That is pretty, flyleft. I think the reasons it works are the very high ceiling, the continuing brick work on the wall surrounding the mantel, and the raised hearth. Although that vertical brick makes me wonder about maybe doing stone of some sort in a vertical brick pattern instead of the square limestone tiles. Too trendy perhaps?

Hi- We are in the process of choosing a color for our mid century and after sampling 36+ colors I'm totally confused! We have to work with the stone on the facade along with the color of the soon to built wood deck (thinking aged grey stain). At some point we are also replacing the windows with black aluminum frames and the front door. Trying to decide the color combination for the beams, stucco and wood. At this point we are thinking white stucco, with dk. brown or charcoal beams and trim, but have also contemplated BM Cromwell Grey, Eagle Rock or Iron Gate as main house color. Anyone have a good suggestion? Thanks so much!!

I love the look of your kitchen, especially the brick wall. (I'd streamline the decor on those shelves and probably look for a vintage metal art piece or sunburst clock for that wall.) My main advice though has to do with the flooring. Slate looks great but I wouldn't replace wood or vinyl for it. Stone and tile are terribly hard on the joints. I really regret my tile kitchen floors. YMMV but thought I'd mention it. Hope you'll post your changes. It's going to look great!

I’ll start, I guess. Have you explored the use of Romabio, a paint specially made for brick? You could lighten your overall color that way. I wouldn’t do anything specific to grout lines - what a PITA that would be. Your brick looks like it is in great shape. A popular choice on these boards is a dull green with brick. Here’s a picture I saved. Those shutters look like cheapy vinyl things. Take them down and toss. I agree that the porch posts need attention. Your sample of them painted a light color calls attention to the fact that they are too skinny by far. A substantial brick home like yours needs beefy posts. And lastly, new landscaping would help a lot. Those small trees on the left side were a good idea, but they should be pulled away from the house by 8’ or so. Actually, I think the one by the steps is completely misplaced while the one on the far left is critically important to balance your house. I know they’re expensive, but a fat tall blue spruce off the left corner, pulled toward the street about 10’ or so, would look awesome. I see evergreens around your house already and a spruce would fit in just fine.