Hi Smegaroni,
congratulations! How about painting the fireplace white, the trim white, walls a grey color and remove the blinds! Best of luck!!

Love the hardwood floors! Nice large room. You can of course paint out the fireplace up date the mantle, change out the front door. Add a favorite color for the walls, and very light complimentary color to ceiling. You will be surprised how the wood does not stick out but pops the room. Curtains, and throw rug, comfortable seating around the fireplace, and soon it will be home:)

White wash firepl. Paint walls a dove gray. All trim in white incl door. Carry moulding around ceiling. Roman shades on windows and door. Is this a TV room? Pottery barn look would work.

I would also remove the fan, with a new fixture. If they can access the wiring I would change to recessed lighting. Less expensive new fixture.

Leave beams dark. Is there popcorn on ceiling get it removed, will really update room. Then remove beams.

Check out Young House Love. They've brought back a few living rooms that look like that

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies- main concern was whether or not to pain the beams and remove popcorn. Anyone know about asbestos? everything online says watch out for it - our inspector looked at me like I was crazy when I asked - he said not to worry.
So def. paint fireplace too?

Was thinking khaki walls, white trim and fireplace - leave beams dark? and paint ceiling (after popcorn removal) a few shades lighter than khaki or leave white?

I have nice comfy furniture and area rugs, etc. already

The kitchen is worse - will post later

also - can never live without a fan - I'm in Mississippi :)

yes....imo--paint the fireplace, brick, doors, trim, ceiling and beams white; Khaki sounds perfect for the walls!

Call a pro to remove popcorn. Very messy. So do before moving in. It's not dangerous just ugly.

White wash FP is much nicer look. .google for help. Ceiling white. Remove beams with popcorn.

Khaki, not sure of. Very green is that what you want? Get samples and try out.

Known carcinogens ARE dangerous. Test, and hire a pro if asbestos is found, to remove both popcorn and beams.
Rather than paint the fire place, I suggest you get your Pottery Barn palette from it: slate grey window and molding trim (beefier, if that is an option) will meld better with the floors and khaki ( unless you go for a very pale version of khaki, in which case a white would look fine). Reclaimed wood for the mantle, a new hearth treatment, and greyed white ceiling will also support the Pottery Barn look. Sherwin Williams offers a Pottery Barn colour scheme and paint coupon through the PB website. Good luck w your project!

If your house is older than mid 70s, it could have asbestos used as binder in walls and ceiling. It is harmless unless released into the air. If removing it , call a pro to make sure. I am always opposed to painting brick, unless it has already been painted before. It is a natural material. Find colors that complement it. Otherwise in 40 years, someone restoring your home will be cursing the 2013 version of harvest gold, or dusky rose that will not come off without damaging the brick or mortar.

Pick a color from the fireplace that will make the fireplace pop and use for wall color . Room looks big enough you could go with a darker color if you want too. Paint the trim white . Beef up the mantle . Please don't paint it !!. You will be surprised how it will look after you paint your walls.

ok scrape off the popcorn ceiling and refinish it smooth.. also lose the faux wood beams altogether. Paint all the trim and doors in the room white. ( if it was me, I'd remove the rim altogether and replace with something bigger, painted white). I'd paint the room whatever color that goes with your furniture. Replace the outlets and switches from that almond color to white. remove the recessed lighting above the fireplace and replace with 4" instead of those 6" ones currently there. Either center the ceiling fan in the room or put an additional one in equidistant form the walls and each other. Finally.. I'd either tile the entire fireplace and hearth or I'd do some custom millwork and enclose all the brick with a mantel that goes floor to ceiling, replace the fireplace door/insert and tile about 12" around the door/insert to the new wood mantel. oh... and one last thing.. lose the mini blinds on the door and window ..

Here's the rest of the room. If I am looking at the fireplace this dining area is to my left. Still not sure about removing beams, leaving them, painting them white, etc. also where to put TV since no real room for shelves around fireplace. Possible on wall to the right of fireplace. Any suggestions?

L-shaped living and dining room

Right of the fireplace looks best from these angles. If you keep the beams, paint them out.

What i would do: Wash brick with a warm gray paint - water it down 1/2 and 1/2. You'll get a really terrific look. Wash beams with gray paint too - they are likely very open to finish, the wood grain tannins will read through but you will have neutral color harmony. Something like bm cape may cobblestone. Washing wood and brick gives a rustic, antique quality - you can always paint over it. You do want to wash on and let it develop before you give it a second coat.

Whatever is below the hearth line as a finish seems odd - maybe this is a wrap for kiddie protection, but otherwise, paint it the full strength cobblestone tone so it blends with the fireplace better. Paint the walls a soft neutral tone like bm muslin or a muted aqua - either will look good with your stained trim / sills so you can leave the trim and mantel and doors wood toned for now for character.

Yes, lose the popcorn first. The era of your house dictates whether it could be a possiblity or not, that is why the inspector might not have been concerned. Ask more questions until you are satisfied. Congrats!

