Would not paint the brick. Instead, invest in at least three floor lamps that provide a lot of light and put one in the corner where the brick walls meet and one near the far edge of each brick wall.

You might consider floor lamps that can use several bright bulbs or consider floor lamps with at least two lights -- one that shines up at the ceiling and the other, a reading light, that can be adjusted and focused down at the floor.

These are (or were pre-covid) relatively inexpensive at WalMart:

https://www.amazon.com/Floor-Lamp-Light-Accents-Torchiere/dp/B0085NX9B6

Choose the highest lumen rating you can use for the light you choose.

I think the brick helps to ground the room. You need something to balance the white and pops of color.

Betting it is the same brick as on the outside of the home. Helps to tie inside and outside and was often done with the MCM homes.

I was hoping your island was moveable...toward the kitchen counter...so that you could increase the fireplace seating area to a better size..loosening up the area to center furnishings on fireplace and still have floor space to pass through....the aisle on the kitchen side seems way too wide...also agree all the clutter is fighting the brick and the clean sleek look you expect in a mid- century home..your furniture is perfect but gets lost in the confusion as is...

For the brick to have its intended impact it should have nothing on it or right in front of it

With the declutter ...a tv over the fireplace would work ...if that suits your lifestyle

Since your priority is to "lighten up" the space, I would suggest to start by moving the dark sofa away from the dark wall. Try flipping the position of the sofa with the chairs. With the chairs now positioned against the wall, create a vignette with a floor lamp (on the inside corner of the fireplace & paneled wall.) Next, consider adding a larger, brighter/lighter rug.

It is classic MCM. First, do no harm.

Agree, the brick and wood wall look pretty cool. Maybe more lighting?

I noticed you have a couple of lamps on the fireplace and a classic pole lamp in the corner. Have you considered adding more light, maybe cans in the ceiling with dimmers to get the level of light you want?
Agrre with the rearranging previously suggested, especially the items that are suffocating the fireplace.

Thanks all. Agree it's too cluttered, and better lighting, rug would help, but budget is tight. The dark sofa isn't easy to position anywhere else. A little surprised no one votes for painting it, but I do believe it could create more design challenges than it would solve. In our house, my vote is no paint, whilst the spouse is pro paint.

Changing the dark pillows on the couch and maybe adding a light colored throw on the back would create a little contrast if you can’t reposition it.

Also maybe a larger and lighter area rug?

@The Best Dressed House Tried swapping the couch and chairs, and it may work out (until we start using the fireplace again). Thanks.

Consider posting a floorplan/layout to reconsider furniture placement. Its hard to tell how much room you have. But how much room you have is definitely < how much stuff you have. You'd have to declutter to paint anyway, so declutter the heck out of it first. The brick is gorgeous. Lose the bookcase and the (audio?) cart and everything on the mantel. Then repost pictures.

The pole lamp doesn't cast much general light because of its solid shades, and it doesn't look like it's providing good task lighting anywhere that it's needed. The lamp on the hearth is small and similarly not that useful.

I suggest some hanging lights and/or floor lamps where they are needed for task lighting, preferably with frosted glass or white fabric shades so they throw light around the room as well. like this one Ikea has suitable ones too, well-priced. This Ikea pendant reminds me of a fixture my parents bought in 1966.

You can convert a pendant into a swag lamp (very MCM) if you're handy by replacing the cord. You can either re-wire it into the ceiling or use a plug-in at the end if you don't have a ceiling wiring in a good spot. Or a lighting store can do it for you.

Try centering the rug on the fireplace with same furniture arrangement

Too many Teeny Tiny things on mantle. I would replace them with wall art.

First of all... DANG!!! Nice MCM!!! So much to work with! And as said before from remodeling1840... do no harm... which is hard for me to say... cause we painted our brick 😳! My neighbor/great friend couldn’t stand it no more!!! During our reno I was out of town for a few weeks and well SHE DID IT! however... our brick was nothing like your beautiful smooth statement brick... and she absolutely did me a favor! One aspect I would hands down do... change out the mantel... a French cleat mounted mantel that starts where your existing mantel starts and continues all the way to the window, a nice clean slab in a lighter color.. and of course... less is more... when my husband built ours it ended up costing around $25 for materials... I wanted the asymmetrical... but due to the location to our dining room it wasn’t a good option... but it’s still so beautiful..

Nice bones! Before trying anything else, I would declutter (remove all small objects around the mantel) and rearrange the furniture a bit to center it more around the fireplace. It now seems to be squeezed in the corner. Then reassess.

Can u do recessed lights or small solar tubes in the ceiling? I love the brick as is.

