The light from two brass sconces reflects off the white paint of the recessed living room shelving framing the fireplace in this cozy living room. The recessed shelving allows the rustic brick fireplace to stand out against the white cabinets and light, neutral decor. The wooden mantel is styled to take advantage of the warm wood frame by hosting fall decor in natural colors.
20 Sophisticated Designs to Complement a Red Brick Fireplace
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Published: November 28, 2023
Updated: November 30, 2023
If you are blessed with a red brick fireplace in any room of your home, your relationship with the piece probably has ups and downs. These features add a unique vintage character that provides a wonderfully cozy touch, but it can also be hard to work them in during room refreshers and transformations without looking dated. Find love for your brick fireplace through different design options with a modern style.
Selecting surrounding décor with enough character can combat the natural rustic influences of red brick. It comes down to the wall décor. Rely on a refreshing coat of paint to spruce up your mantel and get it ready for some contemporary pieces. If you have embraced the vintage style of your fireplace, this is the time to work in those sophisticated pieces like luxurious armchairs and antique side tables. Some unbelievable options await in our gallery below to help you style your red brick fireplace.
02 of Simple Designs Encourage Coziness
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Vintage rugs often have a bohemian quality that assists in maintaining the coziness of a living room. Cater to a cozy style by focusing on a simple design that includes comfortable sofas and decorative but not distracting tables. Built-in fireplaces are a blessing to these types of spaces, offering physical and visual warmth.
03 of Burgundy Rug Adds a Splash of Color
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A burgundy rug steals the show among a sea of brown leather sofas and matching armchairs. The furniture’s rounded corners give the chairs a plush look and soften the rustic environment they occupy. A freestanding wood-burning stove is tucked into a recessed wall covered in red brick at the far end of the room.
04 of Freshly Painted Mantel for a Modern Flair
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Red brick fireplace walls provide an unmatched quality when designing a space filled with vintage decor. To add a small contemporary flair to the brick, paint the mantel with matte black paint or another solid color to balance the rustic appearance. Protruding fireplace walls leave incredible empty spaces on either side waiting to be filled with creative displays.
05 of Fireplace Mirror Reflects Wooden Ceiling
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Instead of gazing upwards at a magnificent living room ceiling, equip your fireplace mantel with a mirror that uses reflection as decoration. Pointing mirrors in specific directions to maximize their decorative potential is an underrated trick to enrich a space. A mixture of wood ceiling panels and red fireplace bricks brings a rustic edge to the white walls in this modern space.
06 of Vaulted Ceilings With Red Brick Fireplace
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Celebrate a fireplace wall that reaches up to vaulted ceilings. A design like this has the potential to showcase an upper and lower portion with two different textures, like this wall which features a brick fireplace connected to a white shiplap wall. A wooden mantel separates the two materials, complementing the fall decor that appears on the surrounding white built-in shelves.
07 of Glass Cabinets Built Into a Brick Wall
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Red aged brick covers most of this living room wall, while two wooden built-in cabinets sit within the lower half of the wall. Glass panels on the cabinet doors reduce the harshness of dark wood trim. The mantel features a square peg design and decorative white vases.
08 of Sitting Area Fit for Royalty
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To fully enjoy the warmth of a fireplace, you need to offer seating close enough to feel the heat, which is why setting up even the smallest seating area is helpful in this type of design. Dark blue upholstery projects a royal image from a small chair with a matching footstool. A classic triangular side table is a delicate complement to this cozy design.
09 of Wood Beams Accentuate a Vaulted Ceiling
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Wooden beams and a lowered two-tier chandelier are features that will let your luxurious vaulted ceilings remain as a vital focal point in a living room. These ceilings are gorgeous, but without the attention to eye-catching details, their height can cause a design disconnect. You will see that this designer has used wood elements for the mantel and flooring to create a flow through the space.
10 of Modern Living Room With Artistic Display
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- domainelayne
Keep a vintage fireplace current by working it into a contemporary design. A fresh coat of paint on the walls and mantel paired with built-in cabinets can transform a shabby fireplace into a masterpiece. Instead of filling cabinet windows with tons of objects, try sitting a single piece behind each glass panel for an organized and museum-like appearance.
11 of Outdoor Brick Fireplace With Wood Paneled Ceiling
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The spirit of bringing the indoors to the outside often results in a magnificent design. Expansive spaces need a stand-out feature to avoid looking empty, and a wall feature with height can fix this. An outdoor fireplace made from brick is one option that is perfect for withstanding the elements while providing that necessary height. Here, the wood plank ceiling and wicker furniture invite you to relax and enjoy the comfort of the outdoors.
12 of Entertainment Center as Multi-purpose Décor
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Full entertainment centers are multi-purpose pieces that allow you to accentuate your aesthetic while creating an immediate feature wall. Equip the center with cabinets to offer extra storage in an expected area. A brick fireplace can be the centerpiece, adding a variation of color and texture to the surrounding white walls and furniture seen here.
13 of Brick Fireplace Wall Used as a Partition
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In a stunning display of design genius, a brick fireplace is used as a partition between a living room and a dining room. The sturdiness of the wall gives the room a rustic look which pairs well with the wood flooring. White cabinets and a matching kitchen island lighten the design.
14 of Wood Burning Fireplace With Brick Surroundings
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Brick incorporated into a design in multiple ways can change the overall look to reflect a vintage style. This look is accentuated by a wood-burning fireplace tucked into the arch of a fireplace wall. Instead of corbels, the mantel is supported by slightly protruding brick.
15 of Faux Greenery Brings Springtime to a Living Room
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Embracing the refreshing accents of springtime is easy when decorating a country-style living room. Lighten a fireplace wall by including a delicate white mantel with colorful decorations. A generous use of faux greenery offers a lively touch to rustic elements.
16 of Lighting Choices to Complement Vintage Mantel Décor
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Trade in vases and candlesticks for mantel decor with a more personalized appeal. This can include pictures or vintage paintings with thought-provoking images, creating a memorable look. If you have chosen a vintage design for mantel decor, consider adding sconces that reflect a timeless style.
17 of Wainscoting Creates a Sophisticated Look
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A picture of living room elegance often offers a glimpse of wainscoting or millwork that depicts a sophisticated style. Wainscoting is the most popular version of this technique, but adding wall panels on the upper walls gives an unexpected flair to the room. A simple white sofa and wooden coffee table are welcoming features to enhance the wood flooring below.
18 of Country Charm Floods a Cozy Corner
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You will feel as if you have entered a farmhouse oasis with white shiplap covering the walls of this living room. A subtle country charm is detected with a short valance joining flowing beige drapes. A comfy gray armchair features a wide frame and an ottoman that matches the design perfectly.
19 of Refresh a Fireplace Wall With White Bricks
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To refresh an interior brick wall and add a dash of brightness, try chalking or painting individual bricks white. This works particularly well on red brick and allows the underlying elements to appear even more vividly. A wood mantel and shelving will blend in and become wonderful places to display decorative seasonal pieces.
20 of Flat Panel Cabinets Create a Seamless Design
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Vintage frames hang on this bedroom wall above a gorgeous black vintage dresser with embellished hardware. The bronze firescreen adds a metallic element to a red brick fireplace. Flat panel cabinets are painted white to blend seamlessly with the bedroom walls and provide much-needed storage without distracting from the major design features of the room.
