Would you be open to painting all of the wood in your living room? Currently, all of the wood in your living room is cohesive. Painting your shelving and leaving the rest of the wood in the space as is would be a mistake.

yes I would do that if you think it's whats best! (furniture will be gone as well)

Shows us pics when your finished.

i need ideas first lol

Whitewash or paint the fireplace brick white, paint the walls white and upgrade the finishing of your fireplace (the gold and black is dated). Also, I highly recommend you upgrade your artwork to something that ties in ALL of the colors of your space. Its really important that the white is tied into the rest of the room. If you plan to keep your current furniture, pick throw pillows that feature white and warm neutrals.

It may be helpful if you put together a clear color pallette for the space before moving forward so you can ensure that the room is cohesive.

Also, I wouldn't recommend a window treatment for your arched window unless its necessary for privacy. If you must have window treatments, get them custom made to fit the arch or hang your curtains ABOVE the arch. Cutting off the window in the middle is jarring to the eye.

thank you much for the ideas! So paint fireplace and bookshelves and wood trim white ? And can I do a very soft color on the walls? I have Revere Pewter in my hallway leading in to the room. Pretty much all decor will go and is there a "rule" for the size of pic on the mantel?

Is the fireplace too big and ugly to do a color on it? or just stick with white?

I would stick with a soft white like a dove white Ben Moore.

So in those illustrations I paid the fireplace and the walls but not the woodwork?

You could make it very dramatic by painting the brick and all the trim a dark color, like navy blue or dark green.

Some traditional examples:

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Before painting the entire cabinets, try painting just the backs with whatever color you choose for the rest of the room. See if that doesn’t open them up. You can always paint the cabinets later.

Looks like Beverly’s white examples are a good idea. The room needs brightening up.

With painting and new furniture, what style are you hoping to accomplish?

I would only paint the fireplace. I always want some stained wood in a room.

TedBixby good question! Idk what my style is. I like clean lines and simple details. I love black and warm colors. Love my BM Revere Pewter paint in my hall and entryway. Open to suggestions (yes I am one of those people lol)

If you are redoing the floor I might take this time to remove the bookcases entirely and replace with art on both sides.

so are you guys thinking....? Whitewash the fireplace or paint dove white and paint back if shelves same color? What about walls? Dove White too? and leave woodwork?

I need to know what the new furniture will be and I would not paint anything until it is in place . IMO I would remove the book shelves I find them cheap looking with those thin shelves and all they do is collect a whole bunch of stuff not worth displaying and please no fake plants and I agree about the window covering. I would also like to see the whole room. I am all for painting FPs but not in every space . I think if you begin painting the trim it will need to done through the whole house . Is the whole house carpet? I think a hardwood floor with a fabulous area rug would be much nicer in that space and also much more sanitary and better if you want to ever sell.

You asked about art rules over mantel. My "rule" is to keep it no wider than the firebox opening below, and no higher than window and door frames in the room. This "rule" works best when the firebox opening takes up more of the surround than yours does. The sides of your surround are larger than the opening, so there is a dwarfed look to the firebox opening. See how your current art overpowers the firebox. That's the issue I'd want resolved by whatever you hang there. IMO, the mantel itself is too small for the mass of the fireplace. In other words, the brick parts are just too massive compared to the firebox and mantel. Can you replace the mantel, remove the book shelves and increase the firebox size so things are more proportional?

Here's an idea for replacing the book shelves, but you also have to take into account that your FP is pretty flat against the wall. Maybe art alone would be better on the sides and you wouldn't have to worry about it at the mantel; use a tall mirror there and replace the fan with a chandelier to be reflected by it.