I don't mind the idea of painting the brick (make sure you you talk to a professional about code issues/materials around a fireplace), but I think if you truly consider what is making you not like the room or the brightness of the room, you might consider changing and simplifying the room. MCM is all about clean simple lines. The carpet is too small and the pattern is fighting with the brick. Try an inexpensive sisal from Ikea - nice and big so the furniture can float on it- not just grip the edges. Remove the bookcase from the fireplace wall. The wood and metal is fighting with the wood paneling. Try some floating live edge shelves on the brick wall. On the wood paneled wall, display 4 or 5 large black and white framed photos or some great copies of Slim Aaron photos- THIS is where you can brighten up the dark walls without harming the original architecture. Lastly, declutter (one picture over the mantel and a few white MCM vases). All the little lamps and nick nacks need a new home.

I coudn't resist cleaning it up. Remove all the decor items. Replace the colourful pillows with less obtrusive ones that let the attractive furniture take center stage.

How do you like the George Nelson Bubble Saucer light above you dining room table? What is it, and what size is your table? Is there enough light ON the table and in the room? Do you love it? I'm thinking of getting one too.

I hope you don’t paint it.

Agree totally with the advice to declutter and the, with a tight budget, think zen and japanese as your decor lodestars. Stick to earth and nature materials and elements, and super simplicity

Going back to your original question, your Roman bricks (long and narrower) are oh-so-MCM. Please don't paint them and turn them into some kind of modern farmhouse hybrid. It would be so awkward looking.

My parents' house, built in 1965, has exactly that shape brick inside and out. It looks great. Painting stuff white will not improve this room. Your fix is as simple as adding more light fixtures. Ikea is the place to go if your local vintage resale is overpriced, or closed.

The space would look absolutely amazing if you did paint the brick white, but what you have is really beautiful and original. Keep it. If it's too dark during the day, consider adding skylights or windows -- but only if the location is right. For night, you need to improve your lighting. One easy way to do that is adding a pendant in the corner with a white shade and 100 watt equivalent LED bulb (on a dimmer).

Move the floor lamp to over by the black lounge chair, and get rid of the little table lamps -- that's not really the right spot for them. If the area is still not bright enough, consider doing a cluster of two or three smaller pendants. Or some really discreet track lighting aimed at the fireplace or walls.

Most important: I agree with others that some decluttering and swapping out your rug will go a long way. I love your furniture, but that rug is too dark and too busy. A solid light color (preferably white) would brighten the space and showcase your furniture better.

or if you didn't want to do pendant or track lighting, then certain types of sconces would look amazing against that wood panel wall. if you really don't want to cut into the wood, there are plug-in options, but then you have to deal with looking at the wire.

if you take everything off the mantle can you take the blue artwork and simply lean it on the mantle or is it too long?

pillow suggestion for the sofa

Butterfly Pattern in Yellow Throw Pillow · More Info

Pillow suggestion for-the yellow chairs if you move the blue artwork

Links Linen Pillow, 18"x12" · More Info

Instead of the framed art is over the turn table, a zulu shield

Zulu Shield · More Info

Zulu Shield · More Info

I think you owl would be happy on the top shelf of your book case if there is room enough

I would move the turntable cart away from the brick. And since you now have your sofa moved, pull it back so it won’t interfere if/when you use your fireplace.

@jaxxster - Yes we love the George Nelson Bubble Saucer, and it provides ample, soft-ish light for the table. There's a whole in the bottom, so it does tend to spotlight the center of the table too much, though. Table is Heywood Wakefield, the wife's had for decades prior to this home, but I like yours better! However it's just two of us, we rarely eat there.

@User - We're on the same wavelength. I dream of a big Nelson Cigar hanging in that corner, and dim bowtie scones on the brick. But first will probably try tracks as you mentioned, with some small orb-like cheap table lamps on the brick platform to either side of the firebox, for some up-light ambiance.

Thanks to everyone for the valuable feedback and inspiration! Decluttering is underway. More light, no paint. Yes, the rug is wrong, but wife had it for decades too, and we can't afford a good dog-friendly alternative at the moment. No, recessed ceiling cans are not an option. Yes the hi-fi road case rig is a bit of an outlier, but very difficult to find another spot for the gear. Will try to post updates when changes occur and time permits.

I agree with the post about flipping the sofa, but you have another problem, the stark white ceiling against those dark beams in sucking the light out of the room. Try a softer color, like BM In Your Eyes Blue to reflect light or carry a light wall color to the ceiling. To much Easter Egg look in the rooms coloring.

one other easy lighting solution is a tall paper floor lamp for the corner. these kinds of lamps put out a lot of glowy light.

I really like your idea of orb lamps for the fireplace platform!