It may be counter-intuitive, but painting the ceiling a darker color, or at least something other than white, and going with a warm toned wall that blend with the brick colors can actually make the dark floors and woodwork pull together more.

A darker color can even make the popcorn ceiling less noticeable. Try a corner with the wall color to see what you think. Ceilings painted the same color as walls can work sometimes too. I think Khaki or taupe or greige is better for the colors you have here than most greys. Sometimes just the right color can make old materials look much better.

Personally, I don't mind the fake ceiling beams and don't think everything from the 70s was that horrible. If you don't like them, perhaps they can be rearranged a bit to make a fake coffered ceiling. Of course, that would require eliminating or matching the popcorn texture.

Testing is a good idea, and if it is asbestos, it can be left alone and painted without causing much harm unless you drill into it later, or cover it up with drywall. Asbestos is harmful when it is in the air, so sometimes it is best to just leave it alone. Can be in carpet and tile glues, floor tile, ceiling tile and all kinds of places you wouldn't expect in any house built prior to 1989--but most commonly used in the 1950s-1970s. Actually, although it is regulated, asbestos use in building materials has not yet abolished, but you don't find it in everything, as you once did.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,202235,00.html
http://www2.epa.gov/asbestos
http://www.asbestos.com/legislation/ban.php

We will have the popcorn removed professionally. Right now I am leaning towards beam removal.

Painting brick is seriously irreversible --so try to be very very sure before you do it. Try putting a sheet of thin drywall or lining paper painted your chosen color over the entire surface before going forward.
I agree with others that the mantel and the hearth look oddly truncated. Seems like the mantel should wrap around the entire mass of the brick (not just be applied on the front), and the mass of the hearth should be extended to either side of where it is now. Perhaps you could place a small low bookcase or seating/storage sectional on the left, and then extend at the same height around the corner to the right, until it meets the unit you'll put the TV in? (Something with the look of the Samantha entryway benches). I suspect the hearth will look less massive and out of place if 'extended' with wood work that picks up one of the brick colors.

White ash is not like painting. You put on with a rag. It's very nice.

It is possible to change the color of brick with water based wood stain. Use a foam brush and avoid getting stain on the mortar between the bricks. I once did the entire outside of a house, changed orange white and black brick to a more even brown tone,amazing difference and totally permanent even outside.

We just updated our 70s home, looked like yours without the beams. Have the ceiling tested for asbestos (about $25). We had asbestos in our popcorn and removed it ourselves. Saved at least $10,000) and we spent about $600 on supplies. Time consuming, but not that much elbow grease) however, if your ceiling has been painted, it could be very difficult to scrape off. Lots of YouTube videos on doing this. You will save $$ in the long run if you hire a good (compatible) designer. I agree: get rid of popcorn, update trim, find a different fan, can lights are a nice lighting update, and consider replacing fireplace surround, rather than painting it. Good luck!

I love all these ideas. Any other ideas on shelving/ furniture etc. around fireplace. I know we want to replace mantle

This fireplace is nice

with that door and window being on either side of the fireplace, I don't see you getting any useful shelving add to that that they are symmetrical to the fireplace so it would look really odd having shelving or built ins there. As far as mantels... consider something in this order....



It doesn't have to be that ornate. In all honesty, it could be really simple and look really really good in that space. Using an upper mantel and a lower both would cover the brick completely and really pop your space.

sorry they aren't symmetrical to the fireplace lol

Take a look at what this girl did with a really ugly house! It's amazing now and a lot of the impact was paint. http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/FAQ.html

You can do it!! If you don't want to paint the brick put painted wood around it. I think that is what she did.

s - the fireplace you posted has a lot of style because of the arched top of the firebox, the pretty details near the mantel and the slanted plaster overmantel. Your fireplace has the straighter lines seen in the 60's. If you paint it, you will get a more modern result. If you consider washed brick, you can add to the vintage brick feeling that a loft over years develops - that helps restore that "charm" appeal. The beams are worth keeping for character - preferable to a plain ceiling if you are looking for vintage charm - just alter the finish - you may be reacting to the dark wood against the light ceiling paint. This room is large enough to carry the beams, especially if pickled to add more vintage aspects.

What strikes me as lacking in charm about the beams is their channel shape detailing,the fact that there are only two of them (living room) w irregular spacing around, and what appears to be mismatched ceiling trim attempting to make up the difference that doesn't extend to the back dining wall. Matching their treatment to the fireplace is one way of tricking the eye past some of that; erasing it by painting it out the ceiling colour seems more effective to me, with the added benefit of placing focus more strongly on the fireplace. As a secondary issue, the same lack of continuity exists in the window trim, and could also use attention.

Thanks for all the great ideas. Buying this home is on hold due to gov't shutdown, a storm in the gulf, and my hubby has been furloughed :(

Sorry to hear that, and trust the hiccup is short lived. Wishing you the best in the meantime.