What would you do to update?

I doubt whether that pole and rail are structural for the house. Get totally rid of them! (so dated!). Paint brick a light neutral on the fireplace. (You could even go with a light grey -- with blue undertones --- to tie in your dining set.). Oh! and ditch the top

border wallpaper!!!

Leave the brick alone but paint the paneling a light coloring. Paint the wood pole the same color as the paneling. Definitely do hanging plants and remove the railing underneath. Swap the railing for some kind of buffet/sideboard that looks stylish and will give you some storage. Paint the gold on the fireplace place and then style the mantle as the focal point of the room.

I would remove the pole and railing to open it up. Be sure to check that the pole does not hold any weight first. Painting everything a light color will open up/brighten the room. You could leave the mantle the way it is for some contrast. I would also paint or white-wash the brick.

Hi Brooke, congratulations on your home purchase! That's exciting and it will be fun to make it your own. I'd make a plan and prioritize the steps so you don't get overwhelmed. I'd remove the wallpaper border in the dining room, the curtains, and change the chandelier. I agree the post and railing should be removed but it could be painted a light color if you don't want to tear it out as it will create some repairs to be needed. You can make the paneling look quite nice by painting . I wouldn't remove the mantle but I would paint it a contrasting color to whatever you decide to do with the brick. You could whitewash the brick if you're not comfortable with painting it a solid color. Do what is most important to you! Sometimes it helps to live in a house for a couple of months to decide exactly what that its. Again, congrats!

Whitewash brick is huge now. It's very easy to do and will lighten the place up a lot.

Paint the fireplace and the paneling. Not the same color. Leave the mantel alone. You can cause a lot of damage and work trying to remove the paneling. The pole and rail are dated. Just remove them. Not load bearing. Just a separator between rooms.

Make sure the paneling is clean and dry. Prime with a good stain blocking primer like Kilz. Then paint like painting regular walls. Acrilyc latex paint will work. If the paneling has grooves you can fill them with non shrink drywall patching compound. Just put on enough to fill the grooves. Let it dry overnight. Next day use a damp sponge to smooth the patch. Then prime and paint.

Paint fireplace

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It looks like there is a step down into your living room from the dining/kitchen. Is that right? If so. I imagine that is the reason for the rails and post. I think I would put a buffet or bookcase where the spindles/rails are. If the pole is loadbearing, it will have to stay. I agree with taking down the curtains and the wallpaper boarder. As for the paneling....paint it. We primed our paneling and then painted it white. A few years later we painted it light yellow and is still that color today. And what a difference! Didn't even notice the groves after painting it. We left our fireplace surround and mantle varnished oak and painted the brick a light beige.

Cut the small spindles thru the middle and they should just pull out. Probably toe nailed so be careful. Then cut thru the tall one and it should pull out from the top and bottom and away from the rail. The rail can be pulled away from the wall. Remove any nails as you go along. You will be left with the board on the floor. If you remove it you will have the subfloor to deal with. If there are any floor tiles available you can patch the floor. Another solution since the kitchen floor is higher than the living room floor would be to use a thin board level with the kitchen tile floor and nail it down. You would need to remove part of the kitchen tiles along the opening to fit the board.

The divider I'm 99% is not load bearing because that post isn't large enough to carry and support weight. However, if you leave it and paint it bright white, that will help to lighten the room.

If you remove the paneling above the fireplace you should remove it in the entire room. A better solution may be to leave it and paint the mantle and bookcase. Introduce some more lighting, add an area rug, paint the fireplace insert, and go with colorful drapes.

Your very welcome

If it was my home I would remove the handrail and open the area up. That division really dates the home.

I would paint the wood paneling IF it is in good condition.

Paint the brick. Even if you just white wash it the look will be new and clean.

If you live in a cold area and use your fireplace for heating consider getting a stove insert. They make a huge difference. We haven't heated with anything other then wood for over 2 decades.

Get someone who is licensed and bonded to look at the wall to determine if it is load bearing.

Can you make all the ceilings the same height? You might want to check if there is any duct work or plumbing in the low hanging area above you wood handrail.

I would also run the same type of flooring thru the entire house.

I can't tell from the photo but the brick that sticks out under the fire place doesn't look very deep. We are selling a home right now and in Oregon there has to be a certain distance from the flooring. You might have city or insurance guidelines that dictate the exact size.

Remove the border in the kitchen. That is another thing that really dates homes.

A area rug would help anchor the area as well as define it.

If you are concerned about removing the mantel You could always just encase the mantel in a fake wood mantel that would slip right over the old one.

I stumbled on this website today and sure appreciate all the feedback! I have gained options and received some good confirmations. I am going to be hooked on this website... Thank you all very much!

Hello. The updates might depend on your budget for starters I might suggest t remove the room divider rail and remove the wallpaper border. Sometimes a coat of paint can be a remarkable transformation

Please keep us informed of the updates you make. And you have a pool? I am so jealous!

Hello! If it's not load bearing, I'd take the wood banister and pole down. I'd also remove the border at the top of the wall in the kitchen. I would paint the brick white on the fireplace. I would also take down the paneling and paint if you can.

I would also change the chandelier - you have a really nice space to work with! Congrats!

I would also maybe add long panel curtains in a modern print. You can even make them yourself like I did here: https://momhomeguide.com/holiday-craftacular-easy-panel-curtains/

Hello,

Please confirm if the furniture is being kept! Or are you starting from scratch with new? The overall feeling you want the home to have I take it is 70's? Aubergine Paint work with Aubergine walls in sitting room and Bright funky colour Cushions and macrame' hanging pot holders. You could also just paint or give a funky colour to some of the tiles in the fireplace - Way out Man!!

Cute table!

Hi Brooke. You could really change the look of your fireplace by Gluing either granite or marble around the fire box. The brick needs a white wash. All that wood paneling is too dark. If you want to lighten it up, you could achieve this with paint or dry wall. Take down the boarder, rail, and spindles. Too country. And if you go with a lighter color on the walls, you need to replace the light fixture. Again, too country. Good luck Brooke. I hope you are well.

For your fireplace I would use a product called Brick Anew. https://brick-anew.com/

Then dust off your paneling really well, wipe down with Krud Kutter, and prime with a good stain blocking primer. Use a good purdy roller and paint a contrasting light color from the fireplace.

please make an update post on all great improvements .. Cant wait to see it

If the beam in between is not structural try to eliminate it. If you are looking to keep the rooms somewhat separated build an open chunky display case on the floor of the living area, reducing it down about half the width of the railing that’s there. There is nothing that’s dates a house more than paneling. If you like the warmth of the dark wood try building what’s called library paneling, much more sophisticated. One day have flooring laid that matches clear though, it will give it a much more cohesive look.

as far as the fireplace is concerned, I think I would start by changing the mantel by eliminating the pencil dots, an maybe white wash the brick.

Update! Lots of work done on my Plymouth home but so much more to do. Work in progress. Flooring, window treatments and lights to come.

Kept the brick unpainted and looove it!

That fireplace and the wood pole/dividers would look great painted white. Home and Garden DIY Ideas | Hometalk

Remove the wallpaper border.

I would for sure lighten all up