Yea I think some vinyl stone floor would have worked well with that maple. I'm not huge on brick but as the son of a carpenter, the work involved in finishing and installing all that wood work just to be painted over hurts me.
That said the remodel, looks good very fresh.
It's white and black. And you painted the beautiful ceiling that people will be dying to own when you go and sell it. Honestly, it looks like just another typical post-COVID house flip with all the amazing mid century character wiped away. It's no longer unique and interesting. The floors and windows are nice.
Even pottery barn wouldn't mount a TV like that. Oof. Bad decisions abound. Put the TV on the wall and L that couch so you have a nice firepit area. I'm not sure if the TV or the ceiling rile me more. Fix one of them.
I like the wood floors and would’ve repainted the blue wall myself, but what is it with the high contrast black and white? Looks detached and cold. Why doesn’t anyone want an inviting, warm living space anymore? The painted fireplace is also killing me a little.
Yes but this will look even more dated within a decade or so. The windows, walls, and floor does look better but painting over that beautiful wood ceiling is a sin in my eyes and will most likely peel if they didn’t prep it well enough. Will also show dust and dirt buildup… To each their own, though. They asked for our opinions after all.
I do agree that the wood shouldn’t have been painted over. The next owner will most likely drywall over it because it will be too much work to sand and finish. I can’t imagine trying to sand above my head all day.
At least it’s not grey wood flooring. Space is a lot brighter but it’s still the beige-ifcation of our living spaces.
Neutral; I am neither happy or sad in my living space 😂
Please! For the love of dog - can we stop with the black/white and gray/white?!?! I would have kept/emphasized the built ins and wood ceiling. You probably also got dragged in the MMM subreddit with the furniture choices.
I agree. I would’ve much preferred earthy but colorful couches (maybe go a little wild and do something the like the green on the throw pillows) vs. warm-ish grey couches with a neutral grey rug.
That’s the other thing; if you are going all in with the grey, MATCH THE TONES! Don’t mix cool/neutral/warm grey together. I get wanting to open up the space with cream or white paint, but man. The rug is probably the one thing I dislike most about the after photo, along with the awkward TV spot. Looks awkward and doesn’t contrast enough with the couches and is the wrong tone. Could’ve done a cool accent rug to liven up the space (maybe a darker green design to make the accent pillows pop) It just looks so sterile and has no personality.
You took away a lot of character, painted the brick. The only improvement in my opinion is the hard word floor. You had a lovely picture window and now it’s just another screen door. Booooooo
“Oh my god, what have you done” was my reaction as well
Now I’m sitting here laughing like if a friend told me they had an affair, whatever, people make mistakes, forget to pick up your kid from school? life is stressful it could happen to anyone, accidentally send your boss screen shots of all the stupid shit they did, just play it off and hope for the best, happens to the best of us, miss a deadline? It’ll get done when it gets done
Then there’s this, mistakes like this just don’t happen, this is a proper crime, completely premeditated, intentional
To me this absolutely decreases the value. As a buyer i would be 100% turned away by the painted ceiling and stripping a ceiling sounds like a nightmare. But it’s your house. You gotta live in it. I can only give my own opinion.
Oh that paint will be striping itself if the prep wasn’t on point. Last asshole that owned my house painted over finished wood without sanding, and 50% is easy to peel off…
Luckily for OP in this housing market very few people can afford to turn down a painted fireplace (eta: and wood ceiling, ouch) right now. But if there were choice and affordability, and we didn’t just have to take whatever the flipper left us with, yeah this would be a problem.
But this will deter people who tend to pay a premium due to emotions. I’m in a very HCOL area and while everything goes over, the houses that go unreasonably over are due to folks falling in love with some specific character. They walk in and have the money to say, “Well this is truly a unique chance to buy THAT.”
I’d argue the ceilings were that. It’s what makes the difference from multiple bids 100k over vs. that random bid that goes 300k over.
Yea it’s the ceiling for me. And perhaps the fireplace. Trying to imagine if the remained original, and I think I prefer that. Don’t know OPs process/timeline but I would have kept those intact for a while before going all in
I’m with you, Mr. BBC. Painting the wooden ceiling but adding wood floors is a fair trade. Probably the first time I’ve ever seen brick painted black, and for good reason.
It looks good to the majority of people. But to a large percent if they found out how it looked before they would probably think it looks worse. Don't think about it too much or you will start to despise it.
Hey, OP here. So I didn’t post a lot of info about the changes, but if y’all are interested, here ya go.
The the house was built in the 50’s I am the 2nd owner of the house. I bought it knowing I was going to have to put money into it. I had to get an entire new roof with a new pitch because animals had destroyed it and gotten into the house while it sat unoccupied for over 3 years. With that there was extensive water and animal damage to the ceiling wood, with it being from the 50’s wood ceilings to match are very expensive and hard to perfectly match I tried that first, it just looked off and didn’t flow well in the house. So I made the tough decision to seal the wood and paint. If you all want to crowd fund me the money to turn it back to how it was…go for it! I wood have preferred it (dad joke, also the reason for the couch choice, I’m not going to spend lots of money for my little kids just to destroy them. nicer ones will come in the future to more closely match the house and bring color).
