The middle color or the blue are nice

Above the fireplace, they are in the order (left to right): Nimbus, Shaker Beige, Ashley Gray, Woodlawn Blue, Pewter Gray. I think I like Pewter Gray (far right) the best, but I'm worried it's too cool of a color for the fireplace.

Paint in the kitchen

Kitchen colors, from left to right: Woodlawn Blue, Shaker Beige, Nimbus, Revere Pewter, Ashley Gray.

I know colors are not always accurate in pictures and the lightening can also make a huge difference. It would appear that the Nimbus is too gray and cold looking, but that might depend on your furnishings and accessories. The Pewter looks warmer and more appealing with the fireplace. Maybe you should get a sample and paint the fireplace wall and see how the color looks in different lights.
So difficult to pick colors sometimes, good luck.

Unless you have a lot of light, Ashley Gray seems too dark. I would forget the blue - it looks too much like a color that should be in a bathroom or bedroom. I would do one of the grays left (1 or 5) in the kitchen and the other in the other two rooms. Or one of the grays in the kitchen and Shaker Beige in the other two room. Do you have a lot of light in the LR?

Thank you both for the suggestions. I think we are leaning towards the Revere Pewter, as long as it's not too cold for the colors in the fireplace and in the kitchen counters and cabinets, which both have a lot of warm tones. We need to decide relatively quickly, so it's kind of stressful...

I like the Rivere pewter best for the main living space and the shaker beige for the kitchen.

We haven't lived in the house, yet, so we don't REALLY know how the light is, and unfortunately, we need to get everything painted before we move in. I do think that there is a fair amount of light in all three rooms because it is a semi detached house,not a row house, so there are side windows. We eliminated the blue entirely (too green/blue for our taste), and the Ashley was too purple and dark for us. Of the two lighter grays, I think we like the Revere Pewter the best (it is the darker of the two light grays). The Shaker Beige probably goes best with both the fireplace and the kitchen counter, but honestly, it just doesn't speak to me or calm me as much as the Revere Pewter.

You can always paint or cover the brick fireplace with wood or tile. We have a 1920s home with a painted brick fireplace and love it.

Sounds like you have a plan - good luck and post pix when done!

@amyk2012 Would you be willing/able to show us pics of the painted fireplace? We were thinking of doing that, but I wasn't sure about how I felt about covering the original brick. (I don't think that the brick we have is particularly pretty--but there's something about the historicity of it that makes me not want to paint, for some reason....)

I wouldn't paint the brick immediately. It looks pretty and clean and adds a natural look and texture. You can always paint it later.

Sure thing!

@debari - I would recommend living with the brick as is for a bit and see how you feel. I just a snapped a quick picture so apologize that it is not the best lighting. Ours was already covered with some sort of cement/stucco type material when we purchased and we painted it white. We have light gray walls as well.

Here you go.

RP---AG---SB in that order...

This advice is all really helpful Thank you so much. Amy--yours looks great, and the chair next to it looks looks very nice!

Thanks - good luck!

I love the pattern of the brick and painting would cover it up. Once you paint, it is hard to go back.

It should be cleaned though--there is a new peel off masonry cleaner that might work advertised in old house journal. I posted some links awhile ago, but have to dig around to find them again. or you can google cleaning brick techniques. I think that could really help and once you add some wood tones in a similar range and other colors, it will be OK.

Wow, it did not even occur to me that there would be a way to clean it. Would love to know what that product is. (Did a Google search and saw a lot of how-to's, but no actual product.) I wonder if the colors would be different after a cleaning!

@victorianbungalowranch, maybe i'll call around for chimney cleaners and see if any of them do brick work, too.

I think Nimbus is best next to your fireplace, it is a pretty contrast that picks up the cool colors of your kitchen counter top. It will look lovely in the evening - silver grays are so beautiful at night with soft light/candle light. I also like your choice of the revere pewter and would use it as an accent color in both rooms. If you like that blue, it would also be a nice accent color.

Traditionally you make a poultice with baking soda or salt or some such thing, and some soap, maybe some sawdust to hold the water and put it one and let it dry to pull out the stain. There are a number of recipes, and I don't remember the details off hand, but it takes multiple tries to do it, especially on wire cut brick.

I found the ad: American Building Restoration Products Inc., ABR Waterless Fireplace Cleaner

Apply, let dry, peel dirt away. Worth a try, and yes, it should brighten it up quite a lot.

I read a long time ago that it is best to clean anything you think is horrible, and live with it awhile. You might decide that it isn't so bad after all. Each era has its own aesthetic, and once you learn more about it, the more it makes its own sense.

Like all the colors except the blue BTW.

Never thought to call a sweep for that, but is worth trying!

I like the Shaker Beige or the Revere Pewter the best. Can't go wrong with either of them.

We went with Revere Pewter on the walls and Gray Sky on the ceiling. Great combo! Thank you all for helping.

Shaker beige seems to be a great undertone for the brick color

We are doing shaker in the upstairs and basement bathrooms. We went with Revere Pewter!