Note: We’re still reeling from the terrible tragedy in Connecticut last Friday. Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and we’re holding Clara extra close. For anyone who wants to help, our friend Roo — who lives just a few towns from Sandy Hook and has three small children — shared some thoughtful ways to contribute.
We tackled a long-avoided project in the sunroom: painting the brick.
After our last sunroom update, the internet’s rally cry was loud and clear: “paint that brick!” We heard everything from casual suggestions to earnest pleas explaining why the brick’s odd cut and shape looked off from the living room.
This was the view from our couch for over two years. It finally started to wear on me, so we went for it.
We debated whitewashing or distressing the brick, which would have turned it into more of an accent. In the end we wanted the brick to recede and blend with the rest of the room, so we painted it a soft gray. Paint that brick!
It already looks much better from the living room — relief!
One reason we didn’t drywall over the brick: it would have been a lot of dusty, messy work and still wouldn’t have matched the drywall lip above perfectly. Also, there’s painted brick in the adjacent living room, and we like the texture painted brick provides — we’ve had it in past rooms and it reads well once everything is unified with paint, art, and curtains.
- Drywalling would create a lot of work and dust, and wouldn’t line up exactly with the existing lip.
- The adjacent living room already has painted brick, so continuity matters.
- Painted brick adds texture and character that we enjoy.
Funny aside: Clara’s dollhouse looked exactly the same in both photos taken nearly a week apart. The floor mat and one of her toys disappeared, though, so we’ll have to remind her the dollhouse is still there. Now that the sunroom is cleared of hazards and old furniture, she’s been playing in it a lot — which means less time rearranging tiny furniture in creative ways.
Some readers suggested adding a wood accent or rustic cladding to the triangular area above the brick, but our main goal was to downplay all the room’s crazy angles. The ceiling slopes hard in opposite directions, creating a spaceship-like peak that looks glued onto an otherwise flat house. Accenting that triangle would only emphasize the slope and make the mismatch more obvious.
We wanted the room to feel cohesive with the rest of the house, so a uniform coat of gray paint over the walls and ceilings was the right move.
To illustrate why accenting would have drawn attention to the slope, we mocked up a few Photoshop options showing how wood or brick would highlight the angle. It looked modern and striking, but ultimately out of place for our non-slanty house.
Paint was the plan. Surprisingly, it only took two coats to get great coverage — a rare win with brick, which usually soaks up a lot of paint. We skipped primer this time, as we had successfully done before, and I used a brush to work paint into all the cracks while John rolled with a textured roller to reach the rough surface.
I painted all the cracks while John tackled the broad sections. We managed almost the entire job during one of Clara’s naps — a small domestic miracle.
And here’s Burger, posing as we worked. Painting clothes and all.
The even, unified finish transformed the room. It feels more cohesive, less chopped up, and the eye is drawn to the windows and the view outside — which are the room’s true focal point. Adding art will further mask any differences between drywall and brick; we’ve done this before and it works.
Here’s the full after shot of the wall again. It’s a lot of gray, but it’s just the beginning of the room’s transformation.
Why wait so long? Two years of staring at that U-shaped brick blob was more than enough.
Next steps: hang art to make the off-center window feel intentional, introduce frames and a few wooden elements for warmth, and refine the furniture layout. For now we’re using pieces we already own and living with some unfinished details — rugs, art, and trim are still on the to-do list.
Painting the room taupe-gray achieved five main things:
- It draws attention to the windows and the view outside, which are the room’s best features.
- It downplays the dramatic ceiling angles and the awkward brick cutoff by visually unifying surfaces.
- It lets colorful cushions and textiles stand out against a neutral backdrop.
- It minimizes yellow undertones in the floor, bringing out cooler gray undertones instead.
- It makes the white window trim and moldings pop, giving the room a crisper, more updated feel.
We still have work ahead on furniture placement and finishing touches, but fresh paint made a big difference. We’re hosting a big holiday dinner soon — fifteen people, including four under four — so there’s plenty to do, and I’m oddly excited for the chaos.
Psst — to see the sunroom makeover from the beginning, check the posts that covered phase 1 (planning and furniture placement) and phase 2 (painting the lofted room and ceiling).
Pssst — writing our book gave us freedom to explore paint colors beyond what traditionally “fits” in our house, and we’ve been having fun stretching our color comfort zone.