This week for Building 101 I’m walking you through our fireplace and staircase selections and sharing what you should consider when designing yours.

Fireplace Insert

We went back and forth on a wood burning fireplace and natural gas for a long time. I love the heat a wood burning fireplace gives, there really is nothing like it. But I also wanted to be able to just press a button and have it ignite, also no mess, so the natural gas won out. I’m happy with our choice. It does give off sufficient heat and it’s beautiful, too. No regrets.

Our fireplace is the Altitude X 42 natural gas insert by Napoleon Fireplace. We choose the Westminster Herringbone panel, split oak log set, and Premium Denali surround. I always love a good callback and the herringbone panel gives a subtle nod to the rest of the brick in our home & the herringbone wall tile in the girl’s bathroom.

When it comes to the installation of your fireplace and mantle you’ll need to look closely at manufacturer specs to see how close the mantle can be. It will vary depending on your insert, the depth of your mantle, and your local code.

Mantle

I found our mantle on Etsy of all places! It was salvaged from a turn of the century barn in Michigan and is made of raw elm wood. It is stunning in person! I can’t believe how well it compliments the rest of the wood in our home. The Etsy shop I purchased through is linked here. They were very easy to work with and our beam came well packaged.

Fireplace Surround

The fireplace surround is tumbled brick . Above the mantle we did shiplap with a mitered corner to give a more modern feel. We had the same brick installed in our kitchen & on the exterior of our entry. After installation I lime washed all of the interior brick with Romabio Limewash. You can find our exact tumbled brick here, we used a few different colors from the same manufacturer since I knew I would be painting it. You can find the lime wash here. This lime wash is perfect for interior and exterior applications and is removable from most masonry surfaces up to 48 hours later. You can find more information as well as a quick tutorial on how I applied it here.

Staircase

For our staircase I wanted to do something a little unique. I love how we have a peek-a-boo staircase that wraps behind the fireplace. The landing makes for a pretty moment with the windows and pendant, and the light that comes through in the evenings is my favorite. We continued the LVP up the stairs and added a stair runner to cut down on the noise of 4 small kids running up and down all day. Someday we’ll add some kind of a wall treatment, I’m just not sure what that will be yet. Maybe some box trim?

Stair Runner

Our runner is Tattersall by Stanton Carpet in the color Pearl and was custom made for our space. Did you know virtually any carpet manufacturer can make you a custom runner or rug? I didn’t know this until we built. Tattersall is 100% New Zealand Wool and is very stain and crush resistant as well as non-allergenic and naturally flame retardant. I wanted something super durable for such a high traffic area and this checked all the boxes for us. I think the subtle plaid pattern adds a beautiful design element to an otherwise boring space.

Treads

We used the same LVP for our stair treds and nosing. I recommend you double check the profile when selecting your flooring and try to find a product that has a flat nosing. The biggest giveaway to LVP flooring is having the dreaded lip on the tread. Another option is to have real wood treads and try to get a custom stain to match your LVP. Color matching is not for the faint at heart, so if you go this route hang in there! Getting it right is worth all the heart ache, promise!

Lighting

If you’ve been here for a minute you know I’m all about creating special moments in design and my favorite way to do that is with lighting! I was purposeful in the design of our staircase and the landing and knew I wanted a pendant to elevate the design. Our exact pendant has been discontinued, but I’ve linked a very similar one here.

We also added tread lighting on the wall beneath the banister in hopes to prevent any kids tumbling down the stairs at night. They came with a photocell so they can turn off and on on their own as the light changes. They were a super affordable upgrade; I’ve linked them here for you.

I think that wraps up this week’s edition of Building 101! If you have any Qs drop them in the comments! You can find more Building 101 topics here.