No paint brick - that would be putting an inferior finish over a quality item. Its a nice variegated brick, not the heavy orange type that some people complain about. An argument might be made for applying a masonry stain to tone down a color... not that it needs it... but to put an opaque high maintenance plastic coating (eg acyrlic) isnt a good idea for the long term. I wholeheartedly agree w/above suggestions to remove the fake tudor and rethink those spaces under the eaves and around the windows- even just simple paint in a well-chosen brown that bridges the brick and roof colors would be a big improvement. Sometimes less is more, and I would argue that a handsome house in natural brick or stone and muted nature-colors is often the most beautiful house on the block. Then, you could put your $ and effort into some really lovely landscaping & perhaps pillars but I wouldnt get carried away with reinventing the architecutral elements - its very nice & balanced as is. Is that the view from the side? Looks like the street is off to the left?

Well, I've painted the bricks and area above the shelf. It really helped lighten up the corner area. I'm not sure if I will paint the shelf or leave as is. Lesson learned: the area above the shelf was wood and at first I used a satin paint to match the trim. I felt there was too much shine from the ceiling lights, so I painted over with a matte finish and like it much better. No more glare. I understand where Fori is coming from. I still don't love the fireplace. While painting the bricks I had covered the surround tile to protect them. And I really liked the look of the painted brick w the tile hidden. However, when I pulled off the protective cover to reveal the surround, I felt the same sense of "ugh" I had before painting. Not only is the fireplace dated, but the materials are not cohesive. And painting the brick doesn't change how odd I think the surround looks. That said, I'm glad I painted as it is less dark/dreary. Also, when we are finally able to tear down and replace with a more modern design, the new fireplace will be in the same general light color. It's nice to be able to visualize how the lighter color plays out as we decorate around the area. Any advice on the shelf? Paint the same color as trim? Or try to stain darker--like an espresso? Unfortunately, I can't easily remove to replace the shelf. Sanding would be challenging. Also, there is a groove on the top of the shelf--not sure why it is there (??).

You have a really nice looking home. You have brick steps so the brick isn't going away ... unless you're planning to destroy those ... so ... you could well be making your house look unnecessarily cheap by painting or whitewashing the brick exterior of the home. If you're replacing the siding with board&batten, you might consider also covering the outer part of the downstairs brick with board&battan, rather than painting or white washing the brick and leaving the brick in place so it could be uncovered by the next owner. and/or You could add a pergola over the patio to minimize the visual of the brick

I suggest you continue with the same flooring throughout, looks like the flooring mentioned is what you have on the right in your dining room. I'm unable to recommend a wall colour judging from your photos but would suggest painting the crown moulding white and not to outline the corners of the wall on the right of the fireplace. The mantel could be black or white, I'm showing it in black because I find it coordinates nicely with the piano you have on the left. Since you have a small budget I didn't suggest removing/replacing anything from the brick fireplace.