What a shame you're not leaving the brick as-is and just resheetrocking the wall - I think once you repaired the wall and cleaned up the place you'd have a lovely MCM livingroom just the way it is, including your bare concrete floors.

That brick is beautiful! Why not just vacuum the grout and leave it as-is??

I think horizontal would look better in your case. Are you going with the parchment?

Can't say whether you should replace the slate, as you don't show or describe the extent of the damage. I'm inclined to keep it since I can't see anything in the pictures.

As for flooring... Keep the slate tile in the entry; it's a great fit. I'd match the oak you have in the kitchen (well, you didn't show us a picture, but that makes the most sense). What colour is it?? I'm big on white lye soaped oak floors, and so that would be what I would do...

http://www.wocadirect.com/shop

p.s. I am a HUGE fan of Heath Ceramics, and as soon as I saw your fireplace wall, I wanted to cover the whole thing with "Crease" in exactly the colour shown here:

http://www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/tile/collections/dimensional-collection/

Stunning!!

Good luck; it's going to be gorgeous!!

Your current fireplace is so very similar to my *inspiration* for our recent fireplace redo. Another vote to keep it, if it's not in bad shape! (But the Sansui tiles are lovely too -- I like them horizontally.) You didn't mention just how damaged the hearth is but I love it from afar!

I like the brick as is. I like a lot even. Could you try adding more grout experimentally to see if shallower crevices appeal more to you? I also love the hearth, it is hard to see the damage in the pic.

Ugh, I hate the brick. Good on you for getting rid of it. I love the tile you've chosen. I would get rid of the bench; it doesn't look like it's good for seating and just collects dust/takes away from the usable space in the room. I would orient the tile vertically to add as much height to the room as possible.

As for flooring, I'm not sure what I would pick, but perhaps cork's texture would be interesting. Would it flow well with the slate?

I actually like the whole thing, current brick, bench included. It's verrry retro, but if embraced could look amazing! Put up the sheetrock and paint the walls, hang some artwork and maybe an interesting vase/sculpture/candelabra on the mantle, a modern couch and I think this could be an awesome space.

Like the existing brick!

I like it the way it is. Just keep the walls around it plain.

Wow - I'm amazed - I've disliked the space for a long time, and blamed it on the fireplace. But pulling out the carpet helped. We'll definitely be getting a modern sofa - something long and sleek.

So if we keep the brick (gasp on my part, but the $$ saved and time to usable LR is tempting), what sort of mantle? Right now it has none.

I love the painted plywood floor, too.

Thanks and keep the comments coming - this is amazingly useful to me!

I'd kill (well...maybe a tomato) for that fireplace. It's so "Shag"! Embrace it and you will learn that you really loved it all along. Remeber...there is a thin line between love and hate!

I would recommend:
Keep the current brick IF you are able to find more of the same. The bricks extended past the width of the above-hearth surround looks a bit odd and out of proportion to me. Take those last 3 rows on both ends that are below the hearth and install them on the wall above the fireplace (you would need to add a few bricks) so that you have a floor-ceiling fireplace surround that is 6 brick rows wide. Carefully remove the slate hearth and cut it down to the same width as the brick rows (6 wide) and replace the shortened hearth at the same height it is now. Then install floor to ceiling drywall on the outer wall portions. If you are unable to remove, cut and replace the slate hearth, you could leave it as is, but I would definitely remove the last 3 rows of bricks on the ends below it if you decide to keep the brick. If not, I would still install the Sansui in a similar fashion to keep things in proportion even you decide to scrap the hearth altogether. Hope all that makes sense.
Good luck!! You've got a great space to work with!

Also, regarding the floors, given that you have an open plan, you should restrict the different types of flooring throughout the house to 2. Having more than that prevents as smooth a flow from room to room. I don't know what your kitchen floor looks like, but I like the living room flooring.
Good luck! Please post some after pics once you reno is complete.

It will be so lovely once you are done with it. Can we see the After, please?
P.S. Personally, I would replace the brick, I don't like it as is.

I love the fireplace the way it is, including the "bench" around it, which has a wonderful cantilevered look. No mantle, please. It would ruin the lines of the area - this isn't a traditional fireplace. Paint the new sheetrock around it white and add a striking piece of sculpture or such on the bench in only one corner. The fireplace itself is sculptured. If the wall around the corner is the entry, you could paint the entry in a strong color like yellow. Wish I had it.

