Paint it white, and paint the walls a dove gray?

What are you planning to reface the fireplace with?

I think it's a pretty room. If it's a temporary deal, I would just live with it for the time being. The crown molding makes the room feel a little formal though, and you say you have sleek modern furniture...maybe you could just remove the molding for now? Although that might create more work than it's worth...

You could paint the wall a neutral color and the fireplace a bright accent color. I guess it all depends on your style, but I think a lighter or brighter color on the fireplace would really make it stand out as a focal point... It's so unique I think it deserves to be noticed.

I think blues would complement the wood. I agree with the idea of a white fireplace but I think replacing the mantle with a rustic floating mantle will give it modern lines. I suggest the mantle to be a darker color to give it visual weight.

I think it would be easier to pick a color if I knew what colors are in your furniture. If your furniture is light, then bold with something in the navy family. If it's dark furniture, I say a pale blue to make the room feel open.

Look at this project - they used grey & white: http://enjoyhome.ru/portfolio/46.xml

I registered after years of lurking on AT because I have the perfect solution for this! Or rather, my parents do. They have a bungalow with traditional bones and modern decor, and this exact fireplace. They painted the entire thing bright white and then, with a dry-ish roller, painted just the raised part of the bricks a lovely, rich peacock blue. The effect is stunning. It's a high-impact, clean, graphic look, like subway tiles with white grout or the image below (but imagine thicker white lines and a more jewel-toned blue). And it looks incredibly labor intensive, but was just a matter of making sure the roller was fairly dry (like painting a pegboard so the paint doesn't drip into the holes). I can imagine it could also be lovely in a trendy colour combo, say a yellow-and-white fireplace and dove gray walls.

http://www.zingerbug.com/Backgrounds/background_images/light_blue_bricks_pattern.gif

Paint the fireplace like it is an accent wall - white, if the other walls will be a deeper color, would be fine if white works in your decor.

Take down that mantle though. Ugh!

Definitely paint the fireplace bright white. Benjamin Moore Super White is a good one. Use a semi-gloss finish. I like to paint smallish rooms dark saturated colors becuse it makes the walls appear to receed making the room seem larger. Navy blue wouldlook geat here. Again, Benjamin Moore has a terrific true navy blue called Admiral Blue. The fresh crisp combination of navy blue & white is a classic look and really easy to live with. Good luck!

Bright, bright, bright white. Go Scandanavian with it.

And yes, definitely take down that mantle.

This looks like a Mid Century Modern fireplace (asymetrical corner opening) with lots of potential. Lose the crown molding because it doesn't belong with this architecture. Paint it white as shown below.

http://homeluxuryideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/custom-corner-sided-gas-fireplace-1.jpg

I am also pro painting the fireplace white and the walls a darker color. For goodness sake, though, please remove the crown molding. It doesn't fit with the style of the house in the least, especially the fireplace.

Make sure to post a picture of the "after"!

What about removing a good bit of the paint from the brick so that you have a weathered kind of look with the natural brick color peeking through that light colored paint?

I'd remove the trim -- from the fireplace and the ceiling. They just don't belong.

I'd go with a bright white high-gloss paint for the fireplace, and then a matte white, perhaps a shade warmer or less bright, for the rest of the room.

Bryanwark has the right idea! I love the idea of navy walls and a white fireplace. A new mantle made of simple wood (maybe with a live edge?) would beautiful.

And some unsolicited advice...don't put your furniture on an angle like the previous owners did! That furniture placement is just wrong.

While I support all the "white" comments, a deep cream can also look beautiful. My parents did this with their crappity old yellow-brick 1970s fireplace, and the results are stunning. The main thing, I think, is keeping it pale and neutral; that allows more flexibility with the rest of the room.

If you need to paint, paint everything white.

Another point, If you wait on the painting I would at least paint the ceiling, I think that's the sore spot of the room.

Seems we are all in agreement here. The fireplace in a glossy white. And a new, simple screen. I might even do the ledge of the fireplace in a glossy black. and throw some big, yummy ceramic urns in that space to the left.

