Painted Arts and Crafts Fireplace

Painted Arts and Crafts Fireplace

Painting wood is one thing.  But painting over a brick fireplace in a distinctive, architect-built Arts and Crafts house?  The Arts and Crafts movement favored proximity to nature in all things, and that includes finishes.  While brick is still a manufactured product, it is still closer to nature than painted brick.  How could anyone think of painting brick on an arts and crafts fireplace?!?  Especially when it looks like this one does, after we removed the paint.