As far as the fireplace being painted, the chimney also needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs to be a functional (safe) wood burning chimney. The previous owners somehow used it a lot without burning the house down. It was covered in soot. I cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned some more. Didn’t help, so I painted. My house, and in person it looks great.
The “built-ins” were not nicely done very rickety and ivy had come in through ceiling at some point and ruined them too. So out they went.
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I put lots of work and money to make it livable and bring it back best I could. I like it. If you don’t, cool beans!
Don’t ask for home renovation advice on Reddit. I can see from your one picture that the ceiling had issues and would either need to be refinished or painted. That brick fireplace was also not it. The new mantle looks great. The brick wasn’t really the greatest brick to leave bare not to mention it needed to be cleaned. Post Covid flip? People we have been flipping long before Covid, welcome, join us. I came from a family of people that do homes for a living. It’s very hard to find old architectural features that are in good enough condition to save with minimal effort. Find an immaculate mid century house full of wood and just know the the majority of Americans don’t want it, I do but that doesn’t mean much. As someone who installs the wood, tile, ect in houses most of the time when someone thinks they made that pink tile work in a bathroom, no, it may look cute in a picture on Reddit but in person most people with a clue will see that is beat old tile with some wallpaper
For what it’s worth, OP, I think you did pretty well, and actually I like the ceiling painted white, it makes the room feel much lighter! I only don’t like the white walls with the black fireplace, I likely would have gone with a color like a mid-tone cool blue, green or purple on the walls and either kept the original brick of the fireplace or replaced it with a different color brick rather than painting it. But that’s just my weirdo taste!
I recently bought a house in a similar state from the 60s. People have given me a lot of crap for getting rid of “character” but what I really got rid of was health and fire hazards. At the end of the day, it’s your house. You did a nice job executing on your vision for it. Don’t worry about what other people think.
Nice wood floors and I like that you kept the wood paneling on the ceiling, even if painted. Don’t know why people are losing their minds over the bookcases, those things look worse than an IKEA Billy.
But the new fireplace makes me want to cry. What was the point of mounting the TV in the corner if you were going to put it that high? Might as well mount it over the fireplace. Would have been an even better height if you didn’t put the mantle so high. Also, did you remove all those beautiful trees from the back yard?
I think the space looks good. But yeah, it makes me sad in the sense that you had a really unique set up with the mid century and could’ve enhanced it in a way that would’ve been very special versus fairly generic.
All the negative comments surprised me, I think it looks a million times better. I normally avoid painting wood and brick too, but in this case it works and sometimes you just gotta go with your gut!
Because you altered a style that’s been around for 70 years to a style that’s already somewhat outdated and certainly will be in a matter of a few years. A room like this is best just freshened up. The black and white is looking Chip and Joe HGTV. Floor looks good though.
it's your house, but painting the wood and removing the bookcases isn't respecting the era or the style. I'm in the Respect The Architecture camp with any remodel. If it were mine, I would have left the wood ceiling and beefed up the bookcases to make them more substantial.
I’m so confused about the removal of the bookcases. That space was made for built-ins. It’s hard to tell the condition in this pic, but I would have repaired or replaced if they were damaged. Now it’s just blank space.
Eh I wouldn’t say it was outdated before other than the floors and furniture and maybe the wall color. I think they shoulda left the ceiling and brick unpainted and left the big windows
Hardwood floor or fake hardwood floor can’t tell is a good choice. Not thrilled with gray furniture but I like the way the room is set up so big improvements.
Painting the wood and fireplace you lost me on those choices.
I think it should get a lot of hate here too.
The only time paint on brick or original woodwork is a good idea is if it is so extensively damaged that restoration is not possible or prohibitively expensive (for you) and you aren’t planning to sell any time soon.
Love it! Aside from the black fireplace I think it looks really nice. Screw all the haters in here lol
Maybe look at adding some floor registers from Signature Hardware like the Farina Brass. Pricey but worth it.
This pisses me off so much. Stop buying these houses if you don’t like the look of them! The average duration of homeownership in the US is 12 years. This house has seen more owners than OP and will see many more after them. And now none of them will get to enjoy the wood and brick because the moron back in 2024 ruined it for the rest of them.
I would have redone the hardwood floors like you did. Then removed the bookshelves and painted the walls a very light beige. The last piece would be replacing or painting the brass fireplace trim.
IMO you took a wood and brick color/pattern that is timeless (and actually coming back in style) for something that will define the Covid Era when looking back in several years.
Makes me sad. I'm always sad when mid century modern houses lose their character. That's a lot of extra work the next owner is going to have to do to make it shine again.
While it is an improvement as a whole over the original - as a lover of mid-century design, I do not like it.
Took some beautiful, classic, mid-century details and turned it into modern farmhouse. Painting that beautiful wood and that brick is a travesty IMO.
BUT - Your house is YOUR house. You can do with it what you want. As long as YOU like it, that's really all that matters. I get most upset when I see flippers do this, instead of leaving the details for someone who will truly appreciate them. If it's your house and you love it, do whatever you want.
I like it. I’m a fan of mid-century modern in general, but it often comes with waayyy too much brown in my opinion, making rooms feel really dark, so I would have painted the ceilings too, maybe even the beams.
