Here is another visual showing the shiplap on the wall as well as lvp flooring you intend to install.

Note: the shiplap wall and fireplace are the same white.

A lot of talented people on this site. I would like to see a mock up of a white wash on your brick.

The BEFORE:

The AFTER:

Here is the fireplace in a white wash which is also very nice... And for a finishing touch, I've added roman shades to the 4 windows.

Paint fireplace walls, add blinds, add bright artwork, remove small items from fireplace, improve lighting, update drapes on other windows, add green plant, change floor when you're ready. Painting the fireplace may momentarily feel good, but it's not really the issue, in my opinion. What do you want this room to do for you? If you look at the mockup, what is the difference between your room and it? Even light, new paint, nice new floor, new artwork, no little kids teepee playhouse (hey, i think it's cute!), My point is, sub back in your brick freplace and that mockup will also look great. In fact, the brick will bring in some color and warmth :) I think some fireplaces do well to be painted, yours just doesn't happen to be one of them (in my opinion!) . Very nice room, very nice fireplace! Good luck!

When you take a picture of a room, it's not that much more effort to take 5 more images allowing the lens to adjust. Then pick the best image if they are all terrible, take a step back or forward and take 5 more until you get a clean image.

This is a horrible picture with all the distortion on the image. This group can really help you but we need some basic pictures of the room.

Here’s a better image

Are there lamps in this room that could be turned on?

It's best to take pictures when standing in the room.

To the left of this fireplace we have an access to a 3 season porch.

I see everyone’s comments about how bad the lighting is in this room. And while I’d love to take a nice bright photo for you, it’s not possible because the lighting is just THAT bad. We have 2 small table lamps in this room and some really poorly designed track lighting in the front part of the room. It’s on the list of things to improve.

I would not paint that fireplace! The wood on the walls could be painted one of the lightest shades in the brick. Add some inexpensive floor lamps along with tables/lamps. Work on a comfortable furniture arrangement, tweak the art and accessories.

I agree with Jennifer K. Fix the lighting first, you might find the fireplace and the wood still work. Different flooring would be to fit your choice, with an area rug to bring in color, and light colored furniture. Can the black leather chair be used in another room?

Everything in the room is going. We just moved to this house and none of our furniture works in this room.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6228909/help-living-room-furniture-is-awful

Take heed to this dilemma before trashing your furniture in the hopes of getting new. Shipping and manufacturing delays are atrocious right now. If you've just moved in here, take your time, upgrade the lighting, and shop with a long term plan in mind and lots of patience.

I agree with Moore4 - make other changes before painting the brick or wood. I wonder if the wiring for the ceiling fan could be repurposed for a downlight/spotlight.aimed at the fireplace.

A larger, brighter piece of art or tapestry in place of the current print would offset some of that brick - something in line with your interests or the setting of the home. And a light decorative object or two in place of the portraits on the mantle. These white objects look a bit stark, but you get the idea. And they might look better with more lighting and white walls on the side.

.

What a beautiful space! I love L.D. Johnson's suggestions above, especially the mock-up with the lighter artwork. While I love portraits, I don't think they work great in that spot on your mantel. If you have any pottery or lighter colored objects, maybe you could give them a try there to see if you have something else that might work better.

The wood walls and ceiling are gorgeous and give the room such personality and warmth. I would hate to see all that wood covered up with paint and treated like run-of-the-mill MDF shiplap. If it were my space, I'd paint the drywall part of the walls with a white-- something that isn't too harsh next to the wood but that reflects lots of light.

If you need drapes for privacy, you might consider longer ones so you can hang the rod a little higher and wider. That way you can pull the panels to the sides so they're not covering the windows (and don't have to be bunched up to keep them out of the way). Hanging them higher isn't necessary, but since you have the space I just think they would look less cramped hung a bit higher. If you went with white walls, I think white drapes would look great.

Take care when selecting LVP flooring to find something that doesn't clash with the real wood of your walls and ceiling. I know gray tones are "in" for flooring, but don't think gray would look great with your existing wood and brick, assuming you keep them unpainted (which I hope you do) :) I love natural fiber rugs and think a wool carpet would look amazing in your space if you're considering keeping carpet (but they can be pricey).

With all the warmth of the natural wood and stone, some large plants would look awesome in your room too. Whatever you do, I hope you'll keep us posted!

