A friend of mine has exposed brick in his kitchen. He painted it a medium drab green that works well. It gives the room a very warm feeling.

a polar crisp white with a pale warm yellow as an accent color (like around the closet wall)... but.. thats my opinion...

good luck!

I would paint the brick a neutral color if you're allowed to. I would make the bed into a couch during the day and a bed at night. Sometimes dividing a small space just makes the room feel cluttered. Or if you feel like the room is huge maybe you can get a japanese screen at the flea market or Pearl River

that's a studio? it looks huge! I would put the bed next to the closet...I'd also check into install-a-wall...there was a post a while ago about a company that 'rents' and installs walls into NYC apts. Your place looks big enough that the separation won't make it feel cramped.

NEVER PAINT BRICK!!!!

Sorry northy, but that is bad advice. Plus it ruins the brick for the people who will rent after you.

As far as color, I would go with a light gray with white borders. Let the brick be the accent color. Also I really like it when people hang framed art directly on brick.

You got a great place.. enjoy!

Do not paint the brick!

On second look, I see that is the color scheme you already have, Sorry I thought it was all white. I like it how it is. Build off the earthtones in your rug, pillows and couch. Look at browns, beiges and orange for accent.

Abby, don't paint the gorgeous exposed brick! =) I struggled aimlessly to find a brick apt without carpets in my price range and am very jealous! Most colors will work in this space (though some better than others). It's style of decor that's harder. Brick (when kept in its natural red-orange) lends itself better to rustic or classical designs, not modern. That said, even modern could be done if done well. Were it my apartment, I would have done it in ivory, amber, eggplant, and apple green (those are my current fave colors). But looking at the picture, lots of ivory with bold accents of peacocky green-blue just jumps out at me! If you go light, I would go ivory rather than white because it will play up the homeyness of the brick rather than make it look like a state institutional building =)

I would not paint the brick (landlords can get upset). I'd accent it in neutrals, although I like a warmer white tone with brick. Beautiful space!

Never understood why people are so attached to heavy, oppressive exposed brick.... paint it white. lots of conversations on AT about this in the past. BDDW is the most cited example of how great this looks.

here's another=

http://www.sothebyshomes.com/nyc/sales/0133961

Imagine this as a stage set -- the brick makes it look as though you could actually be outdoors -- in a large courtyard of a brownstone. I would use that garden feeling and use greens whites and wood colors as a color scheme, and garden style furniture and decorations, to begin with.

You could put your bed in the corner, or in the center of the room with a mosquito net above, to add to the garden theme. If your bed is in the corner, decorative screens to shield it are a great idea.

As for the two (!!) fireplaces, I would install a shelf above each to act as a "mantelpiece", and matching, perhaps white or black framed, mirrors, above.

I am currently renovating a space with exposed brick that is currently the natural color. I would be pissed if a tenant of mine painted it. Agreeing with Petesid, it does ruin it for future tenants who may like it. If you have the permission of the landlord, that's different. Color choices should be made between the two of you. Prior to my purchase of the building, the former tenant painted the walls and baseboards a purpleblack. Two coat of kilz later, it still bleeds through. Painting without landlord permission could also lead you to landlord-tenant court -- what kind of deposit did you put down that would cover the cost of paint removal on all that brick, should the landlord disapprove? Paint the drywall and be happy with that. On second read, I think that's what you're asking a opinion on. A color scheme to work with the brick. Again ask the land lord - dark, light, pastel - what colors they approve of then move on from there. Good luck

Um, *she* is not considering painting the brick.

I think brick is to home decor what denim is to fashion. Yes, it's a color, but it really functions as a neutral. The only real issue you have is trying to match, but missing, the brick color. Same way sometimes a blue shirt doesn't work with denim.

But we've seen successful spaces here that go organic and earthoned, or bright white and colors, or all tone-on-tone creams/white, and each works with brick. There was a great Boston apartment in this year's Smallest Coolest contest that was really successful in getting a homey look from the brick walls.

