how would you redo this great room?

DH & I are looking at possible homes. We found one that has a lot to offer in many other ways, but it's missing the wow factor. It has a decent great room (I love the wood floors). But the focal point is a red brick range hood that I think is a little odd. I guess what I'm really wondering is whether this room has any potential to be a "wow" room for hosting, or if the bare bones are too odd/boring to work with it much. What would you do with it? Replace the range hood & the brick on the bar? Repaint the entire room? Replace the backsplash? Put in different windows around the range hood?

I wish it had a vaulted ceiling, but I'm wondering if maybe it would even be better to darken it into a more cozy lodge style. ??? I'd think the brick would be workable, but... I don't know.

Great room with kitchen at opposite end:


Kitchen area:

[SuzySunshine]

Hmm, I'm not the decorator type but I would definitely do something with that brick. You don't necessarily have to re-do it, you could paint it. Otherwise I like the room. But I have no suggestions for a wow!

[scarlett09]

That is an awesome living room/kitchen!!

ITA about doing something with the brick. If it's real brick, wouldn't that scratch up the legs of your little ones as they sat at the island? The backsplash behind the stove isn't bad, but that is the only place it is, right? It's not near any of the other cabinets, so I would extend it. Obviously not the same pattern, but something in similar colors. Or I would even change the backsplash behind the stove. The countertops look pretty neutral, so you could really do whatever colors you wanted. And I would paint the walls in the kitchen, far too blah for me.

I think the living room is pretty decent, but I'm always at a loss what to do in those. That is why my kitchen is all decked out and has a theme, while my living room is just blue. Blue curtains and blue sofa, yay!

[DCJenn]

If you really want to tie it all together, I would paint the brick island and the hood and the fireplace on the other side. I would pick a color- something that would pop against a more neutral colored wall.

Jenn

[SoonerTexan]

Yeah, the red brick is a little weird. I'm in the "paint it" camp. Otherwise, what an awesome house! I love the beams on the ceiling!

If you really want to tie it all together, I would paint the brick island and the hood and the fireplace on the other side. I would pick a color- something that would pop against a more neutral colored wall.

Jenn

I agree - it's an odd mix, between the fireplace & the brick. Why wouldn't they have done a brick fireplace? I didn't even consider painting the stone, though! I'd love to see an example. The combination of red brick and yellow walls seems sort of rooster country to me, which is bright and homey, just not the style I'm looking for.

I love the beams on the ceiling!

Me too! I've been looking at the portfolio of an interior designer in the area. It looks like the first thing she does in any room is add beams of some sort. I forget about ceiling decor, but it adds so much to a room.

So, from the "paint it" camp, what color? I tend to like cottage style (but not victorian), so would you do a cream color? Black?

The more I look at homes, the more I realize that vaulted ceilings are higher on my priority list than I thought. There's a lot that an interior designer can do. But starting out with interesting lines sure makes a huge difference. I'd love for this to be "the" house, just so we're settled. But maybe it's a good thing that we have some time before we really have to choose.

ETA: This is the interior design website I was looking at. The link is set to my favorite of her portfolio projects: http://www.tiffanyfarhadesign.com/de...ject.php?pic=8
She probably costs a fortune to hire! Oh well - just dreaming.

[medpedspouse]

ITA with painting the brick. How about doing something with the fireplace - bigger mantel?? - and make that the focal point?

[HouseofWool]

I don't get the clash between the stone of the fireplace (which is sort of bland) and the brick of the island and range. Is it just me or is the mantle way too high? I thought they were supposed to be around 5 ft off the floor at most. That one looks to be closer to 6 ft.

[DCJenn]

and the mantle is way off proportionally too- it's just lost. Another idea would be to paint the brick about the same color as the stone and definitely up the oomph factor with bigger mantle. The fireplace should be the focal point.

J.

[HouseofWool]

I think if you can fix the island/range issue and the weird mantle, all the room really needs is a bright color in the accessories. A poppy color on throw pillows or a lamp would be great in there.

Good idea on the mantle - and painting the brick a matching color. I'll look for mantle ideas.
Here's a better pic of the fireplace. (The furniture is all the current owner's.)

[HouseofWool]

I like the dark furniture in the room. Change out the area rug for something that doesn't exactly match the fireplace - again a vibrant color or pattern would be great.

[poky]

The brick would be my highest priority; definitely paint or cover it. You could do a metal or wood cover over the range hood, and wood covering the island bit, if you didn't want to paint it. Just depends on the look you're going for.
I'd also do something with that backsplash. If I could find matching tiles, I'd be tempted to just continue it between the upper and lower cabinets around the whole kitchen, but the tiles may be too big for that to look good. Definitely needs to tie in more, though.
I also don't like the wood-tone cabinets with the wood floor, but that may be just me. I'd probably paint the cabinets, too.
I like the suggestions for the mantle; I think the stone in the fireplace looks good the way it is, and I agree that the dark furniture looks good.

It's definitely got the bones of a really nice room, if you like it other than purely surface/decorative stuff. It's not like the whole kitchen has to be completely gutted and redone, or the fireplace has to move, or anything.

[BonBon]

I really like this - but yeah, that brick has got to go. I would cover it with a faux stone finish in a tone similar or complementary to the fireplace, but one that would also work well with the cabinetry. On the hood I would also do a raised stencil with the faux stone. Also would pop out the backsplash and get something more decorative and personal, such as a stone mosaic. Crown moulding would look great too.

Agree about the mantel placement being oddly high. Something more substantial too. Something like this?
http://www.fireplacemantels.com/mant...antelshelf.cfm We ordered our mantels from here, great customer service and the prices are much lower than many other sites.

Good luck - this looks like a great house!

[SoonerTexan]

Is that real brick, or one of those 1" coverings? If it is faux brick, maybe you can get rid of it more easily?