Hey Kelli,

Good question. It’s total personal preference, but we do lean towards white because white bricks always look crisp and clean without feeling as much like “painted brick”- while colored brick can often call a lot of attention to the fact that you’ve painted brick. And of course there’s the fact that a color might be less timeless/more dated than white so you might have to repaint in later years if you change your accent color, etc.

That being said, I adore adore adore a deep chocolate color on a brick fireplace (I saw Thom Felicia do this once and I’ve forever been obsessed with the idea). Of course our small house doesn’t have the light or the high ceilings to accommodate it, but we’re always looking for the perfect design dilemma to come along so that we can suggest it. It really looked rich and fabulous. Mmmm. And I also really like the gray-green look of the brick that you linked to, but I worry that over time someone might wish they added that color in more easily changed accessories as opposed to on the brick (which is quite labor intensive to repaint due to all the cracks between each brick). Hope that helps!

xoxo,
Sherry (& John)

I know you guys love the look of a white painted fireplace, and I do, too. But how do you feel about painting it darker or lighter than the wall color? I was perusing some pics on Desire to Inspire, and this one got me wondering what it would look like if a fireplace were painted that color with a slightly lighter or darker color on the walls. Do you lean mostly toward white because it just looks crisp and fresh?

Wheeee! So glad you AND your husband love it! And we can’t believe how ambitious you are to have already gotten some paint on the walls. You’re a girl after our own heart.

As for your front hallway, we definitely agree that you should go with the Gentle Tide there too. It’ll keep everything open just as you suspected.

Can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

xoxo,
Sherry

My husband Paul and I BOTH love it – which is even better than just me loving it! In fact we went out last night to buy a quart of Gentle Tide. It looks great on the walls, so there’s step one. :) Quick question, actually: the front entrance and hallway are part of the same space, so it seems we should use the same color there as well to maintain that open feeling?

I’ll be sure to send pix. Thanks again!

Sheri