Coming back to your fireplace... What if you simply started by painting your wood wall in white as I suggested previously but leaving your fireplace brick as is. That would make a huge change to make the room brighter and the fireplace stand out. You can replace your ceiling fan with a nice black chandelier or, if you need the fan for air circulation, replace it with a more modern style one. Here's a visual:

Hi Brittanie, I previously suggested a white wash on your fireplace but after seeing the entire wall, I think it would be a mistake. I love it!

I am loving the most recent image from lisedv! I would love to keep the brick in its natural state. What would you all do with the ceiling? Paint the boards the same white as the walls and leave the beams exposed with the wood look?

Brittany K: glad you like it, I do to... As you said, yes I would paint the ceiling planks the same colour as the walls and leave the beams as they are. Here's the look:

Brittany K: Looking at the picture again, I noticed that the photo I used for the ceiling is quite a shiny finish. I would suggest you use an eggshell finish for the wall and the ceiling OR eggshell for the wall and flat for the ceiling.

Just another thought on your cathedral ceiling. What if you left the wood ceiling planks as is and just paint the beams in white, Here's an idea of what it would look like...

I love your ceiling.

that ceiling fan is horrible. (and absolutely useless because it's too small and too high up)

I think you should paint the brick.

1. it's not that interesting or vintage looking,

2. since you don't get a lot of light and have the wood ceiling, painting it would lighten and brighten things up.

isn't this nicer looking? (and no, you don't have to paint the ceiling)

Here's a quick photoshop if you painted it white, and the sides around the window black (or whatever dark color you like) potted plant on one side, chair on the other, textured rug

if you want a ceiling fan, make sure it comes down to at least 10-11 feet from the floor.

don't know if you're mounting the tv on the FP. you could do something like this or little bench seating (put pillows or cushions on them) beneath the windows.

diff stone, but this gives you an idea. you could paint the beams a dark brown/black, walls soft white.

There's a pic of a stone/brick fireplace in a similar set up like yours, (with the chevron wood) that she painted black.

I love this one.

Here's another idea. paint the brick. or give it a good limewash coating w/Romabio.

You could opt to paint your beams or the planks white, but I'd wait on that.

replace that ugly fan w/a nice chandelier

paint the walls a soft white.

If you want, replace those windows on either side w/something larger like shown here.

try arranging furniture like shown here.

or this arrangement.

your ceiling could look great if the rest of the walls/furniture are lighter tones

this was a celebrity's home in Hollywood. they painted the planks white, stained the beams a bit darker.

check out this redo:

https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/mountain-fixer-upper-ceiling-blasting

I like the wood ceilings, but if you're considering painting them, you can read these two:

http://redesignedspace.com/2018/08/26/painting-our-wood-ceilings-beforeafter-photos/

https://www.kathyannabell.com/blogpost/2018/11/21/a-bright-and-airy-update

Two suggestions from your pictures. First you need some strong lighting for the brickwork so that it becomes more of a focal point on that wall. Then in the large brick area above the heat vent you need something 3 dimensional that adds depth. Think of perhaps a large sculpture, trophy animal mount, or other piece of art. Just keep in mind it needs to be able to resist heat from the fireplace operation. And whatever gets put there needs its own lighting from the front to prevent shadows.

Good luck.

Some brick is pretty, your brick is not. I had the same brick, lime washed it, and love it.

Mkse do you have a picture of your like washed brick?

Brittanie,
I love the natural fireplace with the wood walls done white. I love the picture of the one ceiling that Beth did that has white planks and natural wood beams. It’s so hard to live in rooms with bad lighting. (I have had my share in different houses) I definitely feel the lighting up of the walls and ceilings will help with that. If you don’t need a ceiling fan in that room go with a beautiful, to scale light. Enjoy your new home!

Hi Brittanie, Your room has four big, beautiful windows on the fireplace wall. Is your room too dark because a tree is too close to the house? I recently purchased a super dark house, took down two trees that were way too close, and the light is now amazing! It changes everything. Just an idea!

Paint all the brick white, install columns on either side (could be half round columns or square columns) with a new deep mantel that extends beyond the face of the brick and rests atop of the partial columns, either side. Build up molding trim on the face of the mantel to heavy it up and give it some substance.

Can't wait to see what you do!

Agree to fix the lighting first. I love the wood! Maybe paint the access door wall to get some color into the room (feature wall) but go slow bc as you said if you change the brick/wood wall/ceiling it will be difficult to undo.

