That wall may be structural, you need to bring in an Architect or Structural Engineer to advise you. Also you will probable need a building alteration permit.

i like the brick wall...

why don't you just paint it white? look at this picture and see how the wall now fades into the drywall? I'd certainly try that before knocking it out...lot less expensive!!

Why do you want to demolish it? I think it looks beautiful. Gives texture to the rooms which you can't have otherwise. And goes with any design you want.

Don't demolish!! Work around it!!! Who else has such a fantastic wall? I would change everything around it to accent the wall.

I would hate to see the brick wall go! If you're going for a different look, what about painting it?

I agree with Pyramid. Can you confirm (to us) this is not structural before you do anything.

White wash the bricks to give them an aged look. Imlovebthe wall. Very cool!

i agree with the others... if your going to remove it i hope you have determined wether its structural or not first... i actually really like the wall im surprised you want to take it down? were it me i would likely paint out the blue and work with it however...

if you start in the centre of the archway carefully removing a brick at a time using a chisel and hammer i cant see that collapsing on you... cover the tiles with cardboard towels or blanket just in case i doubt theres a simple way to remove that... good luck!

I like arches and brick but the colors clash. It would be easier to change the clear blue to something that goes with the brick but painting the brick to go with the blue would be easier than removing the wall. Get a real architect or engineer to check it before trying to remove the wall. You might need to keep a column for structural support.

I am betting it is structural... but regardless... I would keep the brick and just do a white wash over it ... as several others have suggested.

I like the arches. They're interesting and unique. But if you're set on removing them, then you gotta get it checked by a professional first, so that's a controlling factor. When I considered removing a brick fireplace from my house, I quickly learned the house just wasn't meant for it and I would have to lump it. But I really agree with the earlier comments on whitewashing. I did it to my red brick fireplace and love it. It's inexpensive, easy (look it up on e-How or Houzz), and if you don't like your first "coat" you can brush it down to control the look, so no worries. You can also add charcoal chalk to control how bright the white is.

Thank you all for your good advice and opinions. It almost makes me sad to see it go but the other side of the arch is a kitchen and it's just too small to live with any longer. The arch is structural but its not holding up the wall above it. The arch runs across the house and supports a longitudinal beam which is carrying the floor loads from the second floor. I will replace the arch with a steel portal frame that will then carry the end of the beam. The steel frame will carry the vertical load from the end of the longitudinal beam as well as being rigid enough to resist lozenging of the frame and hence it will brace the whole transverse wall.
The second floor wall above the arch is supported by a wooden beam, 290 x 50 which may be a bit light but it will support the wall adequately while the frame is installed
I think I'd better build a structure to support the arch while I knock it down "just in case" If it comes down in a rush it will be messy. Tonight's job!
Thanks again for all the responses. I feel like I'm not alone.

Mine looked like that! Took some massive beams and lots of man hours. But so glad it's gone, it's just so dated

I would widen the kitchen and paint the brick. Looks fine.

You can get sponge mats or carpet underlay fabric to protect your tiles during demo. We were very mindful of our timber floors becoming damaged during recent reno's and this worked for us. We did double layers and then plenty of cardboard on top. We set up every kind of wheel barrow / receptacle we could find & placed it in the drop zone. We did it slowly as opposed to a usual sledge hammer demo.

Thanks Sharon

You NEED a professional to do this. From the sound of your comments, it is probably structural and the ceiling could fall on you. There would be a lot more damage than just a few bricks. Save up and do this with help, you'll be happy you did.

Try, try to keep the brick. It's gorgeous! Can you remove part of it to open up some space?

I bet you can even leave the arch and make your kitchen larger, expanding in the direction where the blue cabinets are and make it a walkthrough. More pics would be nice to have an idea what the surroundings look like.

Nothing simple about this if its holding up your house. I'd get a pro out there and have it removed. You probably need a new support system.

Right now the brick looks a little like a kitchy italian restaurant, in part because of the brick color but also because that blue just doesn't go. You have never said why you want to remove the brick - you dislike it, you want to expand, etc. I think your idea of a metal beam for support won't solve your visual dilemma.

If you are looking to expand your kitchen maybe think of creative ways to do this and incorporate the wall or a part of it. If you keep the wall, painting it grey like your counter or white like your walls would solve the visual issue.

If you are intent on removing it, there are proper supports you can use to hold up the structure during demo. You also expressed concern about protecting the floor during demo, This can be done with double layers of carpet that you (hopefully) ripped out from another room. If you don't have carpet, another option is to buy those rubber mats like they use in commercial kitchens or those foam mats, that look like 2'x2' puzzle.pieces, from Home Depot.