Keep the brick, please don't paint or render. Both eat into your budget (rendering in particular is not cheap), and will mean more ongoing upkeep (render still needs to be painted on a regular basis and with a two-storey house, that is a lot more work). Our house is rendered and we would never have it again. Whenever the house moves, the render doesn't, so is prone to cracking or, over time, pieces even falling off. Even subtle movement can cause hairline cracks, which means regular patching and painting. Quite frankly, most people render an older house to make it look modern, but when rendering becomes passe (which I think is already starting to happen), then the house will look dated again (and render is almost impossible to remove once its on). Also, if you're in an area prone to termites, termites can get in between the render and the brickwork and you won't see the telltale signs of "mud" at the access points to let you know they're there. As far as the rest of the house goes, I totally agree with what Timandra Design recommended.

Can't see the room layout, but if you keep it, it could be a nook for a sofa or chairs by the fire on a cold night, with a rug in front. Definitely have a mirror on the mantle. Think about walls and rooflines before you do anything. Or if you've got lots of cash to splash, take it out as it may serve no purpose with a heatpump in place. Replace roof tiles, internal brickwork.........you see what I mean, just saying......

My house has these and they are great for breezes. I certainly wouldn't remove them. In one room I have double roller blinds, sheer with blockout. In the other room I have single block out roller blinds - over the top I have a floor length sheer curtain on the bigger window, then both windows have matching shorter valances. Hope this helps. BTW where I live in a sub tropical climate these windows are very popular.

I love the drama of the brick wall and it is a major design feature of the house... however, there is a LOT of exposed brick with the fireplace surround also being exposed and you have mentioned you dont like the colour. Have you thought about covering up the other walls rather than this one, to tone down the brick work? I just wonder if you hate the amount of brick and you are taking it out on this wall because that's where it is concentrated while overlooking the rest of the house? Just food for thought... more food for thought. BTW I love the idea of hanging plants (though watering them might be a pain), I love the idea of a dramatic feature pendant and I also love the idea of the rug, all will soften or harmonise the drama. www.billyhoostudio.com