I have a really dark brown brick on my fireplace. I am looking for a really inexpensive way to lighten and update it. I also have two wooden book shelves in either side. (70's house) Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Depending on the look you want you might try overlaying it with a partial brick surface.

Thin Brick: Tile, Wall. Brick: Panels, Veneer, Siding. Faux brick | BRICK-IT


Unless your looking for some other covering / texture besides brick.

Cover, as cdad suggested, or you could paint them. You can find many diys ideas/pictures for either.

How much money are you able to, or willing to spend? Also, pictures would be great, so I can get a better idea. I'm a very visual person.

There are many things you can do to recover, or redecorate a brick fireplace. I personally like the look of brick, but it's not everyone's taste. You could paint it, any color you choose. I suggest looking at pictures online of painted brick before going that route. I'm not a huge fan of painted brick, but many people are.

As for the shelves, again a picture would really help. How hard would the be to tear down? Do you want to tear them down or update them? What are they made of?

Sorry, I know, lots of questions, but I'd need a better idea of what you're dealing with, and your budget.

I hope you write back, I'd love to help you figure something out. Decorating is my passion, and crafty cheap ideas for the home is what I do. Can't wait to see pictures and give you some ideas.

Go to HOUZZ web site. Search your topic, hundreds of pictures.