Orange you glad we painted the fireplace?

And orange you glad we didn't leave the walls banana? Okay, bad joke, but at least it has a happy ending! Last time we spoke about the fireplace, it looked a little something like this after we had finished painting the living room (click here to see the first half of our living room's paint transformation):

Despite the transformation the rest of the living room had undergone, it stuck out like groovy sore thumb. It also did nothing positive in the way of highlighting the fireplace or the beautiful dark wood trim and mantle. They were the main features that really "sold" us on this house, and we wanted them to shine. Rather than opting for a bold color choice, we wanted a much more soothing contrast color that brought the focus to the fireplace and also complimented the wall color and woodwork. Here's another amazing transformation thanks to the power of paint:

Disclaimer: I'm not a very skilled photographer, but then again the color contrast is somewhat subtle. This time we opted for Glidden's "Clay Bisque" to off-set the walls on the upper portion of the fireplace. Unfortunately since we do not own the house, painting the brick facade of the fireplace was a no-go. At least at this point. 

The light, crisp walls unfortunately leave the brick facade looking a little worse for the wear. I'll be looking for ways to clean the brick, especially above the opening, to see if it will help it look a little less old and grungy. The shroud is also due for a small makeover that will help make it look less like the black elephant in the room. Anyone have any tips or suggestions on updating the lower half of our fireplace? I'm open to any ideas on how to update the space without painting the brick or mantle. Perhaps a good cleaning is a good portion of the remedy. 

We have more plans for this transformation, so stay tuned!