I would suggest a white finish to open up and brighten the room, it will give it a modern feel

RL Remodeling,thank you for your quick response. Which color would you recommend?

A good option will be whisper white. Start with a small area, and check how many layers are needed. Good luck!

Put the mantel back and leave the brick the heck alone. Unless you feel like paying for soda blasting off all of that paint off before you put it on the market. Brick gives a warmth and originality that glopping paint over it will never achieve.

Thanks so much,you have been very helpful!

I would get someone to sand down the poor 'pointing' job someone did, painting over the excess mortar will be a mistake.

This is coming from someone who has painted over two different brick fireplaces, but I would leave it. The brick I painted over looked pretty cheesy. Your brick looks like it has warmth and character. I like it. You might consider painting the wood trim an interesting color like a mint or something versus the white.

Here are a couple of examples of painted brickwork

Maybe a search on the houzz site for 'painted brickwork, photos' could help you decide if you like the look or not. Any looks you really like you can pop into an idea book which might help those helping you also :)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!
If I leave the brick alone what kind of mantel should I install? I lean towards a white mantel I think that will help with brighten up the room.

Hi Candle, you could do a simple white mantle or a full fireplace surround. Have you considered putting shutters on the upper Windows? I think that would look more cohesive. Although I like the look of painted brick I don't think I would do it here; at most maybe a light lime wash. Such a lovely room.

Hey Lynartist thanks for your respond,we were talking about installing remote controlled blinds to the windows get a lot glare from the sun. Love the idea of the lime wash you have suggested :):)

I would do the full surround. Looks a bit odd with the hearth ; wonder if there was one there before? You could do shades but still like to keep all the same window treatments on this wall. Please keep us updated, it's such an interesting space!!!

The previous owner had a wooden mantel which I removed just didn't like the way it looked it made the room feel very heavy and rustic looking didn't go with the style i like,here is a pic of the mantel (this is before we moved in)

I see what you mean. I don't dislike it but I think a more refined, white painted mantle may be more your style.

You could do just a mantle as in pics#1,2 or full surrounds as in 3,4

I really like pic 3! I think that would soften up the brick wall and add some intrest to the fireplace,thanks Lynartist you have been very helpful I definitely post a pic after it is done;)

Looking forward to it:)

Candle, one question no one has asked you is if you like red in your decorating? One thing about the large brick wall is that it definitely adds a lot of red into the room. The brick texture is going to look great painted, washed or natural, but this is your house. The red is great with your khaki wall tones, but the attraction you have to the lime wash makes me think this much red isn't so much you. Wait until you decide about the brick to decide about the fireplace.

I do want to caution you about one thing. Since theyinstalled the plantation shutters below, I think you may want to do the same treatment above if you need to do something - if you switch you are going to have discontinuity that will bring the look down. And, though the more traditional mantel and surround seem to echo the traditional element of the shutters, the rest of the architecture here is very loft like / more contemporary - no trim on the posts that separate the dining from living space. If you head towards something more traditional, you may want to carry that over and add trim . . but then where do you stop.

The architecture of this look (and the darkness of the brick wall) works better with a lot of natural light and more modern lines. If you wash the wall, and add a simple corbel supported mantel in the same wood tone as the floor - you may be getting closest to the look that feels like you. This looks like a fairly new house, with some added architectural features (Volume ceiling! Brick wall with mortar texture! High windows! Natural light!) to make this room special. It is a special room - so choose carefully when you add anything. You don't want a hodgepodge of different types of window coverings and colonial fireplace features in a loft.

I wonder if it is possible to move your television a tad higher and put it on the wall with a swing arm so that you can really enjoy it from the sofa, and adjust the tv when the light is an issue. Consider that - plantation shutters on the upper windows when you don't need it for privacy will cut out a lot of light - maybe leave the lowers open most of the time when you are home and it is daylight to help balance the look.

I do know what you are saying Libradesigneye, which is why I posted the mantle in pic 1. This could go in a traditional or transitional space.something like this could be enough to satisfy Candles desire for a more refined look and is hefty enough to stand up to all that brick.

libradesineye thanks for your input,I do like red I have a red rug... and accessories in my house,the upper windows are tinted but still not enough to keep the glare away from the TV,that's why we were thinking to add remote controlled blinds installed to just use them when we needed,I do leave the shutters open during the day we have a beautiful view out in the back. You have pointed out a lot of thinks that I will take under consideration thanks so much.

I like the exposed brick!

I like the exposed brick but don't like the shutters on the windows on either side. Is there a reason for them? Do you look outside or just into another room? Have you thought of putting a bookcase in front of the windows to cover them up? Maybe a dumb idea but I just don't like the shutters.

Definitely leave the brick! You've had some good suggestions for the mantel - off white works best (similar color to your other wood). Also I don't think the artwork goes with your wall color (blends in too much). I'd either do black and white photography or very light colored artwork so it stands out.

Here's one of my pieces that might work well there. Many sizes available.

More artwork here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShoaGallery
Enjoy decorating!

erinsean,the shutters are a big help in the summertime I like them I usually have them open during the day we have a beautiful view in the back would never even consider putting bookshelfs in front of them I would rather remove them which I don't consider.
Kshoa,thanks for your suggestion the painting is there contemporary until I figure out what to do with that wall love the one you have added.

While art is always a personal thing a highly textured wall such as brick is certainly something to take into consideration. It helps to give your eye a rest by using simple graphic art or at the least art that has a frame and matt to separate it visually from the business of the background. As mentioned above, the background brick is in itself a " color". If this is an important piece to you you could frame and matt it or move it to another wall as the colors do tie in well with this room. Some examples.

I love the lofty-ness the space has with the entire wall being brick. Although the brick is weighty, it has an airy feel. I wouldn't add a mantle but because you are looking for one, I think a floating mantel would look spectacular!