I am all about symmetry these days, so I'd set up your bed lengthwise between the two (TWO!) fireplaces, and dress it as a daybed.

You in the NYC area? I'd love to help shop!

(I thought her issue was about the stuff she brings in, not paint at all, but maybe I misread the question...)

Thanks for all the comments thus far. I cannot paint the exposed brick since I am renting. I may paint the closet and the opposite wall, but I would have to paint it back at the end of my lease.

I'm more concerned about what color furniture to bring in. I've always had more modern taste, but I'm not sure if that would match the brick. Do you think brown furniture would make the room too dark or should I try black for more of a contrast? I like octobermoon's suggestion of an almost outdoors-y feel adkmtngirl's peacocky green-blue color. I'd love to use bright accent colors against black/brown/or white furniture.

As for the room divider, I was thinking about the EXPEDIT shelf from IKEA:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60071358

I have a huge brick fireplace in my living room, and I painted the walls "white grape," a Martha Stewart color by Valspar. It's a pale green that looks grayish in some light, yellowish in others. I'm really happy with how it looks against the brick.

Mostly, I hate brick interior walls, but this is a nice looking place. I'd check out green and purple seeing as this brick reads as orange and you'd be sticking with complimentary colors. Treat it as a neutral and you can do whatever you want. I cannot figure out the layout exactly, but it looks like the bed near the closet might be good. Why not treat the whole thing like a hotel suite and forget any fake walls? Unless of course, you entertain often or have overnight guests, who you might need to remove yourself from psychologically. How many square feet is the apartment?

I'm hoping to entertain people here so I would like to section off the bed. I would be open to leaving it visible if I found an appealing bed frame. I was thinking something with drawers underneath to add more storage.

The main room is about 20 x 22

here are a couple of other views:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1058/699693152_77a6b5598f.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1197/699692816_b82fad21a7.jpg

I have a brick wall in my BR and LR. I recently painted the LR adjacent wall lime green (BM). It looks awesome. If you are going for dark brown furniture, I say add a splash of green to your studio palette.

and...that closet in the first picture SCREAMS murphy bed.

If a tenant painted my exposed brick we would go to court.

Please post more picks, I'd like a fuller sense of the space.

Lady J,
Here are all the pictures I have at the moment. I'll be able to post more tonight.

http://flickr.com/photos/abbyroad/sets/72157601282805516/

That's a great studio! I have a wall of exposed brick in my kitchen, and yep- went with a warm greenish color that changes with the light. During the day, it's a yellowish-green, but at night it has this pretty golden glow. Which looks most excellent against the dark red brick. Ultimately, I also think of the brick and wood flooring as something that reads as neutral. Go with what you love!

Oh! I forgot that I had a video of the apartment as well :) this might help to see the perspective a bit better.

http://vimeo.com/228836

Thanks for all the great responses!

wait... is this in NY? Great space!!!

Casa, it's actually in St. Louis, in a neighborhood called the Central West End. It's above an art gallery and a restaurant.

I would have asked the Chicago AT but I figured NY would have more advice on studios :).

I think this is a lovely space, and surprisingly bright considering all the brick! As the existing touches of white on the baseboards work so well with the brick, yet are so sparse, I'd go with white or very light-hued furniture- that should harmonize with the walls without becoming too overwhelming in the apartment.

i live in a tiny space and have combined my bed with a sleepersofa so that it is one continuous seating/sleeping area. visually it works well, and it created an L-shaped area that is more social for when i entertain.

seems like you have 2 fireplaces... i'd do something to either break up the space into two separate "rooms", differentiated by function and way that the fireplace is treated... i wonder how long you are planning to stay in this apartment- find pieces that you love, and want to live with for a long time, rather than basing longer-term decisions on brick walls that may not be a design issue a while down the road...

I have always thought dark wood and steely charcoal grey look good with exposed brick...sort of industrial. You could then contrast that with some lighter colors in upholstery. I really don't think you can go wrong though..my feeling is to go with what colors appeal to you.

