what is behind the love seat?

Hello! If you could tile over it, a nice washed out wood look might be nice and would fir the farmhouse/coastal style. If you picked a quiet tile, it wouldn't be too busy with the beadboard - Perhaps this one in the gray color? Or Any of these ? Otherwise, you could always take the plunge and paint the brick :) Good luck!

to be honest this is one of the few times I can see putting the tv over the fireplace, using a reclaimed wood mantel. with so many windows it the room. but the front door is right there so that is why Im askng what is behind the loveseat.

There's a wall behind the loveseat. Here's the layout of the room

Painting the brick and adding a mantle would go a long way if budget was a concern.

I think a bigger problem is your layout. This is not my area - anyone else out there who can help? I do think a "wash" on the fireplace might be a place to start (and also agree to the TV being placed over the fireplace). You have a large, bright and open area to work with although the windows and doors seem to be causing some problems re layout.

I realize that painting brick is such a personal choice - many would never, but I am a huge fan of white painted brick and have an enormous white painted fireplace in my home. It happened to be a huge selling point to me when I bought my 1953 home a few years ago. I have completely remodeled the entire house, but doing something different with that fireplace was not an option for me - I love it! I have a white painted mantle on it and beautiful artwork that "pops" in my otherwise very colorful room. Having said that, know that I am in the camp of doing what appeals to you - and I would say two things. I think the television in your space is an eyesore, but I see why you had to do what you did due to the limited wall space available. In your specific situation, I would paint the fireplace brick white, add a mantle that extends the width of the brick area and is "supported" by corbels (this will just add to the look/feel of the fireplace). It appears that your fireplace is wood burning, so if this is the case, I would remove the doors, paint the interior black and put a moveable screen on the hearth. I enjoy my fireplace chock full of white candles agains the black interior and use it year-round when entertaining. There isn't a guest or family member who hasn't commented on how beautiful it looks. Although it's not my first choice, I would go ahead and hang the TV over the mantle and use the rest of the mantle space with some carefully selected accessories. The only way I know to hang a television over a fireplace without it being so displeasing to the eye is to paint the wall it's hanging on black. I have done this in a room where I have white wainscoting on the bottom half and black paint above in the entire room. You don't notice the television when it's not being used. But you have the coastal/farmhouse vibe going with your T&G paneling and might want to consider a soft contrasting color with a white brick fireplace and mantel. If you do paint the fireplace and hang the TV above, you will want an electrician to do his work above the fireplace and know where you will be mounting the bracket before "cleaning up" the cord areas (hiding them). I'm also a fan of dividing the kitchen area from your living area by putting your sofa facing the fireplace if there's enough walking space to enter the room. You can put a nice sofa table with lamps behind the sofa and that way, it's also facing the television. Not sure what to do with the loveseat in that scenario...always a debacle!!!

Yes @jdtm1 you're so right that the layout is a problem. The many windows & doors have us stumped!

Had a very similar "eyesore ". There are lots of things you can do:. Paint it, whitewash it, drywall over the entire thing or just the upper part, reface with something you like ((stone, tile, etc.). We drywalled the upper half ( approximately) , had a chunky stained mantle put on & refaced lower in a Quartz stone. Looks great sorry, need to upload pics. We drywalled upper because we have an art piece that we wanted to highlight without competition from the stone.

this is one of the few times i might want the tv over the fireplace. seeing as this looks like the best layout

try just turning the love seat to face the sofa for now. to see if it works. then the chair might be able to become a reading corner in the back half.

another option is to forego the love seat and face the sofa to the tv and just use the chair. idk how many people you need to seat.

Thank you for being so generous with your suggestions. You've given me a lot to ponder!

The simplest and least expensive solution is to paint the brick. You can always recover it with wood at a later date, but I think the texture of the brick in white is a good texture for the room.

Here is an idea that could work very well for your space with minimal changes. Painting the wall and the fireplace, adding a mantel and putting a large piece of artwork above the mantel. If you have any questions concerning contemporary or modern art please feel free to contact me!

If I were to paint the brick white, or added wood surround, would it make sense to put the tv up there still?

I doubt the TV can be easily mounted on the brick fireplace. No way to fish the wires and bring the electric without really chopping up the brick.

You haven't provided us with pics of the rest of the room, so we could provide you with options for your furnishings layout.

@BeverlyFLADeziner Thank you, good to know about the TV on brick.

Here is the rest of my room as it is now. I really appreciate any advice!

Paint it white and lose the coat hook bar by the door. You focal point is the fireplace...the coat rack is not.

Switch the sofa with the loveseat and put the TV against the window wall flat.

That moves the main living area away from the front door and allows better TV viewing. Use a heavy, thick drape over the window behind the TV. Perhaps later, (or now, why not?) close that window and create a built in TV/bookcase.

@auntthelma I hadn't thought of that arrangement!

If I keep the tv off to the side, and paint the brick white, can anyone suggest what I should put on the brick (mantle, artwork, mirror)?

Also, would it be best to do an allover white, or try some type of whitewash that lets brick show through?

Thank you!

This is probably one of the best looking ways to do it, but it might not be within reason. It is one of our many designs. Take a look and see what you think.