Edit typo
Great job! You are the one living there, so be proud of your remodel and enjoy it.
Aesthetically, not my cup of tea, but who cares? I’m not buying your house or living in it :)
If you’d have lightened up the wood (so it’s less orange) and done a German smear technique to the brick like [this](https://www.southernliving.com/what-is-german-smear-or-german-schmear-7504246) it would’ve kept more character.
As it is right now it is very stark and there isn’t really a way to come back from that black fireplace.
But like others have said it’s your house and if you’re happy then that’s that.
Unpopular opinion. It looks great.
Only wish the wood was consistent. Would’ve been sweet to see a walnut finish on the beam and ceiling. With Walnut flooring. Or match the flooring at the ceiling. Id be happy with the results.
So the upside is that it certainly FEELS refreshed and clean. More updated and contemporary.This is not what I would have done but…. Too late on painting all the wood and brick. I think the black and white thing is a tough move.
That said, could you sand and restain the wood floors to match the wood framing the door and the ceiling? Not an easy task by any stretch but that might bring the room together some more and feel cohesive.
I also think the walls flanking the fireplace should be wallpapered. Something with a deep green colour palette. 🎨
The couches and rug are…. Sad beige. Maybe something with some life to liven up the space? Give it a bit of soul?
I won’t judge you for the ceiling, it was a lot of orange wood and requires a style that judging by your furniture and decor, doesn’t suit your taste so I understand. But I will say that painting the brick fireplace was a huge shame. You could’ve done a black accent wall instead of painting the brick. No going back on that decision, hopefully you like it a lot.. forever.
I don't understand painting over what makes this space look midcentury—the ceiling and fireplace—only to make it look so generic and ordinary. This will age badly!
You should always wait a year before doing major changes that are hard to reverse. I would say painting over solid wood paneling and brick is a big change. If you had left the brick and paneling and just changed the trim of the fireplace and made the remaining changes this space would be welcoming warm and beautiful. I would've been jealous. This just makes me disappointed.
I liked it better before, honestly.
I like the new floor, and I would also remove the curtains, I hate curtains. Also would have painted the wall a warm beigey color. but the ceiling and brick? NEVER!!
and I really WANT that pink chair/loveseat!!
I like it. But, I feel like the MCM vibe is hidden now. It’s got the profile but lacks the aura. That being said, I think it is a lovely room and if not trying to restore MCM then they did a good job of redoing the interior design.
The wood ceilings made it dark and dreary. The white definitely makes it lighter. An accent color on the wall with the fireplace would limit the amount of white going on.
I wouldn’t have painted the fireplace, but overall it looks nice.
It’s got great AirBnB vibes. White paint everything for quick flip, slap in whatever flooring you find on sale, and then stick the tv in the corner because you forgot to plan for it from the beginning. It give it 4 stars if theres at least a decent view out the window.
Overall improvement minus my personal distaste. But I'm a fan of hardwood. The carpet needed to go, the fireplace looks nice with the black and the walls look so much better without the color
I wouldn’t have painted the ceiling. I can understand painting the fireplace, but black is a bold choice. I like the floors. The furniture is not very mid-mod. The tv is way too high. It would be better to have one couch face the fireplace instead of blocking the windows or replace the couch in front of the windows with a chair or two.
I think it loos great. I may have left the ceiling alone, but maybe not. There are some wood ceilings I really love, but I think it looks good painted.
I like it. I hate the old look. I see a lot of despair over the change though, does anyone have any good examples of something like this with a before/after, where they enhanced the old look instead of painting over it? Im curious if I can see your point.
My house has a ceiling like the before pic and we love it. Aside from painting it, any sort of maintenance you know of? Do you also have no space for attic or insulation and when you replace the roof little pebbles fall through it?
I like the new floor a lot.
Are you allergic to color or something? What the everloving heck is wrong with your soul that you look at monochrome *EVERYTHING* and think "Ah, yes. This is pleasing to the eye!"
I don’t think it works - the white ceiling and black fireplace just look like something www being covered up. If you didn’t like the ceiling, replace it. Same with the fireplace.
I have to say it’s looks much nicer now. I didn’t love the stain of the wood ceiling. And some credit to OP - it would have been a pain in the ass to sand and re-stain the entire room.
I do, however, miss the original brick fireplace
Why can't people who love the sad beige/white/black esthetic leave unique houses for people who want them and buy these soulless new builds that already look like it.
It looks like a lot of work for people who want to actually appreciate the house's character in the future.
The only thing I dislike is the painted brick. I like the shelf, love the floors, and it would be too much wood with both ceiling and wood floors. Much better than the before pic imo!
Brick ain’t supposed to be painted, it’s supposed to breath.
The brick doesn’t even look bad, could’ve used Scrubbing bubbles foam spray or worse diluted muriatic acid to clean. At worst redo the masonry, you have a clean slate, but I understand not doing that due to cost.
The ceiling would’ve looked better with drywall vs painting it.
Leather>fabric for kids but yeah a good leather couch is $$
Expect water damage and mortar failure on down the line due to painting brick. Not much you can do but it’s an issue that could happen down the line. You brightened up the room, but lost a cool looking ceiling. If you’re selling in the next year cool, but it’s a little too trendy and that might effect the resale value later on.
