Forgot to attach pic...

The new one on the left looks almost copper to me. I like the original one best.

I vote for the first dark grey that you tried with the grout lines painted grey as well. Looking good. Not feeling that new patch on the left.

When I said the "original one" above, I meant the first dark grey you painted, with the grey grout. Sorry if I was not clear.

Take down the mantel! It's coming down sooner or later (too small + fights the contemporary vibe), so what are you waiting for? You'll be able to appreciate the grey painted look more immediately, and it will make painting much easier.

Def the first grey, and erase the mortar lines between the bricks.

Keep the joints the same color, definitely.
I think you are going to have a problem with the white mantel, when its all painted grey. The mantle is not proportioned correctly for the brick structure, IMHO, and is too colonially-detailed to go with your new transitional aesthetic.

I think you will need to remove that mantle and replace it with a nice hefty chunk of plain wood (with a brown-black stain, probably, if you end up sticking with cool greys everywhere else. or, choose a warmer grey paint for the brick and then you can use a natural wood.) Make sure it's proprtioned right, and is wider. No corbels: use rebar or long threaded rod (from the hardware store) drilled into the brick and into holes in the back of the mantel, so it "floats" on the brick.
Or, at the very least, VERY simple corbels like those below.

Some ideas???

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Thanks for all the pics..great looking fireplaces. What do you guys think about the darker color? This one is three shades darker than the wall. We'll chose this one or the other gray next to it in flat. Samples only come in satin and I'm not sure I like the sheen.

I think the third shade darker than your wall color is just right.

It looks mighty dark to me and maybe too much and too much offsetting the kitchen cabinetry if it's visible. I do like the other one. How about between the two if you want more contrast and oomph. Don't forget you'll also have artwork and the fire screen accents to liven things up. Don't remember what color you're going for with the mantel.

If you're leaning towards darker you could always try that first to see what you think of that effect in the room overall.

Please don't do it an actual colour - it is looking very 80's teal on my screen. I'd stick to neutral charcoal greys rather than trying to get a colour to go with the wall.

I really like the lighter of the two colors, the one in the center. It goes very well with your wall color. The darker color on the left seems to be too much of a contrast. It seems almost too harsh.

Thanks for the responses! I'll post a pic this weekend with the mantel down and it painted.

FYI - The darker color is SW Grays Harbor, lighter Foggy Day.

I got the idea of staying with the same color family from young house love unless I totally misunderstood something..I'm trying!

I like the lighter of the 2 grays.

We really want to go darker but I think we'll chose the lighter shade due to our flooring. I found a better pic of our floors with a similar wall color..the darker shade may be too much.

Well, first off its your home and you and your wife need to be happy with it. Second, you seem to be making good choices and the work you have done is beautiful. Now that I have complimented you and your choices and quality of workmanship... I hate to be a voice of desention but..now that I see pics of your built ins I still- and now more than before, think it should have been solid white, with a full mantle in white, and maybe even wood trim extending up the sides of the mantel also in white, echoing the white built-ins you have in the room. I think it would have come across as more cohesive and as professional looking as your other projects. All that white will have different textures, the wood in a complete mantle (easy to build by the way) against the texture of the same color brick. I know you are afraid its too much white .. it wont be by the time you place a mirror or picture above a more beefy mantle (both of which fill up some of that massive amount of brick). I dont think it will end up as too much white, you will be placing items in the built ins as you will over the fireplace, covering up some of the white. I think solid white would have continued the feeling of the white built-ins and looked fabulous as if the room had been designed with this as a plan from the beginning. Just mho. I think the built-ins have a traditional elegant look to them, and they dont appear to be modernish contemporary while the grey is giving me that modern, cold almost, vibe which looks different than the built-ins.
But, again my disclaimer, what is most important to consider is that you and your wife have to live with it, so do what pleases your eye, more importantly her eye. So far your decisions have been good and your work looks like its done professionally. I believe you need to follow your own tastes because theres nothing worse than being unhappy with your decisions because you listened to someone elses ideas, so please dont be annoyed with my comments, they are in no way meant to be critical, just what I would do if it were my home and because it seems you are still a bit unsure making me think maybe you are not super happy with the gray.

pollyanna - You made some very valid points and we both agree with your thoughts. I know many people find it odd that the husband is spending all the time with idea's but my wife is trying to finish up her Masters ASAP so we can start a family. So, I get all the idea's together and we talk about them throughout the day (just in case anyone was curious)

We had a huge issue trying to decide on a color. It's funny (not really) that we've struggled with this decision more than our flooring and even granite. I think we're trying to make our room something that's it's not - contemporary. We'll spice it up with some artwork and use not so traditional dark wood floors and possibly darker furniture but we have all the moldings, wainscoting, built-in's etc... that you see in more traditional spaces. It's a much more cleaner look than what we had before and we really do love where we're at today.