I still think it all needs to be painted. I don't think you will ever want to undo it. It just isn't this rooms best look as is. Maybe just leave the beams and add a chunkier wood mantle to tie in with the beams.

Brittany K: in some of your pictures I notice you have a lot of kid toys. So that your room can stay tidy and inviting, you can have a little kids area with storage for the toys. I don't know what your furniture layout will be like but the storage unit can be placed either along the wall or behind a sofa. Everything is very affordable from Ikea.

Mary Hellner, yes the home is surrounded by big beautiful 100 year old oak trees. Which makes this room dark.

How do you feel about filling in the indent between the two vertical brick columns? You could use shiplap if that's a look you like, or do a plaster or tile finish. Then add a new mantle (or mantles, since you seem to have more than one) that ties the whole thing together. One advantage to filling in is that you can do something non-invasive that protects your original brick; another is you'll create a cavity where you can run electric to add a couple of sconces for additional light, or wiring for a television or inset speakers. This will allow you to lighten things up and change the look without painting your brick.

Limewash or plaster in white,cream or light gray .

Love the idea Donna!

Everything on Beth H, are the best so far!! Go with her suggestions, j

I would painted the fireplace (brick) a pretty white and hang one panel sheets on each side 👍🏽

Donna's suggestion in shiplap or gyproc sounded good so this is it. Not sure I like the cut-out with the dark brick although better with the white brick. You can't bring the wood (or gyproc) down around the opening of the fireplace. Personally, I still prefer all brick

With de dark brick:

With the white brick:

This blogger recently limewashed her fireplace and detailed her process.

https://athoughtfulplaceblog.com/

In your first photo I am seeing shafts of sunlight and it looks as if you have a large beam that separates the ceiling height in these two spaces which makes the fireplace room dark. Maybe adding a skylight or two (we have two on one side of a vaulted ceiling) could bring in some additional light? Or perhaps a narrow window on the wall above your porch sliders if your roofline has room for that. Drywall over the wood portion and paint a light tone complimentary to your wood and brick, maybe BM Classic Grey or Pale Oak? A light fixture instead of a ceiling fan would be helpful as well.

I meant to drywall over the diagonal wood panels on either side of your fireplace which conflict with the brick and the ceiling, maybe a little dated?

Brittanie K if you hate the lighting in the room, maybe consider a couple of solar tubes coming in through each side of your ceiling to allow natural lighting? We have two installed in our 20 ft ceiling in the room with our fireplace and it really brightens it up without the glare of a typical window, or the expense of electrical work. I am not a fan of painting the brick. You have pretty brick with several great colors to play off of for accents. Once you paint it, you can never go back - you are right. Best of luck with your remodel!

Just saw a picture sent by someone above and integrated your fireplace to it. It resembles your room quite a bit with the back shiplap wall in white and leaving your brick fireplace as is as well as your ceiling. You'd have to find a LVP in the same tone as your ceiling and all other walls white. Here's the look showing your black leather chair and a nice light area rug over your flooring.

I too would lime wash bricks or even paint a pale color grey. Absolutely move those pictures and change frames. Don’t paint ceiling or leave part like beams. I would at least do brick and go from there.

I'm just seeing this with comments from two weeks ago. I agree that lighter colors will brighten up the room. Painting the brick is cost effective, but covering it with a wood design above, tile below the mantel (fire safety conscious) could also be nice. Did you decide yet?

No decisions have been made yet. I’m loving all the suggestions but now need to take some time and think what’s the best way to move forward. This project doesn’t have a high dollar budget so replacing windows and making major structural changes to help improve the lighting is not an option.

I would suggest you start by painting all your walls a warm white such as Benjamin Moore Simply white including the wood paneling wall (see my previous suggestion above) and the window trim in white also. Just that will make a major improvement to your room. Once that's done, you can decide on what to do with your fireplace, either your paint it, white wash it, or leave as is. If you like the result leaving the fireplace and ceiling as is, perhaps you can spend on a new LVP flooring in the same tone as your ceiling. That should leave you some budget for a new lighting fixture or new modern fan and a nice area rug would also be nice. Can't remember in all the exchanges if you have the furniture for this room, only remember the black leather armchair. And, I had suggested a storage/play area so that it will be easy for you to keep your new room tidy. Good luck with your decisions!

just to give you an idea of how it might look.