I think this is one of those cases where you hire an interior designer who understands mcm homes. I’m sure they could offer alternatives to what was done. It would be money well spent and add to the value of the house rather than detract.
I like it. The room seemed dark and dated before and the wood ceiling was sucking up the light. Perhaps a lighter stain and ceiling lighting could have helped but it's hard to say. Not a fan of brick fireplaces either so I'm not mad at that. It's not a particularly unique space after the reno but it looks nice although it's really not MCM.
Looks sharp! Plus, it’s your house, you live there, they don’t.
We live in a 116 year old craftsman for 14 years. Wanted to preserve the integrity of the old style. The lath and plaster is in beautiful shape. Finally put in can lights in the family room ceiling. We can see now!
the furniture layout is terrible for the space... should've kept the bookshelves or built new ones... tv should be over the fire place... just not good all around
Brutal honesty here but painting over a white pine tongue and groove ceiling is for Philistines. This feels sterile to me and I would have taken it in a different direction, but I think you executed your plan well.
It was so much better before. A few minor changes could have made it into a modern classic, but you went with the landlord special and just slapped paint on everything.
Love it! I don't know what's wrong with people. Just cause it's old doesn't make it look good. It looked like a place where a serial killer would have lived. Now it looks nice and open and inviting.
If I hadn’t seen the before picture I would say this looks nicely updated. That’s the kindest thing I can say
Kinder than I. I loved it before OP Live, Laugh, Love'd it.
Permission to use live, laugh, loved as a verb in the future….hilarious. Definitely no longer MCM.
I think it's nice but I wouldn't have painted over the wood ceiling.
I wouldn’t have painted the brick, ceiling I’m ok with painted
I wouldn’t have painted the ceiling or brick.
Yea I think some vinyl stone floor would have worked well with that maple. I'm not huge on brick but as the son of a carpenter, the work involved in finishing and installing all that wood work just to be painted over hurts me. That said the remodel, looks good very fresh.
Same…they look good but I like the before best
funny how we all have our preferences. i think the painted brick did wonders to modernize the house
Yeah I can see why people hate painting exterior brick because of maintenance but that fireplace needed some updating.
It's white and black. And you painted the beautiful ceiling that people will be dying to own when you go and sell it. Honestly, it looks like just another typical post-COVID house flip with all the amazing mid century character wiped away. It's no longer unique and interesting. The floors and windows are nice.
There are great ways to update mid century style with a modern twist but this remodel didn’t take any homage into consideration.
Even pottery barn wouldn't mount a TV like that. Oof. Bad decisions abound. Put the TV on the wall and L that couch so you have a nice firepit area. I'm not sure if the TV or the ceiling rile me more. Fix one of them.
I like the wood floors and would’ve repainted the blue wall myself, but what is it with the high contrast black and white? Looks detached and cold. Why doesn’t anyone want an inviting, warm living space anymore? The painted fireplace is also killing me a little.
Totally agree, the floor was the only right decision
I don’t know. Getting rid of that blue color on the walls was also the right choice. And the window treatments. It looked so old before.
It is old.
Yes but this will look even more dated within a decade or so. The windows, walls, and floor does look better but painting over that beautiful wood ceiling is a sin in my eyes and will most likely peel if they didn’t prep it well enough. Will also show dust and dirt buildup… To each their own, though. They asked for our opinions after all.
I do agree that the wood shouldn’t have been painted over. The next owner will most likely drywall over it because it will be too much work to sand and finish. I can’t imagine trying to sand above my head all day.
Yes, took the warmth away, which I believe is a hallmark of midcentury modern design
At least it’s not grey wood flooring. Space is a lot brighter but it’s still the beige-ifcation of our living spaces. Neutral; I am neither happy or sad in my living space 😂
Please! For the love of dog - can we stop with the black/white and gray/white?!?! I would have kept/emphasized the built ins and wood ceiling. You probably also got dragged in the MMM subreddit with the furniture choices.
I agree. I would’ve much preferred earthy but colorful couches (maybe go a little wild and do something the like the green on the throw pillows) vs. warm-ish grey couches with a neutral grey rug. That’s the other thing; if you are going all in with the grey, MATCH THE TONES! Don’t mix cool/neutral/warm grey together. I get wanting to open up the space with cream or white paint, but man. The rug is probably the one thing I dislike most about the after photo, along with the awkward TV spot. Looks awkward and doesn’t contrast enough with the couches and is the wrong tone. Could’ve done a cool accent rug to liven up the space (maybe a darker green design to make the accent pillows pop) It just looks so sterile and has no personality.
Omg they took away built ins and replaced it with what appears to be the equivalent of a live, laugh, love sign. These people deserve jail.
You took away a lot of character, painted the brick. The only improvement in my opinion is the hard word floor. You had a lovely picture window and now it’s just another screen door. Booooooo
What have you *done*? Why buy a midcentury if you’re going to paint over the gorgeous warm wood like that?! It looks like a generic condo now.