So today is the day...I had a rough week and the first thing I did when I got home yesterday was grab a hammer and went to town on the mantel. I will say it was much harder than I thought to get down but I wasn't going to give in and break out with the reciprocating saw. This is where I'm at this morning....

It will be painted sometime this weekend. I need to come down off my paint buzz from the firebox paint...haha This will continue to be a work in process as this will be livable to us so I can focus on furniture. We'll come back and add a mantel and possibly other trim pieces in the coming months. Oh yeah, the doors will be here Monday and flooring should arrive Thursday...we're moving a little faster than we thought so I'm hoping they will be installed in the next couple of weeks!!!

Thanks again for everyone putting up with all my posts...I know some people will be soooo HAPPY when this post goes away!

I think it's very refreshing to see a man on here taking such an interest in his home and I think we've all enjoyed watching your progress, so "no", we won't be happy when it goes away :) Can't wait to see what you do next!

Wow, Walt - that is so much better without the mantle. I don't know about contemporary (I've always been confused about that term), but it looks much more up to date without the tiny mantle. I even like the white now (altho it would look better solid I think).

Do you even need a mantle? A big mirror or piece of art up there and it would look great.

Im not against gray stone on a fireplace, in fact we have been looking at gray colored stone to go outside our home, half way up below the windows, and something in the greys for our patio. It fits in our color scheme and its a great color, I would have loved it if it had been installed on my current fireplace instead of the weird beige stones they used which were cast concrete probably because there was no depth of color in them. The grey stone fireplaces some people were kind enough to post on this thread were beautiful. Its near impossible to achieve that same richness and depth of character in paint, imho. Thats why I always opt to just go white, it just neutralizes flat or boring stones, or bricks and gives new texture, you maybe couldnt even see before. I have to give you credit for tackling this in a different color, like I said at the end of the day its your home and you need to walk by it daily not myself. Good luck, and I think its awesome that you are supportive of your wife and that you are participating in the remodeling decisions and listening to what she suggests.
And Im glad you took the commentary in the spirit it was intended, I truly didnt mean to be critical, just wanted you to keep that idea as a fall back if this doesnt appeal to you afterall. Your color choice probably would appeal to my DH because he loves dark colors, but I painted ours an off white. We have dark rustic hand scraped floors and he is excited I am considering a black dining room, inspired by so many courageous people who post on this site.

Well, I got the fist coat put on this evening and it's drying right now. I hope to get it finished up tomorrow..we ended up with a light shade of gray since it flows much better with the room. If we end up not liking it I still have 2 gallons of the trim paint so I can fix that in a couple hours :)

We went to look at furniture today and ended up purchasing a few pieces..go figure. We found a set that we really liked but it didn't include a recliner (I have back issues) so they called on one of their designers and he found me one that he feels will work. We really wanted to wait but I low-balled them thinking they would laugh (additional 20% off sale plus free delivery) but they accepted so the rest is history.

I found this pic online of the sofa and chair but we actually purchased the sofa and loveseat plus the recliner below. I made sure everything was 100% leather due to issues I have with my two year old recliner that I didn't know was bonded leather.

Well, it's done for now! The doors should arrive tomorrow so I'll get them installed sometime this week.

No flash:

flash:

That looks wonderful! Love the furniture as well. :)

Well, that was worth the trouble, wasn't it? Looks amazing!

Wow! Fantastic. And so much better than the red brick. It's going to look amazing with the hardwood floor and new furniture.

I like the fireplace without a mantel. It looks very contemporary.

It looks amazing. I have enjoyed following your post.Love the looks of your home from the outside also.

Amazing journey that I've enjoyed reading about as well. Love the new furniture choices and I look forward to seeing it all in your room. :)

Beautiful! And I'm glad you didn't go with a darker gray because it reminded me of cinder blocks.

But I would put up a mantel though. No mantel equals modern and cold.

What an improvement! Your room looks so elegant now. Love the fireplace color -- tranquil & sophisticated.

And to all who said painting the brick would hide the textural interest, I think you can see how wrong that notion is. The texture is still there, but in a more subtle way. It's another feature that adds depth to the room, but doesn't commandeer your attention like that heavy dark red brick did.

