09.24
2013

Our Whitewashed Brick

Well, I finally went ahead and whitewashed the brick late one night last week. I held off doing it for the first couple of months we lived here because I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. The longer we lived here though the more I knew I wanted to go with something lighter for the bricks. Although I actually thought the bricks themselves were pretty, I didn’t love how they looked once the mantle was painted and I felt like they were kind of distracting. I was unsure though, if I wanted to paint them or whitewash them so I decided to try whitewashing them first because I could always paint them later. If I went ahead and painted them then I knew I couldn’t really undo that. Anyway, I do like how it looks whitewashed better but I don’t necessarily love it so I am not sure if it will stay this way or not. I am hoping it will grow on me. I definitely don’t NOT like it. It’s just that I don’t feel as excited about it as a lot of the other painting projects we’ve done so far in this house. I plan on leaving it this way for now though. Maybe it will grow on me the more I stare at it. And I do like it more than before so at least that’s good. =)

Sources:
Trim Color: London Fog by Benjamin Moore
Whitewash: Simply White by Benjamin Moore
Chairs: TJMaxx
Sconces: RH Baby and Child
Pewter Urn: Seasons in Williamsburg
White Pitcher: Target
Mirror: Restoration Hardware
Rocking Horse: RH Baby and Child

You can find a more detailed list here.

I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday! I’ll be back tomorrow.

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72 thoughts on “Our Whitewashed Brick”

  2. Maybe you don't like it because it's a cool (bluish) white against a warm (yellowish) gray? Not sure, but I like the bit of the brick color showing through. It does look much nicer than the original brick color! I'm thinking of doing the same, so it's great to see the outcome.

    1. Hmmmm….I hadn't thought of the warm vs. cool but I think you might be on to something there because I think that might be what it is that's bugging me about it! Thanks!

  3. I think it's a remarkable change~!
    To me, what it looks like it needs in pics is a 'patina'… I've never played with changing color on brick, but is it possible to perhaps glaze it, to make it look a bit more aged?
    Remarkable improvement~~
    (=

  4. I love the whitewashed look. I think even more so than if they were painted. The whitewash goes great with the grayish color of the hearth and everything in the room looks so elegant and gorgeous now that the brick is not sticking out like a sore thumb. I love the total transformation of your room. So beautiful!

  5. The fireplace is perfection! And now I know exactly what to do with mine! I ordered my white sectional two weeks ago and I am officially starting to panic. Please, some pointers on keeping it looking lovely?

  6. I think your fireplace turned out great! Your home is coming together so beautifully! I had to show your kitchen to my husband. I love how nice and bright it looked after you painted it 🙂

  13. I absolutely love the white wash on your bricks….The room looks beautiful. I have 3 brick fireplaces and have been going back and forth on white washing them or gray washing them. How much water did you add to your paint to achieve this look?

    1. Thank you, Cece! I didn't really measure anything – I just poured some water into a little cereal bowl and then added paint – I would say it was around 50/50 if I had to guess. I went over it twice – the first time there wasn't enough coverage.

  15. Hi Jennifer! That whitewashed brick is definitely an improvement! But I think I see what you mean about it being not quite right yet – in fact as I write this I am looking at the cover of the "fresh style" magazine in your side bar and that crisp white painted brick looks beautiful!! I'm wondering if "crisp" would look better than "distressed" ??? I totally know the feeling of not being able to go back once it's painted – but it certainly isn't going to look bad or worse!!! I guess what I'm saying is – go for it!!! (Paint the brick!!)
    Have fun!
    Leah: )

  19. I had to pop over to your post about painting the trim because that's still the most stunning part of your room for me. I'm a complete stick-in-the-mud and only have white trim. When faced with the thought of painting it a different colour, I have no idea where to start. The London Fog looks lovely especially with the other subdued colours, including the fireplace.