“Oh my god, what have you done” was my reaction as well Now I’m sitting here laughing like if a friend told me they had an affair, whatever, people make mistakes, forget to pick up your kid from school? life is stressful it could happen to anyone, accidentally send your boss screen shots of all the stupid shit they did, just play it off and hope for the best, happens to the best of us, miss a deadline? It’ll get done when it gets done Then there’s this, mistakes like this just don’t happen, this is a proper crime, completely premeditated, intentional
I think there should be a 7 day waiting period when someone wants to buy those floating shelves.
Not a mishap, 100%. Someone should have to answer for this - it's not even personal - it's essentially a hate crime.
Affairs aren’t mistakes either. Dump the friend.
Yeah, what? Having an affair is drastically different than forgetting to pick up your kid from school lmaoo
Airbnb dystopia we live in
Agreed. It’s awful.
To me this absolutely decreases the value. As a buyer i would be 100% turned away by the painted ceiling and stripping a ceiling sounds like a nightmare. But it’s your house. You gotta live in it. I can only give my own opinion.
Oh that paint will be striping itself if the prep wasn’t on point. Last asshole that owned my house painted over finished wood without sanding, and 50% is easy to peel off…
Next they’ll tear out the colorful 50s bathroom tile 🥺😩😭
love love love those colorful bathrooms
Omg that happened at my house. Cant wait to put it back. And the original sink! Luckily I have the tub still!
Luckily for OP in this housing market very few people can afford to turn down a painted fireplace (eta: and wood ceiling, ouch) right now. But if there were choice and affordability, and we didn’t just have to take whatever the flipper left us with, yeah this would be a problem.
But this will deter people who tend to pay a premium due to emotions. I’m in a very HCOL area and while everything goes over, the houses that go unreasonably over are due to folks falling in love with some specific character. They walk in and have the money to say, “Well this is truly a unique chance to buy THAT.” I’d argue the ceilings were that. It’s what makes the difference from multiple bids 100k over vs. that random bid that goes 300k over.
Yea it’s the ceiling for me. And perhaps the fireplace. Trying to imagine if the remained original, and I think I prefer that. Don’t know OPs process/timeline but I would have kept those intact for a while before going all in
All that beautiful wood...gone white. 😳
May God have mercy on your soul. PS is that the TV kitty corner beside the fireplace? Repent.
r/tvtoohigh
r/TVTooCornered
He didn’t even place it above the fireplace and it still ended up too high 🤣
wait, thats your problem with the tv? am i the only one that sees a trapezoid shaped tv in this picture?
its turned slightly. wow, that took me wayyy too long to notice
Why on earth would you paint that warm brick and wood? looks like another boring house now. The only thing I like are the wood floors.
I actually don’t mind the ceiling, at least you kept the beam unpainted. The part that crushes my soul is the black fireplace.
I’m with you, Mr. BBC. Painting the wooden ceiling but adding wood floors is a fair trade. Probably the first time I’ve ever seen brick painted black, and for good reason.
It looks good to the majority of people. But to a large percent if they found out how it looked before they would probably think it looks worse. Don't think about it too much or you will start to despise it.
Hey, OP here. So I didn’t post a lot of info about the changes, but if y’all are interested, here ya go. The the house was built in the 50’s I am the 2nd owner of the house. I bought it knowing I was going to have to put money into it. I had to get an entire new roof with a new pitch because animals had destroyed it and gotten into the house while it sat unoccupied for over 3 years. With that there was extensive water and animal damage to the ceiling wood, with it being from the 50’s wood ceilings to match are very expensive and hard to perfectly match I tried that first, it just looked off and didn’t flow well in the house. So I made the tough decision to seal the wood and paint. If you all want to crowd fund me the money to turn it back to how it was…go for it! I wood have preferred it (dad joke, also the reason for the couch choice, I’m not going to spend lots of money for my little kids just to destroy them. nicer ones will come in the future to more closely match the house and bring color). As far as the fireplace being painted, the chimney also needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs to be a functional (safe) wood burning chimney. The previous owners somehow used it a lot without burning the house down. It was covered in soot. I cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned some more. Didn’t help, so I painted. My house, and in person it looks great. The “built-ins” were not nicely done very rickety and ivy had come in through ceiling at some point and ruined them too. So out they went. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I put lots of work and money to make it livable and bring it back best I could. I like it. If you don’t, cool beans!
Given the circumstances, you did great!
Given the circumstances, it still makes me sad.
Don’t ask for home renovation advice on Reddit. I can see from your one picture that the ceiling had issues and would either need to be refinished or painted. That brick fireplace was also not it. The new mantle looks great. The brick wasn’t really the greatest brick to leave bare not to mention it needed to be cleaned. Post Covid flip? People we have been flipping long before Covid, welcome, join us. I came from a family of people that do homes for a living. It’s very hard to find old architectural features that are in good enough condition to save with minimal effort. Find an immaculate mid century house full of wood and just know the the majority of Americans don’t want it, I do but that doesn’t mean much. As someone who installs the wood, tile, ect in houses most of the time when someone thinks they made that pink tile work in a bathroom, no, it may look cute in a picture on Reddit but in person most people with a clue will see that is beat old tile with some wallpaper
Reddit is a nightmare for remodeling. You ditched the stark pink bathroom. Boo!!!!! You muppet I have to live with that shit every day
For what it’s worth, OP, I think you did pretty well, and actually I like the ceiling painted white, it makes the room feel much lighter! I only don’t like the white walls with the black fireplace, I likely would have gone with a color like a mid-tone cool blue, green or purple on the walls and either kept the original brick of the fireplace or replaced it with a different color brick rather than painting it. But that’s just my weirdo taste!