I agree that you can treat the brick as a neutral, as long as you don't get toooo close to its color--I wouldn't base your color scheme on red, for instance. But something in the green or blue or yellow categories would be fine. Dark brown or black accents would be good, I think it's good to have some dark colors to ground the room, but not too much, or it will get too dark and risk looking like a pub.

I do think the space is big enough that you can create different "areas" instead of doing the everything-is-one-big-room thing that studios usually require. It's probably not feasible to create an actually private bedroom area unless you were going to build walls, which I assume you can't do. I'd think about using just a screen or one of those bookshelves designed to go in the middle of a room (with mostly decorative stuff on the shelves rather than
books, so it's not too visually heavy) to divide off a bedrooom "area." Also you could angle a couch or chairs or whatever away from that area so when you have people over there's a conversation grouping that doesn't include your bed.

Great apartment!!

There's so much brick you could go with any color. Something really bright if you have a mod style. A faux finish type turquoise or terracotta for something more exotic or Mediterranean. Even something very dark for a moodier, urban vibe.

My 2 cents: may I ask you to consider a black-and-white scheme? Don't take that *too* literally but I read somewhere that when you are unsure about color, black or white is a good way to go and that has not failed me. This way you can introduce an accent color like a mossy-green or cream or whatever in small doses and even vary them seasonally. Since you say you like modern, some chrome lamp bases can add a punch of shine. With the mossy-green or a sage green, you can go organic modern over a black and white base. Black and white also tends to keep things crisp for longer. Personally I am not too keen on painting something red and getting wood (ie) brown stuff as soon as you see a sliver of exposed brick.

Didn't mean to go that long. All the very best in your new space!

abby, i have a very similar apartment to yours. i used an expedit bookcase as a room divider and it looks great and works perfectly. i also left my brick unpainted, filled the fireplace with candles. as for color scheme, i painted the walls peanut-butter brown similar radiator and exposed pipes a bright orange.

sorry i don't have photos to post right now. give me a week or two.

congratulatios on your new place and best of luck. please share photos with us when you move in!

I'm assuming that painting brick walls isn't on your itinerary. You can hang curtains in expanses of colors that you do like, and also set up dividers that will give you privacy for dressing, office, etc., that most studio apartments lack. Soft fabrics would make good contrast to the bricks.

I appreciate the garden/outdoor theme. IF I were you, I'd look for greens, and make the place feel like a courtyard.

Good luck!

I vote for blue or green. Really, anything from yellow-green to blue-violet would work very well with the brick.

It's great to see someone from St. Louis on AT!

Here's a link to the Boston apartment p(2) mentioned. They've got a Pretty modern vibe and a long brick wall, maybe you can get some ideas there.

omigod. abby, that is a beauty of a studio.
my vision includes something upholstered in mustard-yellow.

http://photos23.flickr.com/27569049_98887de22b.jpg
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/2007/07/yellow.html
http://modculture.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/23/ikea_egg.jpg
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/2007/02/yellow-fever.html
http://www.style-files.com/2007/02/25/trends-vintage-meets-yellow/

Fire is for nighttime and entertaining, where windows are for light and mornings - alone or with the sunshine illuminating your lovely one.
I suggest putting the bed in between the closet and the far window. Put art above the bed that doesn't shout nor whimper, but moans/croons nicely; as the bed area ought to be a sacred/mysterious place.
The two fireplaces may have a big, shout-if-you-must piece of art between them, some floor pillows, rug perhaps, a couch facing and two chairs kneeling in.
That's my feel of the place.
I'm as perplexed as you insofar as the color. I rent a beautiful house that has been dumbed down with wooden paneling that I am not allowed to paint (though brick I would not readily paint). I have neutralised this "dad's den" effect with loads of plants, mirrrors, gold, blue (loves brown), and extraordinary lighting in high ceiling adoring shapes.
Just don't box yourself in with a 'color scheme'. I would die of boredom in a beige world.

