I love the dimension of the second picture, the David Kohn one. It looks like maybe they only painted the brick and not the grout? Somehow the brick looks outlined subtly in black or something and it makes it seem less flat. Very exciting plans, can’t wait to see the final result!

Painting brick is so the way to go for this (we did it on the front of our house and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner). Looking at your pic I understand why we rarely see this angle in your photos, but really, it is worth it just to get another peek of the boob speakers. Are those being incorporated into the plank wall? Have a fun painting weekend!

Boob speakers!! lol Can’t wait to see the after. :)

You could always try lime wash for your brick too, if you don’t want a flat color.

Looking forward to seeing the end result! Your house is beautiful!

I can’t wait to see how yours turns out. I have been debating on what to do to our fireplace (for 12 years) and still can’t make a commitment. If I can just get my husband to pull out our mammoth insert, I would totally give painting it a try.

In one of our previous houses we had a brick fireplace with our hardwood floors and I painted that sucker within a month of moving in. Never regretted it. Now in our latest house I’m contemplating the same thing.

I have to ask – does that say ‘no porn’ above your television? I can’t imagine why it would but for the life of me I can’t figure out what else it could say.

I think it says ‘no foam’ something leftover from original construction maybe? No foam insulation around the fireplace? We find notes like that under our walls and wall paper.

Go for it!! I had a red brick fireplace in the last house I owned, and I didn’t paint it because I was afraid a future buyer might not like it. In hindsight, that’s so ridiculous! I really regret not painting it, so I am 100% convinced you should paint yours. :)

Go for the painted bricks ! @Andrea : I think it says “no foam” :-)

I think it says No Foam (insulation?) LOL.

Are you painting the stone parts? (Like the mantel?) Or leaving them grey?

Did you see how Young House Love whitewashed their brick just the other day? It looks really good, kinda like painted but still has some of the brick texture. Just an idea.

I agree, maybe it was white washed?

I agree about giving white washing a try! YHL sure does has a great post on the subject!

I love the top image! White walls, gray and yellow accents, AND huge windows = totally my jam. Happy painting!

I painted our colored concrete fireplace surround last year. The concrete was irreversably stained but I still had so much anxiety about painting such a permanent feature of our house. I think I literally screeched with the first stroke of the paintbrush. And now we love it and I wonder why I waited all these years to do it. (http://livinganalog.com/2012/10/08/living-analogs-living-room-4th-paint-color-is-the-charm/) Go figure. I can’t wait to see your “afters”! Have a great painting weekend. Cheers – CT

Love! There is something about white brick that really cleans up a space. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

I have heard (from a friend who is a pro painter) that painting brick first with a coat of white glue, thinned with water, is a professional trick that makes for fewer coats of paint. The watered-down glue seals the brick so it’s less porous. I haven’t tried it, but I thought I’d pass it on.

Also, I love painted brick. While I admire your patience in living with it for a year before making up your mind, I think it will look great.

Good to know!

I LOVE your space! The painted fireplace against the dark accent wall is fabulous.

Yes! I love their results! I’m wondering if our brick would look pink-ish whitewashed because it’s so red to start with??

After much debate with myself, I am going to paint the concrete hearth and mantel as well. It’s hard to see from the image above but it’s badly stained. I want a nice clean backdrop for the furnishings in this room so I think blending the hearth and mantel in with the surround will be best.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. It says “no foam.” It was a note from HH to the foam insulation peeps during renovation. NO FOAM, PEOPLE!

Yes, that’s why this wall has been MIA over the last year. Sadly, no, the boob speakers will not be incorporated into the plank wall. Only the part of the wall that juts out above the center of the mantel to the ceiling – including the TV – will be planked. That’s a whole ‘nother project!

honestly, YHL’s whitewash looks like they just painted the primer and didn’t go through with the second coat. but the inspiration pic they originally posted (http://adoreyourplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/brick81-290×370.jpg) looks amazing!

Well I suppose that would make more sense. Ha! Thanks for clearing that up.

Please do not do what YHL did, the way they did it. Their result is an *abomination* (yes, I know it is a strong word..) and looks nothing like their inspiration pics. They went for a whitewash but messed up the execution and now it looks dingy. they should have 1- picked a warmer white or a cream for the paint, 2-watered the paint way more, 3-used a lighter touch on the grout. I am glad you are planning in fully painting it and I know you will pull off- love your blog!!!

White painted bricks is one of my most favorite things! I’m sure it’s going to look awesome!