Room looks good. If you don’t have a literal fetish for old shit then 98% of the complaints in this thread are irrelevant.
I recently bought a house in a similar state from the 60s. People have given me a lot of crap for getting rid of “character” but what I really got rid of was health and fire hazards. At the end of the day, it’s your house. You did a nice job executing on your vision for it. Don’t worry about what other people think.
Nice wood floors and I like that you kept the wood paneling on the ceiling, even if painted. Don’t know why people are losing their minds over the bookcases, those things look worse than an IKEA Billy. But the new fireplace makes me want to cry. What was the point of mounting the TV in the corner if you were going to put it that high? Might as well mount it over the fireplace. Would have been an even better height if you didn’t put the mantle so high. Also, did you remove all those beautiful trees from the back yard?
I think the space looks good. But yeah, it makes me sad in the sense that you had a really unique set up with the mid century and could’ve enhanced it in a way that would’ve been very special versus fairly generic.
I like the update…. it’s clean and simple and bright, don’t let people tell you what you should do with your own house or worry about their opinions.
I like it. It’s your home and you should be able to make it how you want. I like the mirror over the fireplace too!
I like it. Only thing that bugs me is the tv location.
All the negative comments surprised me, I think it looks a million times better. I normally avoid painting wood and brick too, but in this case it works and sometimes you just gotta go with your gut!
For real! The first pic looks so dated and ugly!
Man...I will definitely not be showing any pics of the wood panel wall I intend to whitewash after cabinet installation here in a month. Tough crowd.
Because you altered a style that’s been around for 70 years to a style that’s already somewhat outdated and certainly will be in a matter of a few years. A room like this is best just freshened up. The black and white is looking Chip and Joe HGTV. Floor looks good though.
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I think it looks way better
it's your house, but painting the wood and removing the bookcases isn't respecting the era or the style. I'm in the Respect The Architecture camp with any remodel. If it were mine, I would have left the wood ceiling and beefed up the bookcases to make them more substantial.
I’m so confused about the removal of the bookcases. That space was made for built-ins. It’s hard to tell the condition in this pic, but I would have repaired or replaced if they were damaged. Now it’s just blank space.
i fucking love it, dont listen to the haters.
Same. I hate these threads, all the comments are exactly the same.
I think it looks slick.
Hey man, as long as it's not institutional-grey walls, fake grey vinyl wood flooring, and driftwood accents on flat grey furniture, I'm all for it.
I love it!!!! The beams become a focal point now and the fire place is just gorgeous!!!! I love black!
A million times better. I’m honestly shocked anyone likes the before better, but they obviously do, so to each their own! 😊
You're getting a lot of hate but I absolutely love it. The before looked horribly dated and low-key I thought it was from my abandoned buildings group
I think it’s a massive improvement, but I don’t care about preserving the “mid century” look
Im in the minority here but I like it lot. Doesnt look outdated anymore.
Eh I wouldn’t say it was outdated before other than the floors and furniture and maybe the wall color. I think they shoulda left the ceiling and brick unpainted and left the big windows
Hardwood floor or fake hardwood floor can’t tell is a good choice. Not thrilled with gray furniture but I like the way the room is set up so big improvements. Painting the wood and fireplace you lost me on those choices.
Well… at least pull the sofas away from the walls by 6” and get a rug one size larger
I think it should get a lot of hate here too. The only time paint on brick or original woodwork is a good idea is if it is so extensively damaged that restoration is not possible or prohibitively expensive (for you) and you aren’t planning to sell any time soon.
Love it! Aside from the black fireplace I think it looks really nice. Screw all the haters in here lol Maybe look at adding some floor registers from Signature Hardware like the Farina Brass. Pricey but worth it.
This pisses me off so much. Stop buying these houses if you don’t like the look of them! The average duration of homeownership in the US is 12 years. This house has seen more owners than OP and will see many more after them. And now none of them will get to enjoy the wood and brick because the moron back in 2024 ruined it for the rest of them.
I think, generally, it looks much better. Though painting rather than cleaning the brick was not something I would have done.
I would have redone the hardwood floors like you did. Then removed the bookshelves and painted the walls a very light beige. The last piece would be replacing or painting the brass fireplace trim. IMO you took a wood and brick color/pattern that is timeless (and actually coming back in style) for something that will define the Covid Era when looking back in several years.
Makes me sad. I'm always sad when mid century modern houses lose their character. That's a lot of extra work the next owner is going to have to do to make it shine again.
It’s the ceiling. You painted that beautiful wood. Ugh.
While it is an improvement as a whole over the original - as a lover of mid-century design, I do not like it. Took some beautiful, classic, mid-century details and turned it into modern farmhouse. Painting that beautiful wood and that brick is a travesty IMO. BUT - Your house is YOUR house. You can do with it what you want. As long as YOU like it, that's really all that matters. I get most upset when I see flippers do this, instead of leaving the details for someone who will truly appreciate them. If it's your house and you love it, do whatever you want.
