Paint the bricks black. Hire a mason to build a slate raised hearth where it belongs, and prop the screen on it for better proportion and coverage. If you must do glass for child safety, understood, but a screen is so much more pleasing. Love your wall color!

Personally, I love the look of white washed brick. And I think this is a good situation to do it. Also, I recommend not using the glass doors like you mentioned, I like the screen in this case.

I think you should paint the walls on the side of the fireplace a color that would draw out the warmth in the brick.

I'd paint the brick charcoal grey and add a thick slab of a mantel in a heavily grained wood like ash for textural contrast. Wrap the mantel around the sides, or make it asymmetrical: start it at the left edge of the brick and let it extend along the wall to the right as a shelf. I second travlingal's raised hearth idea.

Painting the bricks white might brighten your space up. Can you somehow also add a mantle and hearth?

I kind of like the bricks... it seems like they'd contain some of the oranges in your pillow/wall hanging (hard to tell with the light.) If that's the case, I think you should keep your grill, and paint it orange or yellow. Not sure how pratical that is, but it would glow in the dark.

I'd vote against a mantle/hearth *if* you intend to keep the furnishings where they are now. it would be too crowded. If you decide you want a mantle, I think you might have to lose the table.

I would skip the doors and paint the brick. If youre leaving the walls around the fireplace white, I would go with black.

paint the bricks glossy white, will lessen the domination of teh room.

Paint it! Or face it with something light in color, like marble. Or cover it with drywall and paint it the same color as the room. Put some smoke catchers so the soot doesn't go onto the paint. As it is, it dominates the small room and makes it seem smaller.

I am a fan of painting brick only in emergency situations.

This is not an emergency. You are fortunate. This a nice, simple, classic brick with good joints.

My suggestion is to put in the kitchen and reassess then room. The HB cabinetry, your modern and Asian inspired wood furniture can all be beautifully tied together by a simple mantle. The mantle could be of the same material as your cabinets or furniture. You could also put a very small profile limestone hearth and a firescreen. In all honesty, that's it-- in my opinion!

I have a feeling after you install such high quality kitchen elements, you may see the whole room differently--you may even want to repaint the walls causing you to view the fireplace in a different light figuratively and physically.

I

also, if you do come to the point where you would seriously consider painting the brick--you could consider cladding the fireplace with drywall--just a suggestion (that could be a positive selling point in the future if you were concerned about that).

I wouldn't paint the brick and I wouldn't put in glass doors - I wouldn't do anything to this fireplace other than get those bricks out of the bottom of the firebox, and a firescreen that's the proper size and proportion for your Rumford fireplace

http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5PI-18353

BTW - The best way to load the wood in the firebox of a Rumford isn't horizontally, but in a teepee style.

http://www.rumford.com/pictures.html

I'd just clean the soot from the brick over the fireplace. (I am not sure what you use to do that, although I have seen it done on TV, so instructions are undoubtedly onlline.)

Then I'd go to a fireplace specialty store and see if you can get a custom sized screen that mounts to the brick so it floats right over the fire box. Fairly plain.

Finally, I'd mount something beautiful and natural, maybe a branch of driftwood or manzanita, on the brick off center, as art. (Very zen.) Or, alternatively, a really natural looking metal sculpture of a branch might also work -- sometimes they hold votive candles. Whatever, keep it really simple and understated.

I think the room is too narrow for a mantle to feel comfortable.

What if you clad the brick in a wood similar to this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaileguevara/389949990/

I agree that a mantle is too much for the small size of your room. And while I like exposed brick walls in big open loft-like spaces, I agree with those who suggested that you paint the brick white as I think it would make your room feel larger.

I'd put a big colorful canvas right in the middle of all the brick - something to complement that great yellow wall you've got! yes, wouldn't do a mantle.

sorry - clarify, not just a canvas painted in one color, but some sort of art work on canvas.

Put the tv in the fireplace, assuming you've not super-sized it already. Use the shelving unit for real things like books & decorations. I don't like the look of a tv on a shelf, too distracting whilst watching it.

