I would suggest removing the bricks and putting up a more understated cast stone mantel. This can be a DIY project and won't cost too much.

Personally, I wouldn't paint the brick. I think it looks nice and you could pair it with a cooler grey on the walls if that's the color you prefer. But, I would consider lowering the mantel by quite a bit - it's at a very strange height.

What if you kept your palette for your paint and furniture to whites and greys and leave the brick? This way, the brick can be a pop asset against a cool and monochromatic background. I think the space will look quite modern that way.

There are a few posts here on AT about grey paint - plenty of resources.

Good luck!

http://www.donkeehouse.com

yes, definitely paint them! I like the idea of a grey or maybe black. I saw a house tour on AT once where they painted the brick black and it looked super cool, in a good way.

I'm not a fan of painted brick. You mention white -- sometimes that can draw attention toward the very thing you wish to minimize, that being the dated brick fireplace. As to devaluing the home, how long do you plan to stay? While that is a concern if it's short term, chances are whomever is coming through would also deem it dated. For value added, I would completely transform it. I might leave some of the brick exposed, but would otherwise purchase some wood, build a mantle, paint it white. You can buy the pieces ready made (brackets, etc.) and make it as plain or as fanciful as your personal style dictates. Or! If you are super ambitious and want an organic look, peruse the work of Lew French. Have you seen his fireplaces? Beyond awesome!

render. render. render.

thats all.

Ooh and if u decide to keep it, change the colour of the walls in that room becasue it certainly doesn't do anything for the dark brick to have a muted olive green around them.
Try something a little less dominant like a taupe or any of the colours on the brown side of beige rather than the yellow as that would just highlight the red in the brick rather than bringing out the natual brown tones.

I would also consider reviewing the timber around the door frames and if possible paint them to match the wall to create a seamless space.

I love painted white brick- but ONLY in very modern rooms with lots of white to play off the texture more subtly. I wouldn't paint unless you're planning on really incorporating that look into the room. Otherwise... it looks like you're trying to 'hide' them. If you really don't care for it, I'd go another DIY route like highlander suggested and alter the actual facade- don't just cover up.

great potential either way! :)

What an awkward room...

...I'd call in a carpenter and have him remove the existing mantel, and build a custom media cabinet that's about 4' high and 20" deep to the left of the fireplace in a way so that it's top extends across to the right over the fireplace opening and to the wall that the sofa is on - something chunky and wooden to balance out the existing brickwork, which I'd keep because I find the colors and textures of the brickwork so interesting.

Home depot & other places offer cast stone that's quite thin. Instead of going through the headache of removing the brick only to put something else up, you can choose a stone facing to put right over it. As far as I can tell, the faux stones can just be mortared right over the brick.

First, remove the mantle.

Second, I think you should face it with a light stone or marble tiles in a larger size. It should be something polished to reflect the incoming light and disperse it throughout the room. Flat... Shiny... Grid.... very Modern.

It may seem like more of an expense than you want right now, but it's an investment in your home and should add to the value. It might be tough to live with the brick for a while (maybe you could whitewash it in the meantime?), but get some samples and take your time to make a decision and save up a little.

You can buy some decent tiles for around $5-$10 per square foot and save some money by setting them yourself, but I would recommend doing your research first because tiles can fall off and break unexpectedly if they are not set properly.

Paint.

What about whitewashing it?
Here is a link to a post on AT about whitewashing brick..

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/paints-stains-finishes/whitewashed-brick-walls-093522

good luck!

The brick is ugly so paint it or put just a wash of colour over it. See how you like it before you move on to something else. Lower the mantle and try to find a more contemporary firescreen in steel perhaps that will blend with the new wall and fireplace color.

yes!!!!

I agree with Bo. I had a dark red brick fireplace with black mortar about 8 feet long - I live in a prewar apt on the UWS of NYC. We painted it white - the same color as the walls and I have loved it for 18 years. Our neighbors did a white wash on theirs and I liked that too. It is important to know that the brick and mortar is very porous and "eats" a lot of paint. Some of my neighbors also plastered over the brick and some put up drywall. I have a contemporary / eclectic space and it works well. It really depends on your furniture as to what you should do.

Good Luck!

Deb

I'd leave the brick and paint the room in shades of blue-gray.

Lose the wall-to-wall carpeting. That, and the armoire, are the main contributors to the '70s feel. And by all means, lose that awful mantel. It's too high and small for the fireplace. You don't need it anyway.

I would go white in this room--at least at first. It's hard to recommend a color without seeing adjoining rooms or getting an idea of your style.

yes!

I think the decision should rest on the style of the furniture that is going to be going into the house once it is yours.

Are you into modern interiors? Then clean white is quite nice and won't overwhelm your furniture if it has some punch or color.

If your furniture is more 90's, then maybe you should embrace a brick and black iron look and introduce it in other parts of the room.

It really depends on your personal style and your expectation of the room. If I saw your furniture, I could say definitively.

http://www.modernests.com

I recently moved into a 1950s house with an ugly brick fireplace. I painted the brick a very very dark brown (almost black) and it looks fantastic. I gives me joy every time I see it and I have no regrets at all. It also completely updated the look of the room. Paint it!

i understand your concern. we too had a red brick fireplace, so i took out the hearth, covered half of it with mdf and painted it all the same wall color and it looks beautifull. hope this gives you an idea. bone is the color used.

you could always just cover up the brick with sheetrock if you're worried about not liking the painted brick once it's too late!

I would suggest (as you worry about devaluing the home for future sale) to build around it with MDF and a heat resistant material so that if the future tenants/owners want - they can go back to the brick. You would have to carefully cut off the mantel and the shelf (towards the upper right) and then build out on 2x2s or 2x4s for the right look... that way you could just use the MDF and paint without major demo.

Simple - NOOOOOOOOOO

The armoire is totally throwing me off. It brings out the wood in the doors and makes both seem out of place in the room.
I'd paint the walls a blue/grey and leave the brick alone.

I would face the brick with tile, marble, or stone, and put in a larger mantel in a style that matches how you plan to furnish the room. If you're going to go with a traditional room, you can plaster over the brick, paint the plaster, and then bring in a salvaged antique mantel. Much depends on what your style is going to be.

Personally I like the brick, and would opt for painting the wooden doors instead because right now those two things are clashing. But if you really don't like the color of the brick, try white washing them -- if a future owner of the house doesn't like it, they can paint it another color or cover it completely as others have suggested.

I have exposed brick in my house and I have already painted some of it white and it looks so much cleaner and brighter.
I suggest for this- paint it white and get yourself a white wooden fireplace surround/mantle- it will look amazing.
if you dont like the painted brick afterward put up sheetrock ( plasterboard sheeting here in Australia). It will be so cheap to do that so no need to worry about cost.
go for it!
Can't wait to see after pics.