Yes, paint it an off white, but a light paint or wash so the red peeks through.

Yes,paint the fireplace for sure.

I like painted brick (but no red peeking through), but I think in your case the FP is consistent with the rest of the look and era of your house. If you were to update the entire space (cabinetry, trim, furniture etc), then I’d say yes, paint…otherwise, no.

I would not paint your fireplace brick.

Freshen up the wall color and lighten up the furniture and add additional lighting to the space(s). you have a lot of heavy dark furniture and accessories. edit first... then paint.

Your cream couch, on order, will definately lighten up the space. I would not paint the brick fireplace.

I would tackle the lighting for sure i adark space IMO LED 4000K bulbs are a must .I woul not paint the brick but a nice lighter piece of art above the mantel could help. At some stage maybe a new wall color too. The lighting in the kitchen for sure needs a revamp, if budget is tight replace the one you have there with an LED track light at least. For me I would paint all that trim in heartbeat

I would lighten the brick with a lime wash or a German schmear

the brick is nothing special. mortar wash it, lime it, paint it.

agree about the lighting

I actually like your leather. I'd leave some of that. looks nice w/the black brick and white walls.

if you're walls are on the yellow side, I'd paint

that ceiling fan though, needs an update. or switch to a nice chandy

I think what drags it down is the brown furniture, so I'd wait until the new couch comes in. Also, the wall color just seems a bit dreary. I could see if you added a vibrant tribal type rug, artwork over the fp and lighten the walls - I'd then leave the brick. Agree to change the ceiling fan. Maybe take a hard look at all the little things, and stuff like that extra chair in the corner, the little trunk, and the things on the hearth and take them away and see how you like it. Maybe when you are done you could think about painting your coffee table.

I agree you should wait till your new couch comes.

In the meantime, do you have a single piece of art that is more cheerful? Putting something - ONE something - on the mantle that is brighter will help.

All of these are on greatbigcanvas.com

Great input! tfitz1006—what color do you suggest for the coffee table?

Again, it’s best to wait for the new couch.

My personal preference for tables is usually glass with brass trim. If you have little ones, that may not be a great suggestion, but glass coffee tables look “lighter” and take up less visual space.

These are all different brass finishes, but once the couch comes, you may want something with black.

Two more

You might just consider removing the trim around the top and look at getting different mantle. Then look at getting a large piece of artwork for over the mantle, something light that will go with the colors already in your living room.

Mt. Washington Ski House · More Info

Yes! Just last week-finally. It , along with the rug, definitely brightened the room. I still plan to do a few other things such as a ceiling fan. Thanks for checking back

The new couch and art on the mantel make a big difference!

looks very nice. I like that rug.

as a suggestion, tie in the french doors and paint them. the current bright white really doesn't play w/anything in the room. Not sure what your wall color is, but you could do a tone lighter or darker.

If you feel you must do white, do more of a creamy/beige white. Ballet White is one, or the Divine White.

as an example, I went w/a darker keystone gray just to show you the diff.

here's some other colors that might work.

I also gave you a more modern ceiling fan w/the light kit.

this one is the 52" Minka aire-dyno.

https://www.lampsplus.com/products/52-inch-minka-aire-dyno-oil-rubbed-bronze-ceiling-fan-with-remote__4t454.html

I think a black downrod would also work

this one is really nice too

https://www.luxedecor.com/product/minka-aire-orb-modern-ceiling-fan-mkaf623lbbrsbr

Chriari ceiling fan:

Amazon carries this one^

also this one

https://www.amazon.com/Farmhouse-Industrial-Remote-Control-

light/dp/B09M8C9BK2/ref=pd_lpo_sccl_3/142-4643295-5566246

Thank you so much ! One question—if I paint the doors, would it look weird to leave the outside white?

You've made some nice changes. You should add a nice frame to the art, find a nice fireplace screen and tone down the white door so it doesn't stand out.

oooohhhhh I love it. I love that you kept the fireplace. Very pretty so far. Great job

Thank you so much!