I'd do the walls in a putty taupe to keep the mid century feel alive. If you can't lose the molding (you should) paint it the color of the walls so you give yourself more height. I think with the right furnishings, this could be some Mad Men elegance! Congrats.

Second whoever said: paint the ceiling first. I have a brick fireplace and am also thinking of painting it. Right now we are doing the walls SW Pediment, which is a nice soft greige. I'd like to either do a darker version of that color on the brick, or something bright like a peacock blue. It really depends on your furniture and the color balance in the room. If you're going to have lots of dark/saturated colors, paint the brick white. If you already have a lot of whites/pastels in the room go bold on the brick.

I agree with people who say to paint the fireplace white. Painting brick takes more work than walls so you can change the wall colors and leave the fireplace white. I would suggest you use a matte paint for the white which would play up the textural quality of the bricks - Ben Moore's washable matte paint in a bright white would be good here. I would also extend the white paint to include the entire wall that contains the big window. Paint the ceiling a ceiling white or matte bright white. With the bright white the colors you choose for the walls will really pop and have depth and/or drama depending on the color you choose.

Depends on what your furniture looks like, of course, but I look at that fireplace and think dark, slate gray...almost black. And without the current mantle. I have a floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace in my home. I got a local wood guy to hand-plane a thick beam, which was attached as a mantle. Looks organic, textural, rustic without being cowboy. Or you could do a thick slab of bluestone on the hearth and mantle, with rough edge.

younghouselove has some great examples of painted fireplaces in their current and previous home. This might give you an idea of how it could look and what colors would go with the white one.

If you plan to reface the fireplace, you might try painting it now in a color that gives a similar effect to your eventual choice, to try it out.

Do your homework...

I'd start by stripping off some of the paint to see what the original brick looks like.

I have been using 'sol-gel' soybean based paint stripper which has little or no smell at all, is safe indoors. You can slather on the stuff on one brick (it's one of the few strippers that actually works on stone without gumming up) and the next day hit it with a metal bristle and wipe down with water to see what's there. Depending on how many layers of paint there are it could take one to three applications. I've just finished pulling 6 layers of paint (90 years worth) off a beautiful soap stone sink and it was worth it.

Brick, a huge window, and a corner fireplace...arent you lucky!
That is all.

I say paint your fire place either white or black but if you do white do not keep white walls. Too much white. Take that crazy shelf down from the middle. It doesn't work there, not that style and not all across anyways. Antique the white if you choose that. It would look awesome all rustic.

Why would you resurface it? Agree with the person who said strip the paint, and see what the brick originally was - you might like it best. I'm willing to bet there will be nothing better than the bare brick - nothing. Take your house back to what it originally was - that will increase its value most. Learn about the style of house and what they originally looked like before you do anything!

Otherwise, ifi brick is damaged (though this likely isn't) I prefer painted brick to be in colors brick usually comes in - from terra cotta reds, to beige/tans, to gray. to pale yellow. So it looks sort of like, well, brick.

And yes, get rid of the mantle. Read up on houses like yours.

I am having the same problem..but my situation is a corner brick layout for an old woodburning stove...my fiance has owned this home for twenty yrs and he is trying to be open for change but I know its only limited...the brick is red but has the white ashy stuff it tends to collect and the mantle is an ugly medium color natural pine i guess with a high gloss finish...above the mantle is an ugly slats of wood running up and down from ceiling to mantle and that is a lighter natural yellowish pine...uuhhhg....anyhow...
Loooking at your situation....its much easier...the mantle is unnecessary and unattractive....the wood molding on ceiling has to go....I believe that it depends on your furniture, however...if you have the fireplace and the solid wall its adjacent to the same color....such as a taupe...there is a wide range of taupe...you can choose a biege or grey taupe...taupe is basically grey/biege combo but its either more grey base or biege base....then...it can be light taupe...medium taupe or dark...the wall around the window and the other walls should be lighter....it will make the room appear bigger and the fireplace and other wall will be a slight accent but will not overwhelm the room and will look clean....