Hungarian Bookshelves & Subway Tile Fireplace

The Hungarian shelves and the white subway tile in the fireplace are finally in. The fireplace was non-operating, thus tiling it over wasn't an issue. We thought we were going to paint the mantle white, but after looking at it with the white tile in we decided it was too cold looking. We'll just refinish it, with the wood adding a bit of warmth to the otherwise white and silver palette.



The shelves were much easier to do than standard bookshelves and we like the modern look. All the online materials I saw had them unpainted, but after a few coats of white semi-gloss they look like a million bucks. We used sanded plywood instead of MDF, as the ends are free hanging so we needed the extra strength. The front edge of the wood is covered with a strip of melamine. I'd never thought of an iron as a device used in shelf building, but indeed it is.

Over the fire place is the electrical and cable line. When we order the TV I'll know exactly where to place the outlets in relation to the wall bracket, so for now the locations are notional.

I'd say it looks better than it was before, especially with the ceiling fan gone too.

Built In Demo & Framing

Pictures from my post about the Built-Ins.



After starting the job I realized a proper before shot wasn’t taken. This is taken from roughly the couch’s new viewing point. Pay no attention to the 2.68” thick layer of dust on everything, or the entertainment center sitting in the middle of the room. (If I had another place to put it, I’d move it.)



Luckily the right-hand cove was getting framed over because the brick looked like crap. We could even see into the (unoccupied) rowhouse next door. I filled this gap with cement, and we framed it over. I am just glad the exposed brick side of my house looks as nice as it does. Pure luck…



Part-way through the demo the project started to take shape. Eventually the mantle will be painted white, and for now the tile in the fireplace will stay as is. Since the dust was a-swirling, I got the quick shot and got back to work. I hate painting over wood with such a nice grain, but I don’t think the natural wood will fit with the rest of the house, and with it white it hopefully makes the tile pop.



After the space was framed out you could really visualize the space. I can almost see the shelves and the wall mount TV now. *sigh*