Depends on a lot of things: how long you plan to stay in home, how much you are willing to spend & unfortunately your age/stage in life. I did mine years ago but now nearing retirement age I wouldn't bother. My taste would lean towards replacing some of the leather furniture with prints fabrics, some colorful accessories and less of them, large art over FP.

Painting it all white will make the expensive woodwork look cheap.

I would keep the golden oak, but the brick doesn't work with the stain color at all. I would stain or paint the brick and then select better artifacts to use on the face of the brick

This is such a nice room! I would keep the woodwork and the brick as is. What about changing all the accessories including the clock over the mantel and the drapes for more vibrant Colors?

I agree with the previous comments. You have all the same colors and textures in the room. I would Keep the beautiful oak wall and bring in color, fabric, and texture. Perhaps change out the rug with a patterned, multi-colored Persian, brighten the curtains. Add pillows or throws with accent colors. Your room could also use some plants for greenery. To lighten up that expanse of brick, consider a lovely hanging tapestry, fabric or piece of art that fills the upper brick area with color, interest or an additional texture. I suggest changing the TV/media cabinet to something simpler and not more paneled oak. Have you tried some other piece in the room? Or perhaps you might try painting that white so that the glorious oak wall is the focus.

Leave the remodeling to a cheap post war bungalow without such expensive upgrades that would be ruined by a slapped on coat of paint. Stop watching any renotainment that makes you want to paint that woodwork. It's doing you more harm than good.

Beautiful fire place wall,don't paint.
Change the yellow walls and get curtains that start right under the curve of the window, more dramatic that way. A painting instead of the clock .

Paint it. Paint it. Paint it. not just the panelled woodwork, paint the brick fireplace too. I owned a house where the previous owner had painted the fireplace bricks battleship grey - yuchhh! I bought a heavy-duty product and wire brush and started the tedious work of removing it only to find part way through that I hated the real bricks. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to cover the whole thing in a bright white. It turned out SO well. The only thing I would have done differently is use Old White which is a softer white colour. You can look up Annie Sloan Chalk Paint online. I don't sell ASCP I just love working with it. I painted my wooden bannister and hand rail using oil primer and high-gloss white paint but the wood stain kept bleeding through. So I would recommend you have a professional painter do it. I think if you have a cabin wood can look good but it's not attractive in a modern home. I painted all the window frames too and added larger baseboards - all painted bright glossy white. It took a 70's house and brought it into the 21st century. I don't think you need to please anyone but yourself and when you sell the house the new owners won't like the frown brown wood any more than you do. Freshen it up! Modenrize! Be bold!

The big problem here is not the brick or the wood. It's whats around it. Remove the rug, remove yellow wall paint, change the furniture, add bigger piece art on the brick wall.

Don't muck it up attempting to "update" or whatever other cliche is used indiscriminately on here & HGTV !

I actually would go with a richer stain on the oak and loose the yellow walls. Never ever paint brick on a fireplace it becomes a cleaning nightmare. If you do anything with the brick get a professional in and use a brick stain.

Better IMHO would be losing the carpet, buy a beautiful colorful rug and art in lieu of clock. Would also put books in your bookcases along with some of the decor. The yellow walls should go if you've got the energy and budget. No grey, maybe a creamy white. Love to see end tables and lamps, cozy throw or two.

Your oak and fireplace are both beautiful and warm! I don't care for the color paint on the walls though.

i agree with most of the above. The wall color, carpet and furniture are what's bringing it down. The woodwork and brick design are really beautiful. The colors around it are dullsville.

Someone paid a pretty penny to get all of that done. You don't see craftsmanship like that anymore. besides, if you do the bookcases you will have to do all of the trim and it will never stop. It will cost many thousands to have that done. spend the money instead on new wall color, flooring and get rid of all the brown! The room needs some life, not white paint.

with all of that oak, stay away from anything w/a yellow tone. I would have done the spindles black. black and wood look great together. what's under the carpet? wood flooring? wood flooring w/a nice rug, velvet style chesterfield sofa in a great color, different drapes, (along w/new color walls) would make this area awesome!

i'm posting this to show you how this blue/teal shade compliments the brick and oak. these cooler blue tones play well w/the oak and the color of the brick.

similar colors would be great in your room. (you could even do the back part of your bookcase in this teal) but leave all the wood as is.

