Folks with brick fireplaces often complain about how ugly they find the brick. Especially when they are redecorating and bringing new, light colors into the room, the dark and drab brick surface can be a major obstacle. In the Los Angeles home featured in this episode of Trading Spaces, Laurie wasted no time in declaring that the fireplace needed to be lightened with a coat of paint. This particular fireplace did not look like it had been used in quite some time, but whether or not you actually use your own, you might find that painting the brick surround can really add some light to the room. If the fireplace is purely decorative, or has been put out of commission, you might want to paint the inner firebox as well as the surround. If the fireplace is still functional, however, keep the paint job to the surfaces outside of the firebox.

Shopping List
Sandpaper
Masonry primer or conditioner
Latex paint
Paintbrush
Paint tray, roller and roller cover

Pick the Color

Regular viewers of Trading Spaces know that Laurie likes to select fabrics for a room, and then choose paint colors to complement the fabric. Such was the case in this episode. She used a cream color from her fabric as inspiration for one of the paint colors in the room, including for use on the fireplace. This design decision ensured that the finished fireplace would feel very much a part of the room. In this case, the fireplace was a different color than the surrounding wall. If you wanted to de-emphasize the fireplace, however, one way to do so would be to paint it the same color as the surrounding surfaces.