5 Reasons to Love a Dark Grey or Black Fireplace

5 reasons to love a dark grey or black fireplace – and why a dark grey or black fireplace is so practical!  When we first stepped foot in the lakehouse, I spotted the wall to wall fireplace and immediately pictured painting out the pine wood paneling and manufactured a deep, charcoal grey.  I wanted a modern, dark grey fireplace to help balance all of the creamy whites and bold shades of aqua I was dreaming about.  Nearly three years later, Hubby and I both love our DIY charcoal grey painted fireplace!  Over the years, dozens of readers have written to me to say they were inspired by our fireplace and painted theirs a striking shade of grey too (varying from light grey to a near-black, like ours).  For anyone on the fence, I thought I’d share 5 reasons to love a dark grey or black fireplace – as well and showcasing 10 dark fireplaces that look perfect!

Why I Was Smitten with Dark Fireplaces:

A dark fireplace, however, is not for everyone.  At the end of the day, I think the most important question to ask is, “do you love it?”.  In the case of my fireplace makeover, it’s just paint – as long as you’re committed to painting it (because stripping paint is miserable work), trying a different, changing to a lighter color, like a timeless and classic white, will only take a little patience and a gallon of paint.

I think that the dark fireplace works for us because we have tall ceilings, an open concept lay out, and lots of natural light in the living room, which keeps the dark grey from making the room feel small or dark.  In a smaller room, a dark fireplace might be overwhelming – but it could also help create a feeling of coziness when paired with the right decor

Another personal reason I love our dark grey fireplace is that the dark grey is picked up elsewhere in the house (like the floor tile in our new bathroom), so it feels cohesive as you move from room to room.  Painting the fireplace dark grey was also a great way to determine if we like the look of a dark grey fireplace, before dropping thousands of dollars on something like slate.

We’re definitely sold on a dark fireplaces – there are plenty of reasons to love it!

5 Reasons to Love a Dark Fireplaces:

1.  A Dark Dark Fireplace Grey Hides Soot and Ash:
One of the many perks of a dark grey fireplace is that the color hides dust and ash, which showed on the natural concrete of our old fireplace.  If we hadn’t spotted that staining, I might have been tempted to paint the brick teal (because teal) or maybe white to match the walls.  But knowing that our fireplace had the tendency to get a bit smokey was good information and our color of choice disguises this flaw perfectly!

2.  A Charcoal Grey Fireplace Suits Any Style:
The interesting thing about peeking into so many readers’ homes is that I’ve noticed how versatile charcoal grey is!  A charcoal grey fireplace looks equally at home in a modern space as it does a more traditional room.  No matter your style or taste, you can make a dark grey – or even black – fireplace work!

3.  A Painted Grey or Black Fireplace Adds Drama to a Room:
Having never before tried a bold accent wall, I grew unexpectedly attached to the statement our dark grey fireplace makes.  I love that it became the focal point of our living room and I’m definitely considering dark grey stone for our eventual fireplace renovation to keep the bold look.

4.  A Dark Grey Fireplace is a Great Backdrop
I love a white wall (obviously) because it provides such a crisp backdrop for furnishings and artwork, but there’s something to be said for a dark fireplace (and dark accent walls) because they really make colors POP.  Even whites seem whiter and earth tones seems earthier against a rich, dark background.  And look at how vivid turquoise looks!
As an added bonus, dark fireplaces help disguise televisions.  In our new living room arrangement, the corner TV is less prominent thanks to our charcoal grey fireplace and, in rooms where the TV is mounted above the fireplace, a black screen really blends in with a nearly-black fireplace.

5.  A Dark Grey Fireplace is Timeless
I’m not one to throw the “oh, this is a classic” line around because I think that’s what everyone was saying about the forest green bathtubs you could buy in the 1980s – no one dreamed that one day, a new generation of design-savvy home owners would take a sledge hammer to so many design elements deemed “classic” back then.  I once chatted with an antiques dealer who told me that in the 1980s, he had to throw away a lot of the 1950s/1960s furniture we clamor for today because no one would buy it – it was just too “dated.”  Now we call mid-century modern design timeless, but at one point you couldn’t give it away, for love nor money.Some things, however, do stand the test of time and I think a dark grey or black fireplace is one of those things because it’s so versatile and works with so many design styles.Have you painted your fireplace a rich grey or tackled a more expensive dark and moody fireplace renovation?  If you have – or you see any gorgeous dark grey or black fireplaces – tag me on Instagram because I’d love to see!