I recommend adding mirror between any shelving you add. Take the shelves and mirror combination to the ceiling and all the way into the corner. Adding shelving on both sides would be more balanced. The mirror backing would make it feel as if the fireplace and shelves are freestanding and the room will not feel so confined. And I bet the fireplace will feel less like it needs something.
Good luck!
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I'd hang some great art over the fireplace and consider painting the walls a color that pulls from the brick.

Keep the brick and add a mantle. Put some artwork, pictures, vases, or candles, etc on top of the mantle.

Just a warning - that soot above the fireplace means that the fireplace has a tendency to be smoky. You can clean the current soot off with TSP (er, I am told, though it has never worked for me), but take care that future paint or art above the fireplace opening is cleanable if you're planning to ever use the fireplace.

To clarify the above comment: Make sure that art is behind glass or otherwise can take a gentle cleaning, and that any paint is relatively high-gloss.

I think it would be nice if you added a mantle, or at least a hanging shelf above the fireplace. You could arrange some stuff on it & hang a big piece of art above it. It could be the focal point of the room.

Please don't paint your brick! This is the equivalent of painting wood floors in my opinion. Do it in an emergency, this fire place is beautiful not an emergency. I think you should wait till the cabinets are put in place before you change to much in this room much. But I would think about re-painting the wall with the windows. Also consider a cooler paint color which would even out the warm wood/brick tones. Like a gray blue on either side of the fire place.

Add a mantle and piece of art above it.

I would not recommend painting the fireplace black. This will make your small space seem exactly how it is now. If you are looking to clean up the space than white washing it will do the trick. I would also suggest either building up a hearth or finding a tall enough screen. You see how your screen doesn't meet the top of the fireplace? It's probably not serving it's purpose like this anyways. I would also recommend replace your screen with a more modern one to update it with your new kitchen. I can't exactly tell in hte photo how well your clearance is between your table and the hearth but if you have enough space building it up could look cleaner as well. It seems to only be one brick length.

There are modern screens that are just a single panel instead of three sections that look great.

here is a flat one from restoration hardware its not as modern but its a flat one panel, choose a finish like the satin nickel not the wrought iron finish.
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1376007&navCount=1

Someone recommended putting the tv in the fireplace and I believe there is a photo of this being done floating around the internet somewhere but mind you this can only work in certain instances and has to be done right, i would not recommending going this route.

A mantel could work depending on what you are placing on it. If you are going to jumble it with picture frames than it's going to look cluttered in front of the busy brick. If you plan on placing a collection of off white vases than it will stand out in a good way.

Hope this helps
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I agree with art. clad it with sheet rock and install a flat low profile mantle inline with the furniture.

Paint the bricks white and then make a mantel out of a thick, heavy old beam, left unstained and unpainted. If you could add a couple of rustic looking pegs to the front pieces near the ends, it would make it work with the contemporary/traditional/Asian look. Start scouring the flea markets, antique shops and remodeling sites for the beams and pegs. They're out there.

I like the natural brick and the warm, exotic feel you have going on in the room. I think some kind of tapestry or oriental rug would look beautiful hanging above the fireplace. It would bring color and texture to the space, and would make a great focal point. Something like this might be nice: http://www.therugcompany.info/woven-classics/the-rug-company/chubi-909.htm

I agree that painting brick should be a last resort, but really that's personal choice.

My Advice:

Paint the wall in the corner by the fireplace to either match the accent wall, or a color that would compliment the brick.

I like the idea of a large color appropriate painting over the fireplace, but instead I think I'd do a mirror to help increase the light and make the space feel larger.

For the fireplace itself, I like the idea of getting rid of the loose bricks in the bottom of the fireplace, and getting a screen or inset that fits the fireplace better - not necessarily glass.

I'd also do a deep TSP cleaning of the brick above the fireplace. Hard work, but you'd have to do it if painting anyway.

Finally, I'd consider building a few narrow shelves in the section to the left of the fireplace. (That I recommended painting.) It might make good use of what feels like an awkward corner.