Your brick is actually nice but it doesn't go with the pumpkin walls. Are you wanting to keep the walls the same color? Medium gray walls would blend with the fireplace brick and it wouldn't clash as it does now. Or paint the brick a medium charcoal color. Nice contrast to the walls and mantel.

Maybe you could make three sided boxes for the legs and put a little extra crown moulding under the mantel around the "legs". I like judyg's suggestion of wood panel above the fireplace for artwork or mirror. I think you won't mind the brick as much if there's more woodwork.

You could put your fluted pieces on the front of "legs". Perhaps he wouldn't mind if you softly whitewashed the bricks, wiping off as you're applying

I thought about continuing the woodwork up and creating a frame. I even bought the pieces and cut them to fit!

Obviously I can't lean the top board up there for a demo, but here is the two side pieces... what do you think?

(BTW the paint color on the walls is staying! I just changed it from dark dingy sage green to "sliced melon" It's much lighter in person than in the pics... lighting is bad because hubby is working on the electrical right now and we just have a shop light on atm.)

I think maybe another flat piece on top of existing mantle to make mantle a little longer and deeper. Add a small crown underneath. The frame you show here is a great size. It will really make a difference. What did you think of whitewashing idea?

Here's a few images

More

Is there something I could whitewash it with that would wash off? I'm thinking like chalk dust mixed with water to paint it on and then maybe it will dry to look similar? Husband says I can't do anything permanent!!! I have no idea why he's so attached to the idea of having a brick fireplace...

Oooohhhh, that is something I don't know, I probably wouldn't try it, just in case. Of course you could gently inform him that technically, it's still brick!! Just an enhanced brick. Wish I could help you out on that one!

I think chalk dust and water might soak in, since the brick is porous

Ok -- given that painting the brick is a NO! from your husband's perspective; I'd definitely loose some of the yellow in the wall color (yellow vs red - is helping the brick stand out). Ok -- reading again, I see you want the wall color to stay, but I do think you'll be happier with the brick if it blends more to the wall color...light walls, but more sand or tan.

I too have a brick fireplace, and was happy to see that there were some tan colors in it that I could pull to the walls to tone it down. I also still think you need to go heftier on the vertical woodwork to balance the weigh of the brick -- along the lines of what JudyG showed above. Your mantel is hefty enough, but looks like it's on spindly 'legs" until you get more width in your verticals.

Oh you have some great input here. My husband feels the same about not touching brick and he also feels the same about not touching old wood... we live in an old house and I'm the one building and trying to pull it together.. GOOD for you! I also liked the notion of shifting wall color to grey. I've done this and can email you a photo... so many nice neutrals out there and all you need to do is match the mortar. I also agree with going vertical - you are so close! post again!

I wouldn't white wash the brick..and think your wood skills and paint color can do so much (still) without causing the home friction. But its also in what you like engaging in. Some wood project of mine have been fun and others have been such a chore... make certain you like the work

How's that floor project going J Barrow? I hope you looked at a few of the colors I suggested, love to see pictures when you're done!!

The pumpkin is a good complimentary shade for the brick, and that is what you want to be doing - complimenting , not toning down, or reducing. The legs need to be brought flush with the jam and the mantel is too small, as noted. Make those adjustments and everything will be lined up proportionately.If you run woodwork up the wall, the mantel detailing needs to be thicker to compensate. Look at lots of photos to compare use of mass against height before you decide how to proceed higher.

I agree with studio10001, the sliced melon color is very nice and when the surround is beefed up it will look fabulous

mforr, i just posted and was hoping you'd take a look but I didn't know how to comment and get input other than general discussion board. Still some more questions. Take a look and see if you can 'see' ??

Ok

I can see what the others are saying about the strength of your warm color and the consideration more of proportions and width/depth of wood trim. I think, especially if you can do the wood work... studio10001 on track..

I think you need to create deeper columns under the mantle. Take the flutings off the wall and use them for the face of the columns. Trim out the bottom edge of the mantle to mimick the way the top mantle ledge is.
Use red and terra cotta as accents in the room. Add some cool colors to the mix also.

Should I go upward with the columns and paint that inside area white all the way to ceiling? I had it orange to match my accent wall and it totally didn't work so I changed it back to the sliced melon.

Thank you for all the super helpful feedback everyone! I wish I had found this site and posted questions weeks ago when I first started this project!!! Been trying to get this room together for 5 weeks now and I'm about to go out of my mind! I just want this DONE!

Attached is a picture of BEFORE so you can see what a huge improvement has been made so far!

You've done a great job! I don't know if you mean columns on top like I describes for the bottom, but if you do, I'd say no, just moulding to trim out the square you want above the mantel. It would look kind of like a Victorian knock off if it had columns on top. I know other styles besides Victorian had that kind of detail, but it would have to be a rather large, grand mantel to stand up to that kind of detail. When it's not quite right, it makes me think of bad copycat modern Victorian.

Something like this

The orange doesn't work because of the rosy shades in the brick. I wouldn't go up toward the ceiling with any other trim--it's unnecessary and to me gives a dated look. See the picture directly above wirh pale gray walls for a nice look.

I thought the sage green looked great with the brick.

You could make your mantel deeper by adding a 12" board over the existing mantel to give it more weight.

Wow, you HAVE done a great job and walls can stay. I think your idea of painting interior of added frame above mantel a color is a good idea but when you painted it accent (orange) it clashed - now you painted it back to Melon, but I bet if you followed your thought of white (same as trim - all the way to ceiling - you might be at the beginning of the end. Have you been able to building more significant 'legs' - everyone's comments here seem right to me.. this could maybe 'wrap it up' _ I know what its like to be going crazy with a project that doesn't conclude - think we all do.....

Definitely paint the inside white. You can even add some smaller picture frame moulding to make another smaller square inside the frame, like a paneled wall. Just make it about 5-7 inches inside the main outline.

Thinking about putting white floor to ceiling bookcases on either side of the fireplace??

Second thought was a gold deer head and gold sunburst mirrors in a collage on the wall above the fireplace.

Thoughts????

Love the idea of bookshelves if there's room for it. Don't think there's enough room for deer head and sunburst mirrors. I'd imagine its going to be one or the other. Unless you combine the two in a fiendish experiment?

Fiendish experiment:
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.5015028143292525&pid=15.1

judyg & LB interiors both show similar mantels - to make this balance you need to box out the sides so that the side panels are just in front of the brick and not attached to the walls ~ I might be tempted to box over everything to the black of the insert leaving only the brick hearth visible even if you do decide on shelving on either side. The wall colour is lovely but it really isn't flattering to the brick

Here's the idea I posted earlier. Maybe this wall color.
I was trying to avoid reconstructing the mantle and work with what you've already done.

I love this painting

You can always use sailboat model on your mantel http://gonautical.com/sailboats-c-1_11.html