Get a few color swatches and try to match the tone of the bricks. You might end up with some sort of coral color. But, this would mean the bricks will fade into the wall. You use a different color if you want the bricks to stand out.

As much as people like the red tones, don't you think that would be a little too much with the red fireplace? Just an opinion :)

I am partial to the green to the right of the bricks....seems bout the same darkness as the bricks even tho not matching the brick. I would paint the piece of horizontal woodwork the same green so as not to detract from the line of the mantel.

Hi. A few questions first. Does the room get a lot of natural daylight? What are the existing flooring materials/colors? What are your seating colors? Any drapery fabric colors the paint color will be next to? Does the wall color run into another wall color leading to another room? From there I will be able to provide my suggestion.

I am thinking like an autumn spice orange.

I like the greyed green to the right of the bricks also.

There is lovely natural light for much of the day. The floor is dark walnut color. We just ordered some camel/ dark pug colored love seats (to match the dogs). New house so we are also open to suggestions. The main level is basically open concept so the color will be throughout. No draperies or carpets yet. Thanks! Do you think we should lower the chair rail?

Yes, if the color will be throughout the green will probably be too strong and too limiting. I like the idea of a softer overall color, maybe the color to the left of the darker blue. With your pug colored sofas you'll need some accent color in pillows, art, or other furniture.

No question- WHITE

Skin it in granite marble ot trav..Couple $hun more han paint and oh so much better looking!

Well, if the color is going to be thoughout, that changes everything.

I have to agree with Cynthia. I think a nice warm white ( not a stark cold one) on top would be great. I would carry the bottom color of walls to other areas of home instead of the white, but don't be afraid of using other colors in other rooms either. Having all green as painted on sample would be too much throughout. But in this room bring in some bright pops of color that you like with your accessories. Emerald is hot this year. Turquoise ,coral, oranges, whatever you are drawn to. Use it in area rugs, pillows, art etc. I would also paint the mantel white as well. Not sure what the hearth is....but perhaps you could update that as well with a nice stone? Hope this is helpful for you. Good luck.

I would lose the chair rail and have all the walls be a warm buttery white. The chair rail competes with the mantel height and confuses the eye. Let the fireplace, future artwork and mantel accessorizing speak. Keep it simple.

It seems like you have a whole palette of colors within your brick. I would photograph the brick and use the Color911 app ( Color911.com) to pull colors from the brick and match them to a paint color, or maybe a lighter shade. I already did that with brick I found a photo of as you can see below. I would not use a white it is too stark but I would suggest using a warmer color to accentuate the warmer colors that are in your brick already. I created the Color911 and there are lots of features. I think taking a photo of your brick and pulling the colors from a photo is a great tool and easy to use. I photographed some brick and pulled the colors from it so you can see how it works. You can choose any one of the colors you find and that will be your wall color.

Thank you for your advice. We've decided to play it safe (for now) and go with easy colors. See pic of fresh paint

Sorry, if you insist on keeping the chair rail, this color scheme should be reversed.

Bring that green down to the floor molding and absolutely paint that rail. That ruins the line of your mantel and the slope of the ceiling. If you can remove it without damaging the wall, do that.

I honestly think that someone thought that rail was adding some architectural interest to the room. NOT.

soft yellow

This one

The chair rail at that height brings down the height of the ceiling, and yes, I would lower it to about five feet from the floor and paint the top half the lighter color.

Or just about the height of the mantel.

Interesting location for a chair rail. I don't believe I've ever seen that. It will make your room seem smaller and lower the ceiling. So..... my vote would be to lose it. I like your color choice.

That's not a chair rail, it's a picture rail. Use it to hang some art and it will start to make a lot more sense. This way, the "safe" colors you chose make perfect sense, because you can experiment with artwork to more easily change your decor. It doesn't matter so much that it doesn't align with your mantel, because once you hang art, the focus will be on the art and not on the trim. You also need something large over the mantle to go with the scale of the room and fireplace.

I don't care what you call it, it doesn't "fit" with the modern vibe in the room. A picture rail was used in Victorian houses so that the plaster walls wouldn't crack if you put a nail in to hang a picture.

What modern vibe? Neither the furniture, light fixture, brick pattern, tchotchkes, paint colors, nor any of the other trim is modern. Perhaps a contemporary twist on colonial and other traditional styles, but definitely not modern. But hey, if Mat S is going for a modern look, a picture rail should be among the first of all these things to go.

Vaulted ceiling, for one. I was looking at more the architecture, not the furnishings. The fireplace is also not traditional or it would have a mantel surround, instead of the straight wood.

They have thanked the respondents, made their decision and already painted, see above. I don't see a reason to continually make comments for other choices at this point, it's kind of like saying, "man, you screwed up." They're happy with their choice.

Yup, but it is only paint!

Consider BM Hepplewhite Ivory HC-36. It's a heavy cream color.

What did you decide to go with? Can you post some after pictures?