I like it. Is it cutting edge trendy? Not even close, but I like it. It's homey and comfortable. If it were mine, I wouldn't paint. If you paint, you're going to have to paint not only the shelves, but the lower half of the walls and the ceiling beams ... and in the process you'd lose so much warmth and character. If you feel you MUST do something, I'd do the fireplace in a white wash -- a dirty white wash that'd allow a bit of color to show through. You could test this: Tape up some white paper on the fireplace and live with it a while. I wonder how much of your dissatisfaction has to do with lighting. I see you have several lamps burning. What if you could do something along the lines of in-cabinet lighting -- you know, like they do in kitchens -- in the shelves. Or what if you bring in color in your furniture? Instead of painting the room itself, bring in a RED sofa ... or paint the (completely removeable) table and TV stand a bright color.

It won't be an easy job, but I'd leave the brick as is and paint the book cases, cabinets, and wainscoting, leave the FP mantel and back wall as is, and hang some kind of horizontal artwork on that back FP Wall, paint the crown moulding, leave the beams as they are, paint the walls a more saturated color, and paint the walls behind the book shelves a neat-o color. It would really brighten up the room, bring it up to more contemporary, but maintain the cozy rustic feel as well. Is this work you'd do yourself? wouldn't be easy. You have to sand everything first, then put three coats of BIN primer over the pine, and then paint. Knots in pine bleed right through paint, which is why you have to prime pine with BIN, three coats, before painting.

I am not sure what I think yet - but if round chandelier is bronze, and a wall is painted dark, that might be reason to include another dark 'piece' [the mantel].

I just realized I did not come back and update what I decided to do. I so appreciate everyone's commnets and suggestions. I did have them painted white and love the result! it feels like such a tranquil room now. I don't know if it is just an itch to have something different, but now I am trying to decide if I want to have the kitchen cabinets painted white since to rooms are open to each other. I am not concerned about following trends. The cabinets are either maple or birch. As I have polled my friends and family I get differing answers. I am not good at visualizing and have tried the paint visualizers from SW and BJ but it looked like a kindergartener scribbled on the picture with a crayon! I did try homedesign.ai and no matter how many times I ask for white cabinets, it always produced this picture: I actually really like this look, but it also has new countertops and backsplash. I just wasn't ready to do a whole kitchen remodel.