It looks great! And I love the new furniture. I hope you will keep posting pics as you decorate the room.

The soft gray looks great! Can't wait to see it with doors, floors and furniture! You guys are cruising on your room.

I normally cannot stand a painted fireplace, but I really like the looks of yours in your space. I think you did a fantastic job and cannot wait to see your pics when the doors are installed. I do think you need a mantle, but till one is installed, the 'new to you' fireplace looks just wonderful!

I read the entire thread and wanted to say that I love the fireplace painted! It realy looks wonderful. We had a red brick half-wall fireplace and we painted ours white. Never looked back!

I have been watching this post for days not sure what was going to happen but what a nice suprise at the end. I think you did an amazing job and it looks beautiful!

Good job, I approve too, I like the lighter grey its almost white, and like oaklyoak said, this is better than that dark grey it looked like cinderblock, sort of just like cement. Good choice.

Doors installed..not sure I like them. It seems like the fireplace needs something more now. I put the pic up just as a size reference (35x46). I guess if we go with a mantel the pic will be too big...no mantel, size okay?

I've been watching this thread. Great job ! I love the contemporary look of no mantle. Once you get all the lovely leather in place then you can add accessories. I do like the pic but again would wait to make final judgements after you live with it and see it all together. Great call on painting the brick. c

I think it all looks great! I really like the pic--size and style. I think it looks fine without a mantel. However my personal preference would be to put up a mantle and maybe lean the pic on the mantle--looks like there would be room. The doors look good too.

I agree with kristinekr, it looks good. It looks contemporary. If it were in my home it would get a mantle to break up all the brick, theres a lot of it. If you like the clean flat contemporary look -leave it. When you get your furniture and new floor in you will get a better feel for what it needs. Maybe the clean lines will appeal more when its all done and there will be no more second guessing yourself. I like your picture, it brings in some energy, and its nice the way it seems to excentuate the flatness of the brick wall, which is not something I usually notice. Without a mantle a more protruding frame would be strange, so you are wise to have that depth in your picture choice. IMHO.

Funny that the longest post which asked to talk you out of it turned in to the most successful outcome. Love it.

I like it but at this point, I would wait on any more decisions until you have the rest of the decor in place. It looks bare right now but it might not as the rest of room fills in.

Yeah, we're going to wait a couple weeks and see how it looks. The pic has a plastic front that produces a terrible glare when lamps are on. We've had it for a few years and I put it up since it was the largest one we have. I'll probably look for a canvas print since it's low profile when that time comes.

The furniture will arrive tomorrow..well most of it. They called me yesterday and told me their inventory was wrong and it will be five weeks for the loveseat. Hardwood should also arrive tomorrow but I'm thinking it will be installed on 4-16..we can't wait! I am searching for a ceiling fan and hope to find something this weekend.

Walt, I was thrilled to find your thread! I've been trying to talk my DH into painting the brick fireplace in our 1980's house. He looked at me like I was an alien. I'm going to do it the next time he goes on a trip :) Your fireplace looks great! I'm trying to make my house a bit more contemporary, too, and I have white painted wainscotting/beadboard. Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to see it all put together!

I understand your angst. I felt the same way before I painted my very very dark brown brick fireplace. I painted the fireplace a little darker than the walls in our FR. Painting the fireplace lightened up the entire room. We went from having a dark, dreary FR to one that was light and bright, and a pleasure to be in. The key to painting a fireplace is the prep. The brick has to be cleaned with TSP (trisodium phosphate. Once all of the dirt is removed, then the brick has to be primed. It will take several coats of paint to cover the brick. Once it is painted the first time, the next time will be easier. I have never regretted the fact that I painted the brick. My husband (who loves brick), agrees with me that the room is much better to be in , and that painting the brick was the right thing to do!

Late to the party, but read the entire thread & I was really getting worried that the FP wouldn't turn out white!!! YAY!!!

I would suggest a round mirror over the fireplace (if you aren't considering mounting the TV over the FP???) I think then a pair of contempoary prints to the left of the FP.

I AM curious as to what your plans are for the TV???

I love the furniture you bought. Thoughts on an accent color??? I love yellow with gray & with the white it will keep that fresh, clean look it seems that you're going for. I think I'd paint the backs of the bookcases in yellow, have yellow accent pillows & maybe a yellow cocktail ottoman.

Thoughts...

~Jeana

Lovely!

Looks great! Love all the pictures and the updates! Amazing before and after!

And if your still following this thread what color/brand is the wall paint? Thanks!

Why are all these OLD post popping up?