Home Sweet Home

Michael and I are buying our first house!
After a month of searching and looking at nearly 30 houses, we finally found one we really wanted. It was the very last house we looked at. Go figure! We won't move in until mid-August, so I'm anxiously planning what to do with all the space. The only real furniture we have is for the bedroom, so we are starting completely from scratch. It's very overwhelming. Michael's going to start with the kitchen, and I'm going to start with the family room. This is what it looks like now with the current tenants' furniture. The first view is through the breakfast area, and the second is looking right over the railing.

I'm thinking of painting the brick fireplace. I really think it would brighten the room to paint it a light color. Of course, that means picking out a color, and I don't know where to start. We don't have any furniture or art or anything else to use as a jumping off point. I need to find something to use. I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures though.