eakdesign's Profile

I tend to find this style of rug unattractive, regardless of the surroundings. For that reason, it generally weakens the overall look of the room for me.

I don't know how modern this piece will ever actually look but I have a few suggestions.

1. Paint - the most simple and inexpensive approach. You could go with either black, white, or a bright bold color (like turquois, yellow, or red). I think the bold color would give it the most "modern" feel, as white could still look country depending on what it is coupled with in the room.

2. Frnd4vr's idea about applying fabric could also look nice.

3. Another option is adding some wallpaper in the same manner- just on drawer fronts or trim or whatever works. Something modern/interesting, like from ferm-living.com might look interesting.

The current tiles look much better than any of the new choices. The new choices are so bland and neutral.

The fireplace surround looks fine in white. Maybe you just aren't used to it so it looks odd to you?

I would suggest to paint the mantel black.

I know several people that have purchased and installed these doors on their homes- and all of the dogs refuse to use them! Apparently the small mechanical noise it makes when it unlocks the door for them to pass through (security measure) frightens the dogs.