like these remind me why I started blogging in the first place: to connect with other DIY-driven folks with small budgets but big ideas!

Pros and Cons of a Dark Grey Fireplace:

A dark fireplace, however, is not for everyone.  Although some folks have seen our fireplace, grabbed a paint brush and busted out a makeover in a weekend, others have sent me photos of their "before," asking for my input and whether I think a dark grey fireplace will work with their decor.  At the end of the day, I think the most important question to ask is, "do you love it?".  In the case of my fireplace makeover, it's just paint - as long as you're committed to painting it (because stripping paint is miserable work), trying a different, lighter color will only take a little patience and a gallon of paint.  So the best advice I can give is, "try it, you might like it!".
 
Because that's a little wish-washy, I also make an effort to explain why I think the dark fireplace works for us:  we have tall ceilings, an open concept lay out, and lots of natural light in the living room, which keeps the dark grey from making the room feel small or dark.  In a smaller room, a dark fireplace might be overwhelming - but it could also help create a feeling of coziness when paired with the right decor:

Vogue Living

It really boils down to the look you're trying to create.

Another reason I love our dark grey fireplace is that the dark grey is picked up elsewhere in the house (like the floor tile in our new bathroom), so it feels cohesive as you move from room to room.  In fact, I'm planning on adding this same hue to the kitchen (any guesses where???).  Painting the fireplace dark grey was also a great way to determine if we like the look of a dark grey fireplace, before dropping thousands of dollars on something like slate. 

We're definitely sold on a dark grey fireplace - there are plenty of reasons to love it!

5 Reasons to Love a Dark Grey Fireplace:

1.  A Dark Dark Fireplace Grey Hides Soot and Ash:
One of the many perks of a dark grey fireplace is that the color hides dust and ash, which showed on the natural concrete of our old fireplace.  If we hadn't spotted that staining, I might have been tempted to paint the brick teal (because teal) or maybe white to match the walls (like this stunner - a white fireplace really does look very crisp and airy).

My Domaine

But knowing our fireplace had the tendency to get a bit smokey was good information and our color of choice disguises this flaw perfectly!  

2.  A Charcoal Grey Fireplace Suits Any Style:
The interesting thing about peeking into so many readers' homes is that I've noticed how versatile charcoal grey is!  A charcoal grey fireplace looks equally at home in a modern space as it does a more traditional room.  No matter your style or taste, you can make a dark grey - or even black - fireplace work!

Apartment Therapy

via My Domaine

via My Domaine

bod'or

3.  A Painted Grey or Black Fireplace Adds Drama to a Room:
Having never before tried a bold accent wall, I grew unexpectedly attached to the statement our dark grey fireplace makes.  I love that it became the focal point of our living room and I'm definitely considering dark grey stone for our eventual fireplace renovation to keep the bold look. 

4.  A Dark Grey Fireplace is a Great Backdrop
I love a white wall (obviously) because it provides such a crisp backdrop for furnishings and artwork, but there's something to be said for a dark fireplace (and dark accent walls) because they really make colors POP.  Even whites seem whiter and earth tones seems earthier against a rich, dark background.  And look at how vivid turquoise looks!

Emily Henderson

Emily Henderson

Apartment Therapy

As an added bonus, dark fireplaces help disguise televisions.  In our new living room arrangement, the corner TV is less prominent thanks to our charcoal grey fireplace and, in rooms where the TV is mounted above the fireplace, a black screen really blends in with a nearly-black fireplace.



5.  A Dark Grey Fireplace is Timeless
I'm not one to throw the "oh, this is a classic" line around because I think that's what everyone was saying about the forest green bathtubs you could buy in the 1980s - no one dreamed that one day, a new generation of design-savvy home owners would take a sledge hammer to so many design elements deemed "classic" back then.  I once chatted with an antiques dealer who told me that in the 1980s, he had to throw away a lot of the 1950s/1960s furniture we clamor for today because no one would buy it - it was just too "dated."  Now we call mid-century modern design timeless, but at one point you couldn't give it away, for love nor money.  

