So we are to convice DH lol? Very nice room. Here is a visual, my crude software so squint. It's supposed to be a soft off-white.

I'm with your husband. Remove the candles and clock and hang a nice piece of art above the mantle.

The wall color is off. Paint the walls something the compliments the brick, instead of something that looks like it wandered in from a different house.

I actually like the brick. The color is really nice and it looks like it is in good shape. What about trying to add some sort of millwork detail to make it wider?

I also think that the paint color seems off even with your floors. It could just be my computer screen.

Good luck!

Love it, thank you!

You have a lot of angles in that room just from the ceiling. I think painting the brick white or, even better, replacing the brick with drywall would make the room feel less busy, more serene. It would also remove the problem with the red brick sticking out the bottom under the white stone which seems awkward. We removed fireplace bricks and did this with drywall in our old house.

I would cover everything above the mantle with drywall painted the wall color. It’s too tall and narrow right now.

1. I think the room could benefit from a more colorful rug. Maybe one that reinforces the red brick if that is staying in the room.
2. I lowered the TV. It was mounted too high. This isn't a sports bar.
3. I'd add drapery panels. This room is way too stark in appearance.
4. Not sure if the rug should run right to left or front to back .
5. It's a LARGE ROOM. You need to up the size of your accessories when rooms are this large or else accessories look like clutter.

Oops, you meant no painted brick, my bad.

I don’t think red brick is the issue.

It’s more to do with how it feels: plain/no texture and with being such a big influence in room (on a wall on its own/too small accessories/mantle) it’s not contributing to the room. We get used to things…ask your husband what he thinks seeing a similar fireplace in another setting.

You could soften with a wide mantle, large art and window treatment.

If still not happy, if you both poured over inspiration pictures, you may find something you both like. The key is making it feel more integrated into the room and becoming more of a feature.

The red brick fireplace is great! Look at Maureen's photo of tall brick fireplace with a really beefy mantel. And please fill the firebox with an armful of logs. A couple of live edge benches, built-ins, or plant table by the fireplace under the windows would be inviting. And Beverly's idea of a brighter, lighter rug in golds with a bid of red would also enliven the fireplace side of the room. Visual diversions that work with what seems like a problem feature can often fix the problem!

With what seems to be quite a large room with a TV in the corner, I'm just wondering if this is the best furniture layout for the room. Can you post a floor plan showing all dimensions, doors, windows, etc. and size of your sectional.

I think the fireplace needs a much beefier mantel. the one right now give the eye nowhere to land. The rug also seems to be too long, or the wrong shape, hard to tell. But there is no real focal point here. I assume the tv is in the best spot for viewing? If so I would also consider anchoring it with a console, the heaters will still be fine btw. Im just messing around with ideas here.

And you could rotate your couch to face the TV and the fireplace and you could also have it a walk around the couch

As I mentioned previously, there may be a better furniture layout for this large room but difficult to tell from the only 2 pictures you posted, we cannot see the entire room.

The rug seems to sit in front of the sectional, you need to bring it under the seating. I suggest replacing the ceiling fan with a large black chandelier. I would also replace the coffee table with a large round one.

For the fireplace, I would beef-up the mantel in wood. For a cozier feel I suggest adding 2 armchairs to create a conversation. I would also add some accessories that stand out more than the ones you have (more texture, a mix of black & a natural white), curtains, roman shades, etc.