Laurie Mustard / Winnipeg Free Press
The new fireplace features high-gloss black tiles with a stressed look, providing depth and character.
Supplied
The old fireplace was dated and worked intermittently.
"Wow, that is one beautiful fireplace." Those were the words that tumbled out of my mouth this past Tuesday evening when I walked into Suzanne Mariani’s living room for a look at her newly completed fireplace reno, designed and supervised by none other than Mariani herself.
Not only is Mariani, a Re/Max Performance Realty agent, fabulous at selling homes — she is also a true star on the house design side of things as well.
Recently, after years of renovating nearly every other part of her beautiful home, she decided it was time to focus attention on her intermittently working and outdated fireplace — and take it on up to feature level.
She wasn’t long deciding on the essentials of the new look: "I wanted warmth, not too modern, kind of a modern/rustic feel, and because of the vaulted ceiling, decided to really enhance the floor-to-ceiling look."
Mission accomplished to the point where she now has a feature wall — where before, bland and unexciting ruled the day.
To achieve the modern/rustic combination, Mariani chose modern high-gloss black tiles with a stressed look — lighter-coloured lines throughout, reminiscent of veins in rock — to add depth and character.
Works like a charm. She also had her go-to reno guy, Doug of Doug’s Renos, enlarge the mantle to add depth there as well, also providing more room for beloved family pics and other treasures.
The result of the reno is that Mariani’s new fireplace looks fabulous, and it reminds me again of how sometimes, any renovation that gives some part of your home a fresh, current look is a great way to renew your appreciation and enjoyment of a home that may have felt uninspiring in recent years. Also it increases the resale value.
My "three-hour tour" Tuesday night turned into much more than just a fireside chat. During a conversation over popcorn, we explored some of Mariani’s extensive knowledge of what it takes to keep your home in the prime resale-price range.
It’s not so much that you have to pour in a ton of money, but keeping your home cosmetically appealing, clean and decluttered really helps potential buyers see its true value. Nobody wants the dreaded first-impression turnoff.
Before listing, it can be very helpful to postpone doing so for a bit to allow an expert like Mariani to take a walk through, assess condition and readiness before allowing potential buyers in.
Some of us homeowners, hoping to reel in top dollar, just don’t see that over the years we have allowed our houses to become over-furnished, tchotchke’d-up and a tad rundown maintenance-wise (both indoors and out), and our yards are now overgrown museums for old junk.
Sometimes, trees and bushes need removing or trimming to give a more open feel, which is also important for the curb appeal so necessary for giving a good first impression.
Spending a few dollars painting a few rooms with current colours can be a big help, as is doing the utmost to show off whatever space your home offers. It’s also wise to keep your house well-lit whenever anyone is going through. The brighter, cleaner and more positive it feels, the better.
Thanks for the visit, Suzanne. Love that fireplace!
Comments or feedback, love to hear from you at lmustard1948@gmail.com.
