Get your vacuum out, put the upholstery brush on the end of your wand - and vacuum it. BTW - Brick doesn't fade. This is a fireplace that was never originally intended to be seen and was covered by plasterwork and a stone or wooden mantelpiece... ...so as a result, the old plaster is still in the pores of the clay brick giving it that aged appearance.

I hope you can talk her out of that. The walls are beautiful and there will be glue to remove and a price to pay if you ever want to go back. Most people are removing their paper not putting paper up. Many houses have dated paneling and don't look this nice around the fire place. I still think the middle area would look good grey to match the grey around the opening of the fire place. It would look like a visible chimney. I do like lofts/ industrial looks so this appeals more to me than some people. Show her pictures of red brick walls in loft studios and what they are doing with colors on the interior walls and she can get ideas of what color she wants. This probably sounds odd to you but I l like the dirty spot on the bricks. I wish some pros would weigh in.

Matt finish walnut will show pretty much everything...the yellow 'doodle hair will show everytime it lands. The good news is everything is so dark you will only see half of the dog hair. A ligher floor in a dark home will have the same effect as a dark floor in a well lit home. You might want to look at a floor that is stained (like white or European Oak) with a mid-tone brown (2 steps lighter than walnut) and you will have your crisp definition between wood and wall AND you will have a floor that is more forgiving with 'doodle curls. And be aware that many people find a matt finishe VERY hard to live with. It shows every hand print, paw print, nose print, "skin" print you can imagine. Skin oils are SHINIER than a matt finish = shows up every time a finger, toe, foot, dog pad hits the floor. Everytime. A satin is easier to live with.

You can leave the handrail the same distance from the wall as it is now. Leave it connected to the newel post at the top; remove the newel post at the bottom, and add what's called a 'return' to anchor the bottom end to the wall. Then add a couple of brackets going up the stairs. The challenge is that the return should match the profile of the handrail, in order to blend, but check at the home center or a lumber yard/mill to see if you can match it (take measurements/drawings/close-up photos, etc.). As for painting the stairs--be careful with "fun" graphics. The treads and risers need to be clearly defined and regular. For example, a plaid or check that doesn't match the tread and riser exactly at each step is a trip hazard and may not meet building codes. People need to be able to see the treads clearly even without paying attention to them. Walking is an unconscious activity and we need to make it as easy as possible. Confusing patterns are a menace. In NYC, they put new edges on treads on one stairway at one train station that were designed to make them less slippery. However, they also made it more difficult to discern the edge of the tread. In 6 weeks, more than 1,400 people fell down those stairs. Then they redid them. Over 90% of injuries on stairs happen during descent. I highly recommend Bill Bryson's great book 'At Home--A Short History of Private Life'. The NYC anecdote above came from Chapter 14--'The Stairs'. Fascinating and amusing book. My house is 100 years old, so I feel your pain dealing with the changes and additions that happened over time.