My vote is still "do not paint".

love your brick, and I don't always say that. and the oak is nicer than usual, I would not touch it. take above advice for painting walls, getting rid of carpet would look good if you like the idea. this room calls for a beautiful oriental rug to me.

You clearly like the colour Beth H. posted since it's on your throw pillow. I agree with her, adding that colour and similar shades in wall paint and décor will be a great pick me up. Cooler spectrum bulbs in the uplights would reduce yellowness too if it bothers you.

I'm in the don't paint camp.

I am in the "do not paint" camp. I read through your previous post out of curiosity's sake, and you state that you like warmth or warmer colors, you would completely lose the warmth in the room by painting the oak white. So, I'm guessing that you're focused on "white" because you're looking for something that feels more fresh. I see you have made some updates, but I would say take them further...Looking at your pictures, I see an expanse of yellow oak, yellow walls, and brown leather; you need some contrast so that the oak can become a warm backdrop. Adding in some creams with textiles - pillows (you don't have nearly enough), throw draped over the chair, curtains - would go a long way in breaking up all the brown tones and add some needed texture to the room. I am in agreement with others that you need something on the mantle to draw the eye there, a decently sized piece of art with some whites (or creams) with colors (greens and blues) to complement what you have. I, too, would suggest a new paint color with green undertones or a green/blue, blue/green. Paint color and accessories in a room can make all difference in the world, and those can easily change with the trends or as your tastes change.

No question in my mind! PAINT IT ALL...even the brick! what an unbelievable statement it would make in your room...your space will look so much bigger and much brighter and happier..it is stuck in the past time to move into the future!!

well if you do that, then do all the wood around that huge window, all the stair bannisters and any baseboard. have fun! (yes, it would lighten it up a lot. Or you could just paint the walls and get better lighting)

I would not paint the wall or brick. I think it'll cheapen the look of your home substantially and make it look generic. The problem is not the wall, but the decor around it. I'd focus on creating a design with the furniture/accessories/wall paint/flooring that modernizes and freshens up the space.

I am laughing.

I am going to say that I just painted all my woodwork white in 4 of my rooms, and the rooms were so dark that I love it.

It just feels brighter and happier.

That being said, you have brick and dark furniture and probably a whole house like that and that is why I probably wouldn't even start it. I would however ask a designer to mock it up and see what it looks like and see how much it would cost. And see how this room would affect your whole house.

I am not about expensive or cheap looking. I like all types of looks.

For me, I have always felt happy whenever I walked into my brother's house and saw his white trim and white fireplace mantle and white cupboards and my whole house was wood, like yours and the doors were brown and the rooms felt dreary and dark.

I took a chance when I started and the problem is you can't go back.

I am getting the house I wanted, but logistically it is a nightmare without a designer helping ahead of time.

You have such a higher risk and if you even want to think about doing it, have someone who is really good at computers do it out first, because there is no looking back if you do it.

I had the same issues, too, that if you make it white, suddenly, you see how dark your furniture is and it can take a whole process to get a cohesive look.

I am still halfway in the process, because I got a lot of rooms closer to what my brother's inspiration house is, but the rooms still don't flow, because some still have dark wood and dark doors.

Good luck, is what I am going to say, because you wouldn't keep asking if you were happy with what you have. I can already see that the spindles and window treatments have lightened things up.

Maybe get rid of the black chimney clock and put some brighter touches on that side of the room.

The bricks are interesting, I would leave them and paint the wood a dark taupe (BM Roosevelt Taupe) or dark warm grey (Kendal charcoal).

The woodwork and the brick are unique and interesting. Your wall color and the carpet, however, do nothing for the room. Repaint the walls and install hardwood on the floor to match the rest of the house. Get a beautiful rug, lose the clock and use more dramatic artwork and curtains.

I would not paint it! Paint the walls first a brighter color. Try some colorful artwork over the fireplace.

I never like clocks in LRs so art would be a better choice I would however paint the walls a nice soft gray/ green to enhance the wood and the brick

The wood, fireplace and your windows are stunning. You like warm, loved it when you moved in. So what if you don't see similar in magazines and TV? I'd be happy to have such a unique and original home. Agree with others about painting the walls a different color and bring in more color with artwork over the fireplace and a colorful rug.