Could you paint the bookcases on either side so that the brick doesn't stand out so much next to them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DO NOT paint brick! OMG, that just makes my teeth hurt.

Leave it alone. It's brick. It's probably the only thing in your house that isn't going to look dated in five minutes.

Assuming it is red brick, it's classic.

Totally depends what color brick it is - I agree, if it's a nice one, I'd keep it, but there are a lot of UGLY brick colors that I would cover in a heartbeat.

Nope again. There is no single decorative element that has always been considered even as good as "not thrilling, but nice". This goes for everything from Victorian houses to Federalist simplicity to street car suburb Colonials and craftsman homes. It goes double for Colonial-inspired style as practiced in mid-20th Century homes, which was done on the theory that such elements were classic, but there's enough of an of-its-time twist that they're not popular today.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is classic, but OP should be honest about what her home is and isn't. Don't try to turn it into something other than a mid-'90s suburban house.

Actually, some things are classic, which is not the same as "universally appealing."

Nope. Everything is of it's time and passes in and out of favor.

Nope. Classic is the stuff that is never in style and never out of it. Not exciting, but not provoking "Oh crap" responses when its moment has passed (or passed again, depending on where we are in the cycle).

OP. if you hate the way you look you should change it.

Our brick fireplace extends the entire length of one wall. The house was built in the early 70's with had the most hideous brick I've ever seen. We painted it the same neutral tone as the walls with a white mantle and it blend beautifully but with added texture. The whole room is brighter and looks bigger. Not all brick is classic -- go ahead and paint it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is classic, but OP should be honest about what her home is and isn't. Don't try to turn it into something other than a mid-'90s suburban house.

Actually, some things are classic, which is not the same as "universally appealing."

Nope. Everything is of it's time and passes in and out of favor.

I think it depends on the color of the brick. There is very attractive brick and there are other shades that just aren't as attractive. I've seen some brick fireplaces in MLS photos that were very dated, and I wouldn't blame you for wanting to paint it white.

My 1940's fireplace is red brick, but it has a nice surround and mantel that are a very nice, glossy wood. It looks really good -maybe you can do something like that.

Can you remove paint after painting brick? I love painted brick fireplaces but if I bought a house with unpainted brick, I might be afraid to paint it in case someone down the like prefers "au natural." If paint can be removed from brick, I'd worry less. But yeah, I don't like red brick at all and love brick painted white or cream. And I don't think it takes away from the charming antiquy feel of a 1930s-type home.

1880's is not dated. 1980's is dated.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is classic, but OP should be honest about what her home is and isn't. Don't try to turn it into something other than a mid-'90s suburban house.

Actually, some things are classic, which is not the same as "universally appealing."

PP again. BTW, our home was built in 1880 -- so the brick fireplaces are definitely "dated" and we still love them!

We just bought a home with 4 fireplaces, two of which are brick. We are keeping them as is. I think they're classic and lovely--just to respond to your question about how others feel about them, that is.

Maybe spruce up the mantel? And put in a gas fireplace, which is actually useful .

Nothing is classic, but OP should be honest about what her home is and isn't. Don't try to turn it into something other than a mid-'90s suburban house.