Baseboard and trim color, countertops and new flooring, flooring pic is just from Google.

Like your ideas!

Thank you! Even though her designs aren't typically my style the paint and floors look similar to a house Joanna Gaines did. The only other idea I had for the living room was painting the brick an off white and doing the opposite wall an accent wall in navy.

I like the idea of the baseboard and trim being non-white. The doors will be painted the same color as the trim and baseboard, yes?

I think a charcoal would look awesome on the chimney. Try painting a large poster board and setting it against the brick to get an idea. It would be cool with the texture of the brick. Just make sure you have charcoal accents such as picture frames, or furniture legs/handles, pillows, something to echo the color.

And in case your husband "gags," show him the PM's residence in London.

I'd go black, white and wood--classic and beautiful. Echoes the Scandinavian style, one of my favorites.

Since painted brick, always looks a bit fake to me, maybe try a paint wash on your brick. That leaves the brick, looking a bit more realistic.

If you are doing all that work why not just remove the brick? It’s just a veneer (solid brick in front of wood framing). I would rather do that than work around something I hate that also limits further kitchen improvements.

You can Lime Wash or Paint the brick wall.

Since you are lowering the brick anyway, I’d just continue and remove all of it, except for the pillar and rethink how you might like that area to look like.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

Regarding lime wash it looks a little rustic to me or the german schmear, I'm in the south and rustic is evvvverywhere so I tend to wanna stay away from it.

I considered removing the brick but I like that it adds texture, I just hate the brick colors, it doesn't interfere with my kitchen design which is going to have to be very light and bright regardless because it's in the middle of the house and my house barely gets any sun. The sun moves corner to corner in my house and my next door neighbor's house is a giant rectangular box of 3,000sqft.

I'm doing a large 3ftx4ft (4ft being height) picture on the wall adjacent to the brick, it's going to be an old print by Peter Paul Ruben and it will be framed in a decorative black.
The wall and trim colors I'm definitely set on, maybe I'll wait until everything else is painted before making a decision, whatever color I do the brick I wanted to do in the den with a floor to ceiling faux fireplace, it won't be brick but just to keep things a little cohesive.

I think a pilar would look weird because we can't raise the top of of the walls so it's completely open concept, otherwise a pilar would be a nice accent piece.

Not sure if I understand, as you would only be replacing the brick under the counter, so no walls being affected as pillar just remains as is

Maureen, I understand. The pics you posted are when the pillar is standing on its own and only attached to the ceiling and to an island or peninsula, I can't do that with this brick because the brick goes up on the wall, (because of the high ceilings) so it wouldn't look like a pretty pillar it would just be a wide flat tall brick accent in the middle of the room. If I do black and love it but think it's too much I may consider hacking into the brick more because it wraps around a bit into the kitchen and has about 10 inches of brick showing next to a cabinet so I'll have to make that decision before the countertops. It's something to consider though, thanks!

I should have taken a pic from the kitchen side but the brick doesn't wrap around the same way in the kitchen, the "pillar" part that you see in the living room isn't there in the kitchen, it wraps to the kitchen but only 10 inches so it wouldn't look like a pilar in the kitchen, I'd have to remove it all under the opening and then on the side remove all the brick there to get it even if that makes sense.

Lovely house Ana! Yes, the doors will be painted the same. I love the look of crisp white walls but my last house had the typical white doors and trim and it just looked like a new build that didn't get anything customized. Plus I have 3 dogs so any color that can mask dirt from them is a plus. Need to go to Lowes this weekend to get grout so I may grab some sample cards, colors that seem way too bright look much darker in my house so possibly a more grey-black would give the same effect without looking like a black hole in the middle of my living room.

I would paint the brick the same as the wall color, it’ll be a nice texture. That section won’t be the focus of the room.

Does anyone think painting it the same white as the walls will look to "blah" since you'll see into a kitchen that's going to be very white on white as well? Or should I just use decorations to bring in color?

Note the brick wall by the counter and the brick walls flanking the windows. Pretty darn nice room!

I would paint the brick the same color as the walls. If you don’t like it, roll another color on. Interior brick is easy to paint. Love all your ideas, OP!

Bette that is really pretty! Wish my house had half as much natural light as that one!

ShadyWillowFarm I may just do that, I can consider it a primer if I hate it and go darker.

Sounds like your more urgent issue is the poor lighting. Tackle that and your overall results will be better for the better lighting. Houzzers often suggest 4000K LEDs for a natural daylight feeling that keeps colors true, even at night.

decoenthusiaste, yeah we're installing recessed lighting throughout the kitchen, right now we have even less lights since we had to take down light fixtures to have the popcorn ceiling scraped and now we have to patch it all up. Also, we got a new front door with glass and once we can open the kitchen opening up more and get rid of the fridge area (it's like half walls on both sides enclosing the fridge) it should let more light through the kitchen and into this living area.

I'll have to look at those, can't remember what we had in the last house but I don't like that blue lighting some bright bulbs have, makes my skin look weird too cause I'm almost as white as the new wall color.

Paul lime washed ob · More Info

Romabio Limewash.

Thanks Marylee, it looks rustic to me. Originally when we first bought the house I was going to do a German Schmear to avoid a painted brick but it's just not my style and this brick color is so ugly, mainly browns and some orange. If this were a red brick I'd probably leave the color as is and maybe age it a bit.

I've also considered painting the bricks red (not touching the grout) it'd be a lot of work but I have no life and I'm fairly creative.

For those that say paint it white like the walls should I paint the wall across from it? I had that idea for a while, a navyish color. The picture below is what I'm going to put up on that wall and you'll see it from the kitchen, it will be framed and I have two brown leather chairs that will be facing the brick and kitchen, a coffee table possibly and a liquor cabinet.

Wwweellllllll........I don’t think anyone will be looking at the brick.

ShadyWillowFarm 😂 I know it's not everyone's taste but I love it and I finally have a tall enough wall to do it. Think I'm going to put it in a thick black decorative frame. I blame my mother, her house has random things everywhere. This picture has been hung over her bed as long as I can remember, she got it in the 70s when some theatre closed down.

Right now I'm leaning towards painting it with the wall color and removing the brick under the opening so it keeps your eyes going vertically.

Your mom sounds really cool!

So I second all the comments here in painting or linewashing the brick. We LOVE Romabio and have used it on interior brick several times. Thing is, I also really dislike the rustic look, so we put the Romabio on really thick so it is more like an opaque paint, but just ultra flat and super durable. Nube grey could look nice with your trim, add texture and not detract from the art.

Here's an image with your trim color next to the romabio color I was suggesting. This image was an exterior brick, but notice how if you put on an opaque layer of the limewash it looks much more modern. It's all in the application! Also, in your space the nube gray will read a little darker - the photo below is in full daylight.

I'm gonna look at some YouTube videos on Romabio, see if anyone does it heavy so I can get an idea of how it would look, enough variation but not like it's been scrubbed off like some limewashing.

Althea, do you have any pics of your brick that you used it on?