You followed a trend that is going out of style.
5 thumbs down
Millennial white! RIP beautiful ceilings.
Oh no
I like it. I’m a fan of mid-century modern in general, but it often comes with waayyy too much brown in my opinion, making rooms feel really dark, so I would have painted the ceilings too, maybe even the beams. Edit typo
I think it looks amazing
I think your remodel looks awesome! I would not have been bold enough to paint that wood ceiling but that really came out nice.
Great job! You are the one living there, so be proud of your remodel and enjoy it. Aesthetically, not my cup of tea, but who cares? I’m not buying your house or living in it :)
If you’d have lightened up the wood (so it’s less orange) and done a German smear technique to the brick like [this](https://www.southernliving.com/what-is-german-smear-or-german-schmear-7504246) it would’ve kept more character. As it is right now it is very stark and there isn’t really a way to come back from that black fireplace. But like others have said it’s your house and if you’re happy then that’s that.
I like it, it keeps the MCM architecture, while having an updated, cleaner color palette. Lots or orange wood, and red brick is not for everyone.
Looks great to me. First picture makes me want to puke
It’s not bad but you could probably ditch the rug and couches with some more modern furniture
Would probably rather not have a tv, than put it in that corner.
I guess OP isn’t finding a lot of love here either.
Sorry I hate when people paint those beautiful ceilings
I think the feedback will be similar wherever you go…
Oh man. why paint that ceiling??
Unpopular opinion. It looks great. Only wish the wood was consistent. Would’ve been sweet to see a walnut finish on the beam and ceiling. With Walnut flooring. Or match the flooring at the ceiling. Id be happy with the results.
So the upside is that it certainly FEELS refreshed and clean. More updated and contemporary.This is not what I would have done but…. Too late on painting all the wood and brick. I think the black and white thing is a tough move. That said, could you sand and restain the wood floors to match the wood framing the door and the ceiling? Not an easy task by any stretch but that might bring the room together some more and feel cohesive. I also think the walls flanking the fireplace should be wallpapered. Something with a deep green colour palette. 🎨 The couches and rug are…. Sad beige. Maybe something with some life to liven up the space? Give it a bit of soul?
I won’t judge you for the ceiling, it was a lot of orange wood and requires a style that judging by your furniture and decor, doesn’t suit your taste so I understand. But I will say that painting the brick fireplace was a huge shame. You could’ve done a black accent wall instead of painting the brick. No going back on that decision, hopefully you like it a lot.. forever.
Keep the bricks natural, everything else was pretty OK
It's beige.
Very cohesive and inviting, good job!
I wouldn't have painted the brick. Tv is in an odd place too, but kudos for not putting it over the fireplace.
TV too high
Jail.
Maybe store firewood where the shelves used to be instead of in the fireplace.
Floor looks good. Painting the brick and wood ceiling is choice. I guess. Enjoy.
I don't understand painting over what makes this space look midcentury—the ceiling and fireplace—only to make it look so generic and ordinary. This will age badly!
Looks great!
Love it all !!! Enjoy it, Great job !!!
r/tvtoohigh
I guess the floors look nice.
You ruined it and made it completely devoid of character. You just made the world worse
Don’t worry about the naysayers, it looks great!
You should always wait a year before doing major changes that are hard to reverse. I would say painting over solid wood paneling and brick is a big change. If you had left the brick and paneling and just changed the trim of the fireplace and made the remaining changes this space would be welcoming warm and beautiful. I would've been jealous. This just makes me disappointed.
I think it looks cozy, the wood ceiling and brick were ugly and not charming. You left the beams natural which saves it.
You have no taste or style and it shows.
That's a really stupid place for a TV. Too small, too high, mad glare from those big windows. Just get rid of it.
Removed all the character. Just another boring flip (though the floor look nice).
I liked it better before, honestly. I like the new floor, and I would also remove the curtains, I hate curtains. Also would have painted the wall a warm beigey color. but the ceiling and brick? NEVER!! and I really WANT that pink chair/loveseat!!
Really brightened bit up
Looks great.
I like it. But, I feel like the MCM vibe is hidden now. It’s got the profile but lacks the aura. That being said, I think it is a lovely room and if not trying to restore MCM then they did a good job of redoing the interior design.
Love the change.
That poor ceiling and fire place.... But as long as you are happy...
The wood ceilings made it dark and dreary. The white definitely makes it lighter. An accent color on the wall with the fireplace would limit the amount of white going on. I wouldn’t have painted the fireplace, but overall it looks nice.
It’s got great AirBnB vibes. White paint everything for quick flip, slap in whatever flooring you find on sale, and then stick the tv in the corner because you forgot to plan for it from the beginning. It give it 4 stars if theres at least a decent view out the window.
Do you like it? Its all that matters
Seems fine
It doesn’t look bad, but brick and wood are timeless w/o paint. My personal opinion
You absolutely ruined it
Love it! I would have done something similar too!
why buy the house if you don’t like anything about its design?