First time posting but been lurking for awhile. I painted our dated brick fireplace a very pale aqua within a couple months of moving in to our new house and it has made such a dramatic difference in our living room, really lightening it up. It was exhausting, for sure, but in the end so worth it. I vacuumed first, then had the teenager of the house earn some allowance by washing the brick with water and a few drops of dishsoap with a wire brush. Then vacuum again. Primer, then 2 coats of paint. We also made our own mantel to look like a distressed beam, and hung a MCM style starburst mirror over the mantel. I love it! Good luck with your endeavor, I am sure it will look fab.

i’m sure you’ve answered this before, but i searched & cannot find an answer. is your leather sofa from restoration hardware? if not, can you please let me in on where you got it? it’s a beauty. thanks!!

I hope you go for a solid white as opposed to a mottled look, which feels more traditional/country to me. Good luck!

Oh please…. don’t follow their lead and whitewash yours. Theirs is chalky, flat and one dimensional. I love your house and think painting is the way to go. Especially with the tv above the mantel. It will look clean and more modern.

I think you should totally try whitewashing first! You don’t have anything to lose if you decide to paint it instead.

Cant wait. Love a painted brick. Check out what they did over at young house love blog just the other day. Looks like they added water to paint and did a wash and from the pics it’s pretty nice. Maybe something o consider. ! Enjoy.

No, RH is too pricey for us! I bought it online from the cheapest place I could find at the time. Now, it’s crazy cheap via Wayfair with free shipping. We paid ~$400 more!!!

http://www.wayfair.com/Soho-Leather-Sofa-SOH-S-RUST-1-EQL1120.html

You can do a google search for “elements fine home furnishings soho leather couch” and see what other deals are out there.

@Andrea– LOL, I’ve totally thought it said “NO PORN” as well, too funny.

@H*T–Good luck with painting! Coincidentally, it’s painting weekend for Apartment Therapy readers doing the Cure this month, so you’ll have company. Re the whitewash– I’m not sold on the YHL version but you could always give it a try and paint over if you don’t like it.

What color will you paint the mantel? All white? It could be nice to have a contrast with black or gray. Too bad it’s not in good condition, you can’t tell from the blog pics.

For now, I’m painting the mantel white, too. We might try building a custom mantel in the future though.

CT – your painted fireplace looks gorgeous!

I also read it as No Porn. Had to squint really hard to read what it actually said…

I’ve been considering painting our brick white too but then I’d have to redo the mantel since it’s not exactly our style to begin with. Love the inspiration photos!

Just painted my ugly oak mantel a warm white and its like a new living room. My furniture used to blend in and now everything pops. I don’t regret it one bit. I would suggest a paint sprayer. Paint is very controllable .

Also a big fan of the David Kohn inspiration. It’s the color of the furniture against the white that does it for me. Sometimes making everything else new makes the old stuff seem dingy so I think you will love the change!

I’m sure that you’ve mentioned it before in another post but I just have to know where you got your starburst(?) mirrors. They would be perfect for a space I’m re-doing. Thanks!!

Wow! That first inspiration pic is downright dreamy!! I wouldn’t want to be the one to keep those windows clean but boy-oh-boy is that room beautiful!!
– V

oh i envy you. i love brick. but i thought i’d give my two bits. Bit one, a long haired roller will help get in all the cracks and crevices and also keep the texture. bit two, if you want a smoother finish for vacuuming a short haired one will do that a little better but you will have to go back and paint in the grout if you wanted the grout painted.

I love your brick fireplace! It adds warmth and contrast to your room. We also have a red brick fireplace which I have considered painting many times. What about a fireplace ” build out”? You could design a simple modern mantle to compliment your room, and cover most of the brick!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, if that last photo couldn’t convince you I don’t know what COULD!!!!!
Cannot wait to see this reveal.: )
Leah

Thanks for the tips!

I got them from Joss & Main last fall for a steal. I think they are called Moravian star mirrors. You might try searching Wayfair for them…many items from Joss & Main events hail from Wayfair.

Oh I hope it’s not too late to get comments on this post! I have the red brick, too! Only mine goes from floor to ceiling and is 8 feet wide! Bleh! My question is…when rooms are shown with white painted brick the walls and almost everything else is white, too (see your inspiration photos). I don’t have that kind of house. The room is darkish, with only two west facing windows on either side of the fireplace. Can I still take the plunge? My DH is dead set against it, too.

Of course you should! It doesn’t have to be white though. Check out the link above ( in the comments) she painted hers white and has darker walls. Also check out yhl’s first house painted brick it’s not white and it’s my favourite ever! http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/08/how-to-paint-wood-paneling/