I love your room. I have similar colors and a brick fireplace and we painted our rooms SW's "Blonde" and are so happy with it. It's a neutral color that flatters all of our furnishings and accessories. Also, if you want something even lighter, SW's "Ivoire" is pretty, too.

I would paint a soft color (not an off white or cream) so that the bookcase wall doesn't fade away. I love your new fabric! A soft gold would be beautiful. Or a soft green with pale gold on the ceiling.

Both the DR and kitchen/breakfast room ceilings were painted a soft color in our last home (Moss green, BM I believe and a soft gold in the kitchen). Both gave the rooms a more comforting feeling than white ceilings.

Is the horizontal paneling now painted the same color as bookcase/trim? Have you considered painting it same color as wall (above paneling)? We painted over the chair rail and dado below it in our last DR so it didn't stand out (as white trim on medium wall).

btw, I was talking about the walls/ceilings only. Never talked about painting the brick. I'm one for leaving it as is, since it adds another texture into the room.

I'm in agreement that SW Blonde or Ivorie would probably be terrific with your current furnishings, and the future curtain panels. I love that fabric and think it would look beautiful in panels. Of note is how perfectly coordinated the colors of the unique bowl on the table in the foreground of your photo would be with your fabric for the curtains - you should use some more of those colors in accessories, (pillows perhaps), throughout the room. What a lovely, comfortable looking room you have!!

We just painted our great room SW basket beige and SW clary sage. I love it!

I like your room as it is, with the red you have now. But, I know what it's like to want a change.

Sjharris,

Since you have some red-ish accents in the room maybe a
light color in the warm yellow or cream family to go
with the brick. That is if you keep the brick as is.

What about Rod Pocket Sheers like these....
Don't the seem lighter even though there is more material?

Paint ideas with the brick....
Windham Cream Benjamin Moore

Yellow Hammer Ralph Lauren

A warm yellow based under-toned color will lighten up
the room but blend with the heavy furniture and object-da
on the built in shelves. In addition the creamy yellow,
beiges and whites in the the painting above mantle would
look like a great center pc with one of the colors above.
Good luck.
~boxer

Your room is lovely! I think Allison and Boxerpups are on to something with the soft yellow and gold. I think it would look lovely with your brick fireplace and red accents. I just LOVE the chair on the left. Gorgeous.

In my last house we painted the "study" a soft yellow gold color. I think it worked well with the mahogany (red) furniture....

I wish I had gotten pictures of the room finished before we moved!

Good to hear that most of you think the brick fireplace will work as is..
Boxerpups, just this morning I was reading about using canvas drop cloths as drapes. Your idea of sheers is interesting; they are a good possibility. I have been saving the other fabric for a long time; we had once planned to build and I thought I'd use it then, but I don't think that will happen. I really do love that fabric, and Nanny, as you pointed out, I do already have a lot that goes with it. Decisions, decisions!

Allison, I hadn't thought of painting the ceiling, but that's an interesting idea too. I did it in the dining room and love the contrast. I need to pull out the paint fan deck and check out the colors that you have all recommended.

As much as I want to get going on this, even after I make decisions it may be a while before the room gets done. My very first grandchild is due in just a few days!

Are you keeping the bamboo blinds?

Honestly, I don't think you have enough room for panels on the windows, especially on the fireplace side, and on the side where the deer head is mounted. I think if you try to put panels on there, you will close down the windows too much, even if you get rid of the blinds.

I would do a valance again, something simple and tailored, and mount it as high on the wall as possible. Then use the rest of the fabric for pillows on the couch.

It looks like the ceramic bowl on the table behind the couch has all your fabric colors in it, so be sure that piece gets put in a visible spot in the re-done space.

Wall color. Well, I would be tempted to go with one of the darkest blues in the fabric. I think you have a lot of white woodwork, bookcases, wainscot, etc in the room, and so not a lot of wall space. I think the blue would be stunning. But you said you wanted to go lighter, so I would use the background color in the fabric as your guide.

Love the fireplace as is. Don't change it! The only thing you could consider is re-doing the mantel to match the panel style of the cabinet doors, and paint it white.

Les, I think blue is a brillant idea! I never would have thought about that color in the living room. After reading your suggestions, I took a picture of the area rug - I think there are even hints of blue in it. You make a very good point too about space for drapery panels. Another concern is that the fireplace tools would be right next to the panels,and I think keeping them clean could be difficult.

So now I have even more great suggestions to ponder....

Your fabric is lovely! There is a place on the photo where the green and blue are one on top of the other and the effect is a beautiful aqua... I think that color, with gold accents, would instantly update your room even without painting the brick chimney wall.

Sherwin Williams paint color Lark Green for the walls and accents in this color (not necessarily paint, but pillows, etc.) in Sherwin Williams Social Butterfly.

Adding about the windows, I would just take off those heavy valances and leave the bamboo blinds for an airier look, repainting the window trim the same color you paint the shelving built-ins.

Love your room and the fabric you have chosen. The paint color that comes to mind is BM Chestertown Buff. It has some oomph to it but still plays well with others.

