I'd paint it. I had several painted brick walls at an old condo I used to own. I thought they added a nice texture. And that color brown is...not pretty...IMO.

Paint it. That 70s brick was, in Buttetnut's tactful words, "not pretty", even when new.

I agree, paint it, the big question is, use the same wall color to make it disappear or a another to make it stand out?

I'd white-wash it and put a sideboard or hutch up against it.

Any reason why you can't sheet rock over it?

We demo'd our brick wood stove surround and it was quite easy and very little mess. Just used a hammer and a brick chisal. Of course we taped down matting to protect the floor. Our grandson helped and he still talks about how much fun it was. If it were me, I'd demo it. It takes up too much room and will always be something you will want gone.

Diane

I would paint it as well. My friend has brick in her kitchen that they painted white and I love the look!

I don't mind it as it is, actually.

Agree with painting it, for nice texture contrast.

Definitely paint it. Same color as the cabinets. Then get an oversized awesome piece of artwork to hang there. Like a giant pear or artichoke or similar.

I'd whitewash a section of it first. Like you said, once you paint you can't go back. See if you can get a nice balance of white with the earthy, chalky brick tone/texture to show through. If it looks lousy, paint it all together.

I'd paint it. Or Sheetrock it if possible.

I think whitewashing would look great. I love the texture of brick walls.

I do like some left unpainted, but I think yours would look better lighter. Some of both ......

Yeah, I'd try whitewashing it first. If that doesn't appeal, then you can always go back and paint it to blend with the walls.

Thanks all for the suggestions! It really helps to hear from others before I commit to something like this.

ellendi6161 - Well, the drywall guy is pretty much done and I really don't want to call him back for more work. Did I mention the budget?!

powermuffin - I hadn't really considered tearing it out, honestly. We would have to make that decision pretty much immediately because floors are going down next week. My only hesitation is that these are back to back gas fireplace/wood burning stove pipe set in brick. I'm not sure how much of that depth we would gain back knowing we have to leave the other 3 chimneys in place there. The basement is the same setup with a wood burning fireplace on one side and slightly more attractive brick on the back side in the small MIL apartment that we have rented out right now. We are debating putting in a gas stove of some sort in the apartment, which currently has electric heat.

I talked to DH about it after I read through all of the comments here and I'm leaning toward starting with a whitewash and then just painting it if we aren't happy with it.

ghostlyvision - Great question about white vs wall color. For the walls, I'm leaning toward Benjamin Moore Silver Lake, which I'm afraid might be too cool, or Grey Owl or Stonington gray, which seem more neutral.

The brick wall is interesting. I'd either paint it or look into brick stain and stain it to change the color but keep the brick appearance. I'm just not a fan of the color.

Painting/whitewashing would be the cheapest option and I think it will look nice. Depending on the style of the rest of your house you might consider consider covering it with shiplap.

The brick looks to be in great condition in your photo. The color comes across like a dark greige on my monitor and would probably complement your walnut stained red oak floors very nicely. You're going to have white cabinets and a white countertop. The brick adds interest and character, imho, and you have an opportunity to turn the wall into a nice feature. Add a breakfront or console with a framed mirror or art piece above it. But all that said, if you think you'll be happier with a whitewashed or painted brick, that's what you should do. :) But maybe you could hold off until the floors are done, cabinets and countertops are in before deciding.

I would paint it because it seems to me that if you were to take the brick wall out, you would have to go clear to the roof of your house....or am I wrong about it being a chimney?