  23. Jennifer what if you aged the whitewash with a bit of stain? Although it looks good as is, I can see how you'd want to take it to the next step. Also, your sectional is listed as Ikea? Do you know which style? And do you love it or are you always washing the covers? Thanks for your advice.

    1. Thanks for the thought, Jennifer. It is the Karlstad and we are very very happy with it so far. I will say the white has been more upkeep than our other white furniture because of it's size and I can see us eventually getting the charcoal colored cover but I would definitely recommend the Karlstad overall and would even buy the white again – it's just a little more upkeep than I had anticipated because there are so many cushions. =)

  26. I'm jealous! 😉 My hubby would never in this world let me white wash our humongous red brick fireplace! He cringes when I even think about painting any woodwork. Yours is beautiful! I love the white washed look.

  27. I love how it turned out! I had the similar issue with my fireplace, I had dark red brick that stuck out like a sore thumb in my neutral room. Whitewashing it worked wonders. I like how you can still slightly see the different tones of brick in yours. I hope it grows on you, I love whitewashed brick! Beautiful job.

    Kimberlee

  28. I thought the brick by itself help balance all the white that was added but at the same time now all the wood is set on the floor and ceiling which is not all that bad.

  29. Absolutely beautiful!! what a wonderful job you did. It looks amazing. I just saw a pin on pinterest where the lady whitewashed her brick with a combo of BM pashmina and BM white Dove. It was incredible. Everything you have done has inspired me to make changes in my home. Love all your posts. Look forward to your blog everyday. Have a great night!! Can't wait to see all your other spaces! I am so excited!! Emily Young

    1. Thanks, Veronica. I don't plan on tiling it, though. I like the brick and how it looks in our colonial style home, I am just not sure whether to keep it whitewashed or paint it.

  33. love the whitewashed…but, I may be in the camp of painting it after you look at it for awhile….(which means sitting in there and just staring for long periods of time….like in a daze!!!) I think 50% darker than your mantle might be an option….to give depth. Just a thought…of course, what ever you choose I will swoon….and wish I had thought of it! 🙂 great job! 🙂

    1. I hadn't thought of painting it darker. I had thought about doing it in white or even the same color as the mantel but it hadn't occurred to me to paint it a little darker. That's definitely something I will consider. Thank you!

  36. I really like what you've done with the fireplace. One thing you might like to try sometime is paint the inside masonry in the firebox with black poster paint. I did it to the four fireplaces in our home now and love the finished look.

  38. I love it! I think it looks absolutely beautiful. Your whole room is gorgeous. We have brick in our living room and have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I think you've given us the kick to try whitewashing.

  40. Regardless, it looks so much better than it did! It looks great from a distance, but up in the close-up shots , I can see why you may want to change it. The mantel is awesome!

  46. Love how it turned out, the whole fireplace looks stunning now, and I especially love the color on the mantel. I would live with it for a few weeks, and if it still bothers you, than you should paint it. Your house is so beautiful!

  48. Your blog is such an inspiration for me right now! My husband and I just purchased our first home and I have just started decorating it. I LOVE reading your posts! 🙂

  51. I think what the problem is…is that the whitewashing accents the pattern of the bricks. Specifically, it accents the vertical bricks in the middle, while the bricks on the side are horizontal. This gives it a "choppy" look rather than a smooth continuous look.

    I would find some thin, long decorative trim that is horizontal (and fireproof) to place on the vertical bricks (not to entirely cover them) but to carry the eye across the vertical bricks.
    (Whitewash it the same color as the bricks.)

    Fireproof is Key! It appears that the wood surround on your fireplace is so close to the opening of the fireplace that it wouldn't even meet code in our area.

    Hope this helps!

  52. Oh, I love hoe it picks up on the grays in the room. I whitewashed mine too and I much prefer it to the painted look. It has a rustic cottage feel to me.

  55. Hi, I'm just wondering about the rocking horse….have your kids actually used it? And is it very durable? Thanks!

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