I put up a warm medium tan/brown color in my LR and hall and I love it, especially above the white beadboard wainscoting (which is wallpaper from Graham and Brown). Can't tell you the shade of paint because I mixed it myself.

Have you looked in our Gallery at the hundreds of inspiration photos in there? I'll give you a link. There are also color threads in there, so if you search for "golds" you will find gold painted rooms with the name of the exact paint color used, and so on.

Here is a link that might be useful: Living Room, family room, sitting room, sun room eye candy!

I adore that new/old fabric!
Good luck with the new little one...so exciting!

What a gorgeous fabric!! Love it!
I would do an outside roman shade in that fabric....yum.....then add pillows. You can really appreciate the fabric on roman shades. As far as paint, you really could pull any color out of that fabric & it looks like the fabric goes wonderfully with your rug.

Congrats on your first Grandbaby!!

Smiles:)

Scoobyruby - brillant idea to do Roman shades! Why didn't I think of that? I don't know, but that's what I love about these forums and the input from so many talented and creative people!
Jjam, I'll check out your paint color suggestion - I only have the SW fan deck. Kswl, a braver woman than me would go for those lovely colors you suggested; I'm afraid they are too bold for my comfort zone :=)

Oceanna, thanks for the link!

Just heard from my daughter; her doctor said to come back on Thursday if the baby doesn't come before that...so exciting!

Darnit....... Grandma (!), I was hoping you wouldn't be able to use the fabric and could send it to ME!! LOL

Smiles:)

I'm with Les, but I am all about blues these days. Would love to see the blues on the walls, or on posterboard against the walls, at least!

As an alternative to painting the entire fireplace one solid color, you can always put a color (or two or three) you like on a nice little rectangular kitchen sponge and dab, dab, dab until the bricks are a color you like better. Twist and turn sponge as you dab. Make some darker, some lighter, some with both darker and lighter on them for a natural look.

You could also tile the fireplace with ceramic, granite, or marble tiles, or ask DH to build it a wood surround. You can also get craft paint from Michaels, match it to your mortar, and cover the mortar if you can't get the soot off. If you match color well, nobody will see it but the FP will look clean again. First, you might try BioGreen Clean on it. That stuff is pretty good.

Glad you enjoyed the link and you're welcome! Here is another link, this one on fireplaces, that may interest you. Be sure to check out those room threads every so often as I do add to them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireplaces

As of 15 days ago, I became a grandma, and life is indeed GRAND!
I've been deliberating the suggestions for the window treatments, and while I love the tailored simplicity of roman shades, I really want to hang whatever I use up close to the ceiling, and block very little of the windows themselves. So now I'm thinking it would look odd to mount roman shades up by the ceiling. I saw on another thread directions from my3dogs to make simple lined valances, hanging them from a rod, and tying up with contrasting or matching ribbon or fabric. Or should I consider an upholstered cornice board, or is that too stuffy? I just really want to show off the fabric yet keep the majority of the windows uncovered.

I absolutely love your beautiful fabric. Do you mind sharing the name of the pattern and who it is made by...your room is so pretty. Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it as far as color.

Eagertopaint, the fabric is "Fox Hollow" by J. H. Thorpe and Co., Inc. I've had it almost 10 years and have decided to quit "saving" it for my dream house, and enjoy it now.

This is probably a silly thought, but....could you take your current valances, cut the tails and then add simple panels of your pretty fabric underneath?

sjharris53....Reading over some older posts and wondered what ever happened with your living room! What paint color and drapery style did you end up with?? Would love to see it...the pictures you had were lovely! Also, congrats on the new grandbaby!!

Here it is, six months after my original posting, and I just painted the living room yesterday ( and actually still have to freshen the paneling and trim with a fresh coat too!) I did decide on my paint color not long after my original post and purchased the paint, but it sat around a few months. I had a major event occur which took my mind completely off decorating... my mare had a foal, rejected him, and I've spent the last 10 weeks being a mother to a four legged colt. It has been very time consuming and incredibly rewarding, but left little time for much else...

The new paint color is a terra cotta shade, and I love it! My DH kept saying he really liked the red, so this is not much of a departure, but warmer and lighter than what was there before. Haven't done anything with the fabric yet... too busy halter breaking my colt.

Anyway, here are pics of the new paint color, and pics of Tuff, my handsome boy.

beautiful ! Love the new room color, and especially LOVE your new Tuff guy.

It looks great! So warm and cozy. I love Tuff too!

Also wanted to mention I think you're great at collecting and arranging your treasures-

Love the colt - time well spent, IMO! He's adorable. Why did Mom reject him?

I can't see the difference in the two colors in the photos, but I'm glad you are happy with it.

Nancybee, thanks for your comment - earlier this week when my DD was helping paint, I asked for her opinion to "weeding" the stuff on the shelves. We did remove an object or two, but basically left it as was.
Graywings, my mare is old to be having her first foal - she is 17, and I purchased her last fall as not bred. Suprise, surprise! Mares rejecting their first born foal is more common than I realized, but many mares will have other foals and bond just fine with them. Belle won't be bred again. The first month was pretty touch and go for Tuff - he spent 10 days at the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital, but he is doing far better than any of the vets had hoped for.

What a beautiful little guy he is, adorable.