Brick Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas

What Goes With a Redbrick Fireplace?

Play up or tone down your redbrick fireplace by pairing it strategically with other colors and materials

Laura Gaskill

August 11, 2014

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers

Many older homes (and some new ones) have redbrick fireplaces — some gorgeous, some not so much. If you are not interested in painting the brick, taking the natural hue of the masonry into account when planning your room is a must. Whether you are looking to downplay or showcase your redbrick fireplace, these ideas for what to pair it with can help.

Neutrals with texture, blue and red.

Grass cloth wallpaper

and burlap shades add texture and warmth, helping a redbrick fireplace settle into the space. Wood furniture close to the darkest tones in the brick also helps. Larger amounts of blue in a rug and pillows, and just a dash of red, make for a classic nautical look.

Here there is no red but plenty of blue and white — the warmth and texture come from woven shades and hefty wood furniture.

In this space the texture comes from woven shades and a neutral sofa, while the red of the fireplace is repeated in a traditional blue and red Oriental rug. Again, darker wood furniture repeats the deepest tones in the brick.

Shop red Oriental rugs

Dusty blue. Like warm gray, dusty shades of blue work well with most tones of red brick, complementing rather than competing with them. In this kitchen a brick oven is surrounded by dusty blue painted cabinets, a warm cherry island counter and chandeliers for a bit of sparkle.

To get a similar look in a living room, you could try dusty blue on the walls with antique white trim, a warm wood coffee table, a white sofa and a

fun pendant light

Pale dusty-blue walls look stunning in this bedroom around a brick fireplace. Off-white trim and distressed white furniture looks richer than pure white.

In this living room, the fireplace surround is painted a pale, dusty blue, and the surrounding walls are a rich buttercream with white trim. A natural-fiber rug and woven shades add a layer of texture.

Oversize art. If you have a large expanse of brick to cover — a fireplace that reaches all the way to a high ceiling, for instance — artwork is a great way to break it up. As long as your brick is not a really bright red, most artwork should work with it. If you are unsure, try bringing a clear photograph of your fireplace with you when you're looking for art, and check if you can bring the piece home on a trial basis before committing to buy it.

Find artwork on Houzz

Warm gray. For a contemporary twist, paint the walls around your redbrick fireplace warm gray. A gray that is too cool or flat would not work as well, but with a bit of warmth, gray complements rather than competes with brick.

Darker floors, lighter walls. This combination positions the tone of the brick fireplace between the dark wood floors and the soft beige walls, folding the brick into the scheme beautifully. The medium red-brown tones of the brick are repeated in the wood furniture, leather chair and

red throw pillows

Traditional brown furniture, Moroccan rug. A redbrick fireplace is quite traditional, and the tones tend to go well with dark wood furniture and rich leather. But if you want to shake things up a bit, try rolling out a

fluffy Moroccan-style rug

beneath it all and paint the walls a pale shade of "greige." The creamy tones work with the brick and leather, while giving the traditional style a current twist.

More about decorating with greige

Whitewash. If you have a truly massive brick fireplace and you are not fond of the color, consider giving it a gentle whitewash to lighten the hue. This can be a good compromise for those who do not want to paint their brick, as it allows some of the texture and color to show through. You can water down the whitewash even more than was done here to very subtly tone down the color of your brick fireplace.

Hire a painter to whitewash your brick