It looks like the bookcases are not built in. Not that that matters.

I would cut some board (foamboard is fine) and paint it the color you want. Insert it in the bookcase. Live with it for a week or two. It will give you an idea of how you feel about the color.

If that works, I would hang a white sheet over one of the bookcases, so you would see what a big white bookcase will look like. Live with it for a week or two.

Then you'll know whether you want to paint the entire bookcase. Or if you want to only do the back wall.

I do like the current color of your bookcases next to the fireplace surround.
It looks just right to me, but I’m not able to see the full view of the two rooms.

I like the color they are now. They are like pieces of furniture and look to be the same color as your coffee table. I like the fireplace the way it is too, with the exception of the mantle. I would like to see that, the color of the cabinets.

Hi there,

Beautiful kitchen and great room. I like the suggestion which said “try it out” as far as color ideas. Always good to live with the idea for a bit.

If this were my home, I would take a sample of the granite and hold it up to the fireplace to get an idea for a complementary color for both bookcases and the mantle. (Or use those paint color cards from the store and find one that complements both.) Once you pick a color, buy the smallest can possible and paint your large piece(s) of drywall or whatever you have, set it (them) in the bookcase, then the mantle and see what you think. Be sure to use a paint with some sheen everywhere on wood. Eggshell or glossy. Dressier.

You need to pull in the gray from the granite and the brick to paint the bookcases and mantle. If the bookcases and mantle are all one color, complementing the brick, the space will feel very serene.

Do NOT paint the brick. It is gorgeous! that brick fireplace is very classic and always a statement. If you paint it white or any color, for that matter, it creates a cleaning nightmare. I have lived with painted brick. Terrible mess. Peels, needs frequent redoing to look good, shows dirt and smoke stains more readily than the natural bricks.

Final comment: you have enough white. Don’t overdo. Tends to look “clinical“ (think Dr’s office or dentist).

Good luck!!

Will you post a photo from further back that shows us how the bookcases relate to the rest of the room? I like them but I suspect they visually overpower the space.

Also, there is something about the soffit and the ceiling and the tops of the bookcases that seems awkward, a view of the rest of the space would help get to the bottom of it.

I'm not sure how white would look with the brick on the fireplace. It might look very wrong and out of place! I love the current color of the bookcases!

I can see where you might want to lighten up the dark wood of the bookcases. Look at SW Perfect Greige, it may blend well with the stone on the fireplace, and go with the tones in the backsplash like another person suggested. What color are your walls? if you can go the darker value of that color, all will blend well.

Thanks for adding the pic with the long view. The bookcases do seem awfully dark and large in the room. Before you start painting, take off the tops and see if that gives you the look you want. You could use the tops as bookcases in another room. If you choose that option you could put some art on the walls on either side of the fireplace. Or a large vase with tall filler on one side, art on the other.

Yes I think they would look much more cohesive if they matched the rest of the trim out in the home. It would help with the illusion of built ins. Your question caught my eye as a NO before seeing the picture. My SIL painted hers white--all her cupboards/trim out is oak. They look so lonely and like the ugly step sister in her family room now IMHO. Perhaps as suggested here another color would have worked. For you white like the rest could work fine.

Beautiful kitchen. Could you share brand of your granite counter top please?

I would spend my money on professional lighting for the room. The stone is wonderful. hope you do not paint it.

The dark cabinetry draws the eye into the room, and is very in invitimg. I think it might look very generic if you paint it white or gray.

The room needs warm lamps and a ceiling fixture

Thanks for the additional pictures. You have no lighting turned on in the sitting area with the fireplace. Therefore, the illusion is that the bookcases are very "dark and large" as one person commented. Please add a picture of the fireplace area all lit up. Then we will be able to see from the kitchen what it would look like if you painted. I still think grey borrowed from the kitchen granite/backsplash, and brick fireplace is the way to go, even if you have no light. You want a fireplace area to feel cozy, so my feeling is that white is just not that. Beautiful couches and chairs as well, which your grey would complement.

Paint the fireplace brick white. Leave the wood surrounds

Very pretty both kitchen and living room! Consider adding a couple larger decor pieces to the bookshelfs that draw from the kitchen, in white or grey. It's probably just me, but there is just too much "stuff" on the mantle competing with bookcases. Mantel needs to be beefed up some maybe a different stain color, and hang a nice artwork above the mantel. Love the owls...lol I'm a collector. Good luck!

Once you paint that brick .........that is it! There is no gong back and I would recommend that you NOT do that. The other elements in the room are much more easily changed out than is that brick.

I’m sure it’ll be beautiful if you paint the bookcases (a big no paint the fireplace). In my opinion I’d leave it though. You have other dark furniture in the eating area to tie it together. I agree with poster that asked you to show the living room area lit up.

I love painted brick but am not nearly as fond of painted stone. So, would suggest leaving the stone unpainted. As to the bookcases, that's a toss-up for me. Would you consider painting the interior back of the units and leaving the rest the color they are? This would brighten them without completely changing their character. Good luck!

You could run LED lighting on each side in the bookcases. I did this with my built ins and added a dimmer. I did it over 10 yrs ago so not a lot of choices with LED. I ended up touching some yellow marker on the lights which were hidden inside the front of the bookcase and that immediately added that 2700 kelvin temp of incandescent lights. It really added a lot to the design. That could brighten up the area without having to change a lot.

Years ago I had a dark and heavy looking bookcase, I had a piece of mirror cut and slipped it to the back behind the shelves. Looked wonderful, also brightened up the room.