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we are planning on moving within the year, so I want to "update" but not renovate. We carpet is going to be replaced. I agree about the book shelves, they have cheap metal rods that hold the shelf, was hoping my husband could remove them. There is no room for sectional due to openings and sliding door. (the tv is here for now just because we arent buying until we move into our new house. )

Since this is a short term solution, here is what I would do: remove the shelves and paint the walls. Replace the carpeting. If you are replacing the existing furniture, great! Find something with a smaller scale that can be grouped with the fireplace as the focal point, as in a love seat sized sofa, or one with a return plus two comfy chairs. Ideally, those would swivel for TV viewing. Where the sofa is now, maybe a console table or shelves? And I would consider hanging the TV, rather than having a tv stand. Yes, to art on either side of the fireplace.

Since we now know this is a "resale" fix don't paint the fireplace or any wood. The fireplace brick is fine as it is and if a new owner wants to paint it, let them have that choice. And if you start painting any wood trim ( a very big project) it will only look good if it is done throughout the house. New carpeting, furniture. painting the walls and removing the bookcases should refresh the room and pricing the home appropriately should get your house sold sooner than later. And one other thought- get high heat paint for the fireplace insert and paint that black. Good Luck.

I agree with everything tedbixby just said. No sense in investing a lot of time and money into a project that won't bring a return. If the Revere Pewter works in your family room, bringing it in from the hallway will make the space feel more cohesive.

I would paint the fireplace and keep the wood.

sorry but I think that color of brick is ugly no matter what your decor style is, and the 70s looking bookcases next to it are not helping. so one of these things has got to go. my vote is the brick.

once the fireplace, wall color and floor are done, the wood trim is going to look really cool. esp that rounded window -- I love it! this house looks like it was built in the 70s/80s, but if you were to paint the fireplace white, I really think you could make this room work well with midcentury and/or boho decor!

please post pics when you're done!

Quick help Please!! I spray painted the gold and tomorrow will white wash. I have revere pewter left over from doing my entry way (which you see the fireplace from the front door...) My question is: should I use the leftover revere pewter to white wash and bring cohesion or stick with white? I think I almost have to paint the bookshelves so I was thinking the pewter would soften it up a bit?? Any suggestions??

do you have pictures?

If you paint the rest of the room in Revere Pewter, you could paint the bookshelves to match. It would help them blend in a bit.

For resale I would get rid of the bookshelves. Paint out the trim in a soft white and paint out the fireplace. Also would replace the fan with something a little cleaner

looking with no light kit. make sure the color you pick for fireplace is not to stark.

I tried to white wash the fireplace in revere pewter and it looks like putty. Very bad. So I am forced to paint the fireplace white which I have already started doing. Will replace the carpet and paint the walls, not sure what I should do with the shelves.

I think solid white will look awesome on that fireplace. I wouldn't even touch the trim or the shelves until the brick is done and you see how it looks!

I stand by my statement above, that the wood shelves and trim could totally work with the right kind of furnishings.

Soo guys! I am moving, so I am not buying new decor for this but here it is. I have carpet on order (it will be darker with grey black and brown). What do you think?

In my opinion, I think the oak bookshelves look great with the mantel.

I think it looks great. The whole thing doesn't seem as imposing now.

If you are moving/selling, I wouldn’t waste money on new carpet. The next people may want to do hardwood or a different carpet color. Just have the carpet cleaned.
The fireplace looks good, you have nice wood, and skylights keep the room bright all day.

Well done!

wow!! massive improvement! I think the boockases look great, and will work with other styles too. I say leave them. don't put in new carpet. what is there now looks clean and neutral, and the buyer can choose what they want to do. honestly, I think a darker multicolor carpet will take this room in the wrong direction and look dated. besides, so many buyers want to put in wood floors these days.

It looks a million times better. I would remove the painting over the right bookcase and use some coffeetable books on the top shelves, laid horizontally to finish them off. Would also remove the pillow and basket from in front of the fp and remove the candles on the bookshelves. Lots of tutorials here on how to style the shelves for open houses, etc. Good job.

I did not read all the comments, but I painted our 2 story fireplace white. At the same time, I painted the brown trim which ran through the entire house ceiling to floor. Nothing says 70s like brown trim..