I would keep it all as is -- the brick, the bench,the floor. Those elements look like the 'after' to me. The slate bench is so cool - the thickness, weight, length, color. I agree with magicsbm, no mantle. Do less now (just sheetrock & paint walls), put the room together, and see if it works. If not, you can always do the other stuff (and spend the $) later.

Another vote for keeping the fireplace the way it is. It's great! I would just sheetrock the top and concentrate more on finding a sleek couch and modern dining room table and chairs. Add a shag or flokati rug to anchor the space and you're good to go!

If modern is what you're going for you can make the existing fireplace work. It looks harsh to me in the picture because of the dark grout lines, and there's nothing currently balancing the fireplace's presence out. But I think it will blend in more with the right furniture, paint color, and room styling choices. The slate bench is awesome - I'd keep it.

Great fireplace, great floor...lucky dogs.

Keep it, skip a mantle. It'd be too high (or, if you added one lower than the top, would mess with the lines of the fp). The bench allows you to accessorize with a sculpture or large vase or something. Hang a mirror or eye catching art over the fp and call it a day. It's a great looking room.

I agree with keeping the fireplace as is. It is quite striking. I also would not add a mantle; who really needs a mantle, anyway?

I love the slate bench, but the brick is too mod for me. Especially the stuff under the slate bench. Maybe if you just covered or painted the stuff under the bench it would seem less glaring? Especially since the aesthetic of the rest of the room seems to be a little more traditional (LOVE your dining table and chairs, btw).

Another option is always to cover the fireplace and stuff underneath with stone or brick sheathing.

My problem with the fireplace is the way the bricks are stacked - not the traditional overlap, but right on top of each other. It makes for harsh lines, especially with the black/deep grout and white bricks. Maybe you could fill in the grout with white grout and see what it does? That might soften it considerably and would be cheaper than sheathing or tile.

keep it ! Clean everything up around it (the wall mostly) so you can really focus on the clean lines that are already there. And no mantle. You have the slate to use instead. Get a beautiful rug and place some big floor pillows around and then have yourself a fondue party!

Google some Mid-century modern fireplace images, and maybe you will get an idea of something you like for a mantle. I really do agree--I'd leave the brick fireplace alone. I hate the whole wall of brick around fireplaces--but this would be just enough. I think when we're all old, and we look at how people just completely tore up mid-century houses to make them cookie-cutter and trendy-we're going to be really sad that all that American design has been lost.

I love the fireplace. I agree about lightening the grout. but other than that I think it is beautiful. i like the idea of the slate bench. Cant see the damage but if possible I would restore it. A perfect perch for making smores :)

Your fireplace is STUNNING - amazing, cool and really unique. I love everything about it - the dark grey and white combo, the long and low seating and the proportions of the bricks. Looking at the rest of the photos, my inclination would be to paint your walls a color so that the white of the fireplace can stand on its own as the white element in the room. Glad to hear you're looking at it with fresh eyes - I think it's the highlight of the room!

Home body's idea of painting the wall a color is a good one!!

I don't love the brick but I hate the dark grout lines. Rather than tiling over it I would consider extending the bricks to the ceiling and filling the grout lines with a color that looks cleaner. (I've had dark grout and it always looks dirty.) I'd also consider having a mantle installed with the brick so it's all integrated. Then maybe sheetrock under the bench.

World English Dictionary
mortar (ˈmɔːtə)

— n
1. a mixture of cement or lime or both with sand and water, used as a bond between bricks or stones or as a covering on a wall
2. a muzzle-loading cannon having a short barrel and relatively wide bore that fires low-velocity shells in high trajectories over a short range
3. a similar device for firing lifelines, fireworks, etc
4. a vessel, usually bowl-shaped, in which substances are pulverized with a pestle
5. mining a cast-iron receptacle in which ore is crushed
World English Dictionary
grout (ɡraʊt)

— n
1. a thin mortar for filling joints between tiles, masonry, etc
2. a fine plaster used as a finishing coat
3. coarse meal or porridge

i love that fireplace !!