Note: We’re still reeling from the tragic event in Connecticut. Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and we’re holding Clara extra close. A friend nearby shared ways to help — if you’re looking for options, please see that resource.
We finally painted the brick in the sunroom.
After the last update on the sunroom, a lot of readers encouraged us—some even insisted—that painting the brick would improve the look. We considered alternatives like whitewashing or distressing, but ultimately decided paint would help the space blend with the rest of the house.
For more than two years I stared at that U-shaped brick area from the couch every single night. It felt off-center and distracting, so it was time to paint that brick and move on.
We didn’t want to drywall over the brick for several reasons:
- Drywalling would create a lot of dust and work, and it still wouldn’t line up cleanly with the drywall lip above.
- The adjoining living room already has painted brick, so matching finishes made more sense.
- We like the texture painted brick provides—we used it successfully on two walls of our first house’s den and it added character.
One fun observation: the dollhouse in the room hasn’t been rearranged since we did the paint job, which is unusual. Clara has been playing more in the sunroom now that it’s clearer of hazards and old furniture, so she hasn’t been on her usual “furniture rearranging” kick.
We also had questions about adding wood cladding or creating a rustic accent above the brick. The main issue with the room is the odd ceiling slopes: one side slopes dramatically to the right, and the opposite side slopes the other way. It’s essentially an angular addition attached to a more traditional house. Adding an accent would have emphasized those unusual angles, which we wanted to minimize. A uniform coat of gray paint across walls and ceilings felt like the right choice to calm and unify the space.
Surprisingly, the brick only needed two coats. Brick usually soaks up paint, so we expected more, but this job went quickly. We skipped primer—because that’s what we did when we painted brick in the den with good results—and I tackled the cracks with a brush while John rolled with a nap roller to cover the textured surface more evenly.
We actually finished most of the painting during one of Clara’s naps, which felt like a small miracle. Painting the many cracks was tedious, but doing two solid coats was much easier than multiple touch-ups would have been.
The final result makes a big difference. The room feels cohesive and less chopped up. Painting the brick and surrounding walls in a taupe-gray helped the space do several things:
- It directs attention to the windows and the trees outside—the view is now the focal point.
- It mutes the dramatic ceiling slopes and the odd brick-cut-off, making the whole room feel more intentional and unified.
- It allows colorful elements—like cushions on the daybed—to stand out instead of competing with dark brick.
- It brings out cool, gray undertones in the floor, making it look less yellowed and dated.
- It makes the white window trim and moldings pop, so the room feels fresher and more updated.
We still need to work on furniture arrangement and decor. For now we’re using what we already have, but eventually we’ll bring in a rug, art, better frames, and a few tweaks to furniture placement. A gallery or some well-chosen frames should help make the off-center window feel intentional. We’re thinking about mixing white frames with some wooden accents for an eclectic but cohesive look.
There are still little fixes to handle—wrinkled covers, the transition strips along the sliders, and other finishing touches—but overall the fresh paint was a simple change that made a big impact.
Psst — if you want to see how the sunroom evolved from the beginning, check the earlier posts about phase 1 (planning and furniture placement) and phase 2 (painting the lofted room and ceiling). Also, writing our book helped us feel freer about paint choices, so we’ve been experimenting more with colors outside our usual comfort zone.