I have a lot of exposed brick with hardwood floors in my apartment. On first try, I got about half the rooms the right color and the other half I had to do-over.

The red brick can be tricky to work with and the sound advice I got from AT folks was to think of it as the main color and work with it, rather than fight it. I found greys that match the mortar or close to it to work really well - taupe, cinderblock, concrete, those types of greys. My curtains, for example, are an unbleached grey linen and set off the brick very nicely.

Also, a number of shades of both green and yellow work really well. I've found bright red as an accent in smaller pieces of furniture to be ok, but mostly as accent. I wasn't too wild about strong whites, esp. those with blue in it. Creamier whites worked fine.

Blue was problematic, ditto for purple - although there was some blue and purple in the bricks, it really seemed to fight with the red brick. Black also did not play well and orange was quite tricky. Some kinds of browns were ok, especially leather and wood.

http://www.sothebyshomes.com/nyc/sales/0133961

this was a fantastic example of how wonderful brick can be if painted white. it allows all that amazing texture to be picked out by the light, as opposed to having it flattened out when left exposed. white-painted brick works especially well in young people's apartments because it is such a classy backdrop that it can give cheap (but stylish) furnishings a real boost.

brick can also be beautiful if left exposed, but only if the space is designed with incredibly good taste, especially leaning towards the refined (expensive) side of things. for example, if you decked out an exposed-brick apartment with a fantastic hardwood floor (wenge, walnut, antique pine...), b&b italia sofas, some bddw pieces (look at their site, really!) and maybe a couple of extravagant pieces like a marc newson table and an ingo maurer lamp, a baby grand piano... clean up the switch plates, replace the blah cheapo white baseboard with a beautiful, more intricate one and maybe some elaborate crown moulding to go along with it, hang some gorgeous white curtains... i think you get my point. in this kind of a setting the exposed brick can really do some work as a dirty/irregular contrast to the extreme fineness of the furnishings (just need to make sure you have enough light!).

even so, in a space this size i don't think you'd ever get the most potential out of the wall by leaving it exposed. it's just going to suck up the light. in a studio you're never going to get that loft/warehouse/industrial feel, in my opinion; it will always just be an unfinished wall in a tiny space.

i understand you aren't allowed to paint it, but i just wanted to give my 2 cents on the painted/exposed brick debate.

I know this post wasn't about painting brick, but my thoughts are that once brick is painted, its painted. Good luck changing your mind. Painted brick can certainly look beautiful but its a committment. I had a horrible faux brick wall in my last apartment (the landlord's genius solution to coveted exposed brick in NYC apts) . Because I rented, it could not be painted. My husband and I hated the faux brick so much, that we put ceiling to floor canvases over the wall and painted them. It may be one solution for you if you wanted to cover some of the brick. You can buy the materials at any art supply store. Please post pics of your final design. I think there were a lot of good suggestions about color posted.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'm leaning towards chocolate brown (almost black) for the tables/bed frame, light neutral for the couch, and greens and or blue for the accent color. I'll probably paint the walls ivory.

I'll definitely post pictures of the finished product! (But be patient it might take a while ;)).

Abby-- I'm super jealous of your studio still but I feel a little better that it's not in NY ;-) Personally, I am 100% in agreement on your last post saying what you are leaning towards. I would go with chocolate brown before black because it will go better with the brick than the black, while still providing plenty of dark contrast. I also think light neutral for the main couch is your best bet. It will keep the room airy, balance out and contrast any dark wood, and match your decor in your next apartment so you don't have to sell it when you move if you don't need to. I think the Expedit bookcase is a great fit as a divider because it looks more like a place for artsy pieces and such more than it does a standard bookcase. And soooo much better than a screen. And I still standby the peacocky-green-blue accent color suggestion. I would maybe reupholster the seat/back of an accent chair in the accent color you choose to add a bit of a color burst to the furniture.