Apartment Makeover: Fireplace

Happy New Year! With the holiday rush, I have been bad about posting, but have made it one of my resolutions to post more regularly.

Here, we are continuing with the Virtual Apartment Makeover I started in November for a friend. The next area I want to focus on is the fireplace wall. Here is the before picture:

And here is the after:

How great are those built-ins? Especially for a rental! Since this is an apartment, the landlord might not be ok with permanent changes, so some of what I am suggesting can be done temporarily. 

First off, I am not a huge fan of fireplaces. In my experience, they hardly get used and look sort of dark and dirty. Additionally, the marbled tile around the fireplace is a bit dated. I would find or build a cubby to place squarely over the fireplace to create additional storage while making it look like part of the built-in. I would paint the cubby and built-in the same color white to create continuity. This is very rental friendly since the bookcase can be removed when you move out.

If they would allow it, I would pull a color from the removable wallpaper in the  Alcove (from my previous post) and paint the wall above the built-ins.

To free up floor space, I would do away with the TV stand and place the television, and corresponding electronics inside the new cubby.

On the wall above the fireplace I would utilize all the lovely family photos by framing a bunch in cohesive frames.

Next, I would de-clutter and choose a few key accent pieces to adorn the shelf above the built-ins, and use this opportunity to pull in a new accent color. I think turquoise always looks great with orange! 

Lastly, I would find a great area rug to place in front of the built-ins to cover the dark carpeting pulling in the orange and taupe from the Alcove. This one from Madeline Weinrib Atelier is great!

What do you think?