Unless you have a very beautiful garage door I would paint it a color that blends with the brick IMO they are all too much in your face as is I loved it when the garage was at the back of the house not front and center

I'd do option 2 myself. Technically I see an option 3- putting the couch out in the open, diving the two spaces. Couches don't need to be on a wall- you'd just need a smaller couch to do that and still have space to pass through to the other room.

Hello Sir, For an apartment building, mold shall not be much of an issue. If it is done properly and the gaps are closed then even insects/cockroaches are not a problem in the brick walls. In fact they become more beautiful after some weathering and exposure. The man-made alternatives to actual brick finish are, brick tiles, brick wall papers, brick design laminates and MDF sheet. They are a close replica but personally we prefer actual bricks for the exteriors. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs Bangalore

So either I can try to hide them or highlight them to look visually, very appealing. Any suggestions/photos would be great! Thanks so much.