Some things, however, do stand the test of time and I think a dark grey or black fireplace is one of those things because it's so versatile and works with so many design styles. 

The Brick House

Home Adore

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Have you painted your fireplace a rich grey or tackled a more expensive dark and moody fireplace renovation?  If you have - or you see any gorgeous dark grey or black fireplaces - tag me on Instagram because I'd love to see!

Lake House Living Room Progress!

After painting the walls, trim, and ceiling white, painting the gold fireplace vents and door matte black, painting the faux stone and sauna wood a deep charcoal grey, and adding a chic new ceiling fan, the living room became a beautiful blank canvas.  Now it boasts furniture and artwork!

I've been keeping a secret: before we left Ottawa - I'm talking literally right before - I bought a mid-century sectional sofa.  We actually picked it up with our U-Haul an hour before we began loading our stuff.  I checked its measurements against our floor plan and it should fit nicely but I'd like the opportunity to actually haul it in here and see, before I invest time and money in having it professionally reupholstered.  It's in rough shape, but at its core it's a beauty.  I'll show you photos soon but it's currently in pieces, each perched on their side, in the garage. 

In the meantime, every piece here is from the townhouse.  The teal velvet garbage chair, refusing to photograph true to life as always, is a welcome burst of colour below Hubby's grandpa's painting.  We're still using our handy Ikea Besta wall unit for our television and my McCoy pottery collection.

Our second-hand cream leather sofa made the 1500km journey unscathed, thanks to our plastic wrapping prowess.  It's looking a little bland, so I'm planning to rook my Mom into helping me sew some teal velvet cushions, and maybe even add a bold pattern.  As planned, Hubby's desk chair has been re-purposed as an occasional chair in the living room.  I still think black was a practical choice, but I can't help but wish I'd picked something a little less "safe" because this living room, with it's large windows and tons of natural light, can pull off bold colours with ease.

Hubby & I hung the hundred year old Lake Superior postcards (they were hung in the stairwell in the townhouse) on either side of the fireplace.  It's incredibly lucky I found a couple more at the Ottawa Antique Show to round out my set so I had an even eight.  Placement was tricky because of the paneling behind - I wanted the panels spaced evenly behind the floating frames.  It was do-able, but it dictated the spacing between the frames.

I acquired some large rocks from a family member and set them haphazardly on the fireplace mantle awhile ago, just so they were out of the way.  In the unpacking process I added some rocks from my collection so they'd all be together while I figured out where to put them.  They are still there and, with most of my decorative wares still packed, I'm happy for a little sparkle.  We'll call this "decorating the mantle" for now.

The living room has come a long way, but it's still got a long way to go.  In the immediate future I'd love to add a much-needed lamp, more decor pieces, maybe a DIY sofa table, brighter cushions, plus a stylish DIY dog bed for Szuka.  Then I'd love to makeover that vintage sectional, build a new ottoman, and, eventually, totally re-do the fireplace and rearrange the floor plans.  Anything in the living room is subject to change, but for now it's nice to have an area of the house that beckons us to put up our feet after a long day.

Here's a quick reminder of how it looked before, with photos taken during our showing and also snagged from the real estate listing (the previous owners swapped out and shuffled some furniture):

And now:

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Give a Fire Poker Set a New Look with Paint

In the spray painting frenzy I eluded to, a fire poker set left behind by the former owners of the lakehouse also got a dash of matte black Rustoleum high heat paint.  We actually already have a lovely poker set that my grandpa welded, but the tools hang from a stand that also holds a pile of firewood: 

We'd like to weld a new stand just for the tools, as we no longer need wood storage (what with the handy firewood cubby beside the fireplace), but in the meantime I thought we might just want to use the small little reject set.  However, the pieces had brass handles and were worn out.

