Ask A Designer™
Ask A Designer™: Help For A Tired Fireplace — You Won’t Believe How Gillian Atkins Transformed It!
Published on October 24, 2025
In this edition of Ask A Designer™ Gillian Atkins, senior designer at Lynda Reeves Design Studio, LRDS, shares advice for updating a brick fireplace. Take a look!
Q: I live in a 100-year-old Arts and Crafts home. I have a fireplace that needs an update. I ripped off an ugly gumwood mantel only to discover the bricks underneath aren’t a match to the old ones above. I’m wondering about a limewash paint that you mentioned in an old column. I have a carpenter and a mason at the ready, but I’m worried I’ll spend a fortune and still won’t be happy. Help, please! — M.O., Toronto
A: You’re halfway there! First, create a transition between the top and bottom sections of the fireplace with a horizontal brick cap that extends beyond the chimney breast a few inches on either side, as seen in the inspo shot (or install a proper wood mantel). Your old terracotta tile hearth is looking shabby. Have your contractor build a slightly raised box on top of the old tile to create a polished hearth.
The limewash I would normally recommend isn’t going to be opaque enough to disguise the fact that you’re covering three different types of brick. Try Giani Brick Transformations whitewash paint instead, and keep applying coats until you get a look you’re happy with.
Invest in new fireplace tools and a log holder, and consider a freestanding custom screen that fits the arch of the firebox. Your mirror is great; it just needs to be hung a little higher, and the same goes for the art over your lovely reeded bar cabinet. Treat yourself to a new rug that lightens the space and you’ll be pleased with the results (and you won’t spend a fortune).
1. Antiqued Brass fireplace tool set, $349. Crate & Barrel. 2. 6′ x 9′ Ladder rug in Ivory-beige, $1,575.
Mkt. 3. Brick Transformations whitewash paint for Brick Walls and Fireplaces by Giani, $117/917 mL.
Walmart Canada.
4. Custom Arched fireplace screen, pricing upon request. The Fireplace Shop. 5. Telum log holder in Black, $429. Crate & Barrel.
Alex Lukey (Gillian’s portrait)/Yourscrafts.com (inspiration)
House & Home