The Best Colors to Paint Your Brick Fireplace

If you’ve just bought a new house or are remodeling or repainting your current home, you might be asking yourself: “what color should I paint my brick fireplace?” It’s an important design choice, as your fireplace can be the focal point of the room. We know how overwhelming it can be with so many fireplace painting ideas to choose from online; the color sets the overall tone of the room, and every other fixture and feature will be chosen based on the fireplace. It’s a lot, but don’t worry, we’re here to help!

What Color Should I Paint My Brick Fireplace?

We’ve assembled a few key pointers to keep in mind when you’re deciding what color to paint a brick fireplace and how to incorporate it into your overall design.

Neutrals Are Your Friend

The safest and often smartest choice for your fireplace is a neutral color. If you’re not yet confident in your other design elements like furniture, wall color, or fixtures (or want the freedom to change the design and color scheme later), having a neutral fireplace will ensure that nothing will clash with it.

Varying shades of brown, white, tan, and gray will give you flexibility when choosing modern or classic looks. For example, bright white is easy to match and gives a clean look, while cream or bone will give a softer, cozier appearance. You can easily pair neutrals with jewel colors, softer pastels, dark colors, and more.

Contrast Is Key

The fireplace can make a striking focal point for your living room if the right color palette is chosen for the paint. Having contrasting colors of paint for the walls and fireplace can serve to highlight the fireplace beautifully. It’s also a great way to express your individuality and creativity. For example, a bright white fireplace with green walls will stand out well, a charming, bright pink fireplace in an otherwise plain room draws the eye appealingly or even a black fireplace next to white walls.

Make it Monochromatic

On the other hand, if you don’t want your fireplace to be a centerpiece in the room, having it be a similar color to the wall will give it subtlety while maintaining elegance. If you want it to blend in completely, you can paint it the exact same shade as the walls. If you don’t want it to fully disappear, try a monochromatic look by using different hues of the same base color.

For example, if you choose to paint your walls a darker grey color, consider painting your fireplace a few shades lighter. Or, if you want to be a little more daring, choose deep, forest green paint for your fireplace to match your sage green walls.

Two Colors Are Better Than One

Don’t limit yourself to only one color for your fireplace! Make it a little more exciting by choosing a different shade, or even a completely different color, for the mantel and brick surround. With two colors, you have more flexibility to personalize the space.

Varying hues of the same color, like cobalt and sky blue, can add dimension and style to the space. Keeping a red brick surround and pairing it with a sage green or a classic white will give it a very natural look, while black and white fireplaces are tried and tested and remain a bold and eye-catching choice.

The Top Inspiring Fireplace Color Ideas

Are you looking for classic or fresh fireplace color ideas for your home? We’ve put together a few possible colors to paint fireplaces that are sure to appeal to your individual style.

Antique Brick

An underrated choice for painting brick, antique brick is achieved by layering first gray and then ebony or black onto the brick. Be sure not to paint the mortar connecting the bricks.

Charcoal Gray

Charcoal grey is a universally acceptable color for almost any color scheme. It works well as a contrast to light or white walls and always looks beautiful with metallic fixtures.

Black

Looking to make your fireplace the center of attention? Try painting it black for an eye-catching appearance and add gold or white accents around the room to complement the intense black.

Creamy

The coziest choice of fireplace color for any living or family room is a soft cream color, especially when paired with a stack of books and neutral-colored furniture.

Blue-Gray/Light Gray

A light gray or blue-gray fireplace is a great way to add easy, soothing elegance to your room. Pairing it with blue furniture or fixtures will tie your room together perfectly.

German Smear

If you want to fulfill your cottage core dreams, consider painting your fireplace with a german smear. Using imprecise mortar streaks on regular brick, you will get a gorgeous, wonderfully old-fashioned result.

Mint

Mint is a beautiful way to keep your room light without making everything white. A soft mint fireplace is a modern but cozy splash of color for any room.

Mortar Wash

Mortar wash fireplaces are great if you’re looking for a more natural version of German smear. Mortar is still applied to the brick but is mostly applied near and on the grout lines.

Pink

If you’re looking for an out of the box choice, pink can be the way to go. Light or bubblegum pink can make any room pop when paired with simple white walls.

White

Minimalist design is an increasingly popular style as it gives a room a clean, relaxing vibe. White fireplaces are wonderfully simple and can be paired with a wide variety of color schemes.

Conclusion

Overall, your choices for brick fireplace paint ideas are endless! You can personalize your space however you like, from boldly contrasting to subtly monochromatic colors. Keep it simple with a crisp white or stand out with a charming pink or striking black.  

No matter your choice of fireplace paint color, Oahu Pro Painters is here to help you make the most out of your space. Contact us to speak with a member of our team and get a free consultation and estimate.