First I gave the set a thorough clean with some soapy water and a scrub brush.  I rinsed it with clean water and let everything dry overnight.  Then I brought the whole kit + caboodle outside, taped off the bristles on the brush and used the Rustoleum high heat spray paint I used for the fireplace vents and doors (see the whole makeover of the fireplace here).  A couple of coats on each side, waiting two hours before flipping them over and spraying the other side, did the trick.  This paint has a super quick dry time (1/2 hour, handle in 1-2 hours), which makes for a quick DIY.

I like how the set disappears against the dark grey, newly painted stone because I will have art and accessories that I want to highlight instead.

You must ignore the disarray

I partnered with Rustoleum to update the fireplace vents and doors and was so pleased with the quality of the paint (and the smart, matte black finish) that I tackled this as a bonus project with leftover paint.  I was not prompted or encouraged to provide a positive review of Rustoleum high heat enamel paint.

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Painted Fireplace Doors and Vents

Yup, I painted the fireplace.  I'm so excited to show you because it completely transformed the living room!  But first: here's how I updated the gold fireplace doors, and the vents that are part of the system to circulate heat that would otherwise be lost up the chimney.   The vents, in particular, were awfully ugly.  And cemented in place.  

 
Painting the Fireplace Doors and Vents

Painting the fireplace doors was easy-peasy.  I removed the screws holding them in place and lugged them out to the garage where I first gave them a thorough clean (the glass was so dirty, you couldn't see through it).  Once they were dry, I taped off the glass and gave the metal frames and wood handles a light sand.  I wiped everything down with a damp cloth (just to get the sanding dust off) and let the doors dry a few moments.  Then I sprayed on a few thin coats of Rustoleum high heat enamel spray paint.  Following the manufacturer's instructions, I applied a few thin coats within the span of a few minutes.  The surface was dry to the touch in 1/2 an hour and was ready to be handled within 2 hours.

What it doesn't say on the can is that this paint is magic.  At one point the newspapers I had laid down to protect the garage floor blew up with a gust of wind and smudged the paint.  Panicked, I applied more paint but that only made it looked worse.  Discouraged, I decided to let it dry and figured I'd sand it down the next day and start fresh.  Overnight though, the paint leveled itself into a super smooth finish.  It didn't do this when I sprayed on a vertical surface but on any horizontal surface, no matter how much I bunged it up, it came out super smooth and even.  I've since gone spray paint crazy and painted a ton of other things around the townhouse with this paint (details soon).

Before

And now:

Painting the fireplace vents was another story.  They had been cemented in place by the former owner and refused to budge, no matter how much we chipped at them.

I could have brushed on paint, but I didn't want the look of brush marks or drips on the louvers.  Undeterred (and buoyed by the magic paint), my Mom and I rigged up a spray painting booth with a cardboard box and some plastic drop cloths that she held in place while I shimmied under and spray painted the vents in place.  I didn't cover the faux stone to protect it from overspray because the next step was painting it a dark grey anyway (yay).

I didn't take any photos of the process because I just can't, in good conscience, show anyone how to do it at home.  Even using a mask and eye protection, it was not a good idea for me to spray paint in an unventilated area (I was cleaning paint out of my ears for days).  I hope that anyone else who is making over their fireplace and has these same vents can just remove the screws, as I should have been able to, and avoid the problem altogether.  Despite my trials, the vents look smashing.  Good-bye gold.

Check back Monday to see the full reveal of the fireplace.  I'm just finishing up a couple of details.  In the meantime, take a peek here to see if you're the winner of my First Alert giveaway. 

I partnered with Rustoleum to update the fireplace vents and doors but was not prompted or encouraged to provide a positive review of Rustoleum high heat enamel spray paint.  It will be a surprise for them, too, to see what else I spray painted in my spray paint frenzy, but we have partnered for a couple of other projects (you saw a sneak peek here), so stay tuned.

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