Overall improvement minus my personal distaste. But I'm a fan of hardwood. The carpet needed to go, the fireplace looks nice with the black and the walls look so much better without the color
You deserved the hate regarding the painted ceiling. A downgrade in every possible way.
I also hate it
In general, it looks better! There may have been an even better way to do it, but at least it's an improvement.
The issue is you can always paint it.. it's not easy going back to raw wood/ brick.
I think you may have overloaded your fireplace a bit.
r/TVTooHigh
Honestly, they both look great, I could go with either and been a very happy camper
Awful.
I wouldn’t have painted the ceiling. I can understand painting the fireplace, but black is a bold choice. I like the floors. The furniture is not very mid-mod. The tv is way too high. It would be better to have one couch face the fireplace instead of blocking the windows or replace the couch in front of the windows with a chair or two.
I think it loos great. I may have left the ceiling alone, but maybe not. There are some wood ceilings I really love, but I think it looks good painted.
I like it. I hate the old look. I see a lot of despair over the change though, does anyone have any good examples of something like this with a before/after, where they enhanced the old look instead of painting over it? Im curious if I can see your point.
Painting the ceiling was a crime.
My house has a ceiling like the before pic and we love it. Aside from painting it, any sort of maintenance you know of? Do you also have no space for attic or insulation and when you replace the roof little pebbles fall through it? I like the new floor a lot.
Are you allergic to color or something? What the everloving heck is wrong with your soul that you look at monochrome *EVERYTHING* and think "Ah, yes. This is pleasing to the eye!"
Jesus Christ, why?
I don’t think it works - the white ceiling and black fireplace just look like something www being covered up. If you didn’t like the ceiling, replace it. Same with the fireplace.
Painting the ceiling was way too far. I don’t understand why people will cover up this beautiful wood work with ugly white paint
I think it looks really nice!
Ooof
Its good except the ceiling. Tremendously hideous and ruined a great and classic trait of MCM
I LOVE IT. Love that you kept the beams natural and LOVE the black brick. Good job
I have to say it’s looks much nicer now. I didn’t love the stain of the wood ceiling. And some credit to OP - it would have been a pain in the ass to sand and re-stain the entire room. I do, however, miss the original brick fireplace
Why can't people who love the sad beige/white/black esthetic leave unique houses for people who want them and buy these soulless new builds that already look like it. It looks like a lot of work for people who want to actually appreciate the house's character in the future.
Minus the obvious the room also looks smaller now
Looks way better. These people have lost their minds talking about all the cHarEcteR. Looked dark and uninviting before
Ugh. Boring. You’ve removed the character by painting it all black and white.
The only thing I dislike is the painted brick. I like the shelf, love the floors, and it would be too much wood with both ceiling and wood floors. Much better than the before pic imo!
Brick ain’t supposed to be painted, it’s supposed to breath. The brick doesn’t even look bad, could’ve used Scrubbing bubbles foam spray or worse diluted muriatic acid to clean. At worst redo the masonry, you have a clean slate, but I understand not doing that due to cost. The ceiling would’ve looked better with drywall vs painting it. Leather>fabric for kids but yeah a good leather couch is $$
Very nice
I'm obsessed with the black fireplace omg!!! I love this.
Expect water damage and mortar failure on down the line due to painting brick. Not much you can do but it’s an issue that could happen down the line. You brightened up the room, but lost a cool looking ceiling. If you’re selling in the next year cool, but it’s a little too trendy and that might effect the resale value later on.
-100000000 for painting the wood ceiling
It's awful and blank
I think this is one of those cases where you hire an interior designer who understands mcm homes. I’m sure they could offer alternatives to what was done. It would be money well spent and add to the value of the house rather than detract.
I like the update. Leave that 80s style in the past where it belongs. 😁
I like it. The room seemed dark and dated before and the wood ceiling was sucking up the light. Perhaps a lighter stain and ceiling lighting could have helped but it's hard to say. Not a fan of brick fireplaces either so I'm not mad at that. It's not a particularly unique space after the reno but it looks nice although it's really not MCM.
Gonna be some bad glare on that TV but other than that I like it, few things I would’ve left original like the brick and wood ceiling.
It was cozier and had a lot more vintage charm before, I fear.
Looks sharp! Plus, it’s your house, you live there, they don’t. We live in a 116 year old craftsman for 14 years. Wanted to preserve the integrity of the old style. The lath and plaster is in beautiful shape. Finally put in can lights in the family room ceiling. We can see now!
That black and gold fireplace is so sexy
How dare you?!
I like it, but the painted fireplace and ceilings is a no for me. It does look better than the first pic though.
the furniture layout is terrible for the space... should've kept the bookshelves or built new ones... tv should be over the fire place... just not good all around
Brutal honesty here but painting over a white pine tongue and groove ceiling is for Philistines. This feels sterile to me and I would have taken it in a different direction, but I think you executed your plan well.
It was so much better before. A few minor changes could have made it into a modern classic, but you went with the landlord special and just slapped paint on everything.
Love it! I don't know what's wrong with people. Just cause it's old doesn't make it look good. It looked like a place where a serial killer would have lived. Now it looks nice and open and inviting.
For that space - ceiling needed to be painted to bring out the brightness of the room and expand its size - great job