the brick would look nice painted a brown, or dark olive green/brown. You may also want to consider putting some modern squares of wood panels over the brick for a sleek, rich effect. You could even reconsider the color of the mantle, or put paneling over it.

Check out a product called Realstone. Lots of really cool colors and options, and easy to install. Its a product most people can install themselves. Dave Lapine MIdwest Fireplace, Olathe Ks

If cost is an issue, I would definitely paint the brick white...no dark colors please! Then later on when you have some extra cash, I would do the white stone or tile or even a solid sheet of marble or granite...always keeping it light. That is my story and I am stickin to it! Good luck :)

It all depends on what you like, If you are looking to achieve a more contemporary look, covering the brick in draywall, replace the mantel to the sides, a big mirror ar art on top... a new look on a moderate budget.

Judging on things you have in your room you lean towards country. i happen to think brick can be beautiful. Since your fireplace is brown and your couch is brown i would paint the walls blonde by benjamin moore and put up updated plaid curtains with a reflective quality with tassel trim..making sure to place the rod about 4" from ceiling and at least dusting if not puddling the floor. i would then replace the picture over the mantel with something bigger with a more traditionl frame and then merchandise the shelf with a few bigger pieces like candlesticks or vases... a few bigger pieces in a room show better than a lot of little pieces.

Your idea of a "rustic railroad wood" mantel should work very well, except it might not be deep enough. But if it's natural you're going for, you're moving in the right direction. Agreed as well with the comment above re: drapes or blinds for the windows. Without them, the room will have a cold (rather than cozy) feeling. If it were me, I'd keep the brick as it is, but that's because I prefer to retain original building elements whenever possible. And the existing brick fits nicely with your earth color leanings. I do recommend a larger piece of art above the mantel... but that can wait until you've settled on the rest of it. Good luck!

Here is my fireplace with an oversized custom mantel...the brick under is very similiar to yours but ours is refaced with porcelain tile which brightens up the room but I would refaced with a stacked stone.

You could face the fireplace with large marble tiles, maybe a sand color or paint the brick white. The mantle shelf looks too small. Try to remove it.

I used the brick-anew kit from online, too. It was easy and fun and an inexpensive way to update an old red brick fireplace. It uses several different shades of paint that you sponge on, so instead of one solid color, it looks just like brick - but a lighter, cleaner more modern brick. Here are before and afters:

I would recommend re-surfacing the brick with stone or tile for a more updated look.

http://www.brick-anew.com/pages.php?pageid=452

Someone else's before and after from the brick-anew website - the fireplace reminded a little of yours, so you get the idea...

I would suggest dry stack stone facing with a semi distressed mantel. Keep the mantel warm wood tone, finish with a nice 3" thick cap stone for the hearth.
One other thing I've done is to tuck the mortar joints distress the brick edges and wash the the bricks with a white mortar wash, finishing with a traditional mantel detail around the fire box.

An inexpensive yet dramatic change would be painting the brick white as others have suggested. I did mine last summer and absolutely love it. I used Behr paint with the primer in it and it covered very easily. Here are before and after pics of my fireplace.....

Great job!

Paint it white - absolutely. With all the wood elements in the room already the eye needs a break. The white brick adds a subtle texture to the room, not another visual interruption. During our renovation, we created a two story fireplace from common brick and painted it white - so pleased with the results. (Photo from just after we moved back into the house...) Good luck!

I agree with debb v for an affordable make over, white wash brick and dark grey wall paint will freshen up. For an overall remodel, here are a few ideas

more inspiration...

I would leave the color alone - take down the mantel, take the screen off, paint the firebox black as noted above. Then, purchase a large modern piece of artwork to hang there. It will become a beautiful focal point. Also, I agree that you need some drapes on either side of the fireplace to soften the look as well. I have a similar situation, and the artwork made ALL of the difference there!

Thank you for all this great info. I too have a brick fireplace, and am trying to decide what to do, paint, wrap in wood, different stone. We'd like the tv up there. So thank you for all these ideas and comments. I will see if I can add a picture of our room for your ideas.

You can find some great antique fireplace mantels on Ebay. I would try that before painting the brick.

if you are going to paint .. i think the "white washed" look was the best of the suggestions .. gives a country feel still .. and hit it with a big bold mantle .. with some larger pieces on it ie: bigger picture , a large bit of greenery maybe ... some cool flea market finds ...and again i think you need to change wall color .. good luck .. fun sifting through all the offered suggestions :)

We have a similar issue, a very large, outdated brick fireplace. I contacted Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict and her suggestions were great. First, the fireplace does look outdated because you haven't addressed the other issues in the room. The brick wouldn't stand out so much if you picked a wall color that went with the undertones of the brick. Like others have said, the art is too small and the windows need coverings to soften it up. Also, if you installed cherry cabinets, then the brick probably goes very well. However, replace the stark white, small mantle with a piece of reclaimed wood. If you reface it, that's more costly than working with what you have. If you paint it and want to change it down the road, then you'll have to prep the brick before you do anything else (unless you cover it with drywall). Brick adds texture and depth to a room; it can also be whitewashed to tone it down either with a limestone wash (like in Europe) or watered down flat latex paint. If you do paint it, stick with flat. The look of any type of gloss on brick isn't attractive and only makes it stand out more, which is what you're trying to avoid. I've attached a pic of my fireplace pre minor changes, so you can see I was in the same shoes as you.

Look for a reclaimed timber yard near you for some awesome mantles that will be the right proportion for your fireplace. Here's an example: http://vintagetimber.com/rustic-mantels-corbels.php

Here are some pictures of a solution we came up for a dated looking brick fireplace in a recent remodel project. Budget and function limited our design flexibility but the owner was very excited about the result. The first thought was painted MDF panels to cover everything but the owners wanted to continue to burn wood in the fireplace so we had to stay with something non-combustible around the box itself. The solution was a combination of panels and painted brick. Before we painted the brick, we spread a light coat of stucco over it to soften the joints. You can still see the brick through the stucco but it is much softer now and everything is white. Sorry for the poor quality pictures.

From the small glimpse of the room, it looks like you have rich tones in your furniture and accessories. I like the natural brick with the saddle leather sofa and I wouldn't paint it. The mantle definitely needs to be replaced or refinished. I like the idea of a dark wood mantle, but if you want to keep the one you've got, try painting it dark charcoal, like the grout color to blend in more and tie in with your firescreen. Draperies in a heavy masculine fabric (maybe a red - analogous to the orange in the sofa) to conceal those contemporary windows with the stark white trim will also help. Lastly, a nice warm amber wall color will soften things. Then you will have a Tuscan/autumn feel in the room with your analogous color scheme of yellows/oranges/reds with accents of dark charcoal to black. Hope this helps.

There are many options besides paint, including paneling, tile, or stone. In my experience, most successful updates include a combination of materials - say paneling or plaster above a mantel, with stone or tile below. A monolithic fireplace overwhelms most standard-sided rooms.

Several of the commenters mention scale - they are dead on. Relative scales of each fireplace element is hugely important.

One cautionary note for the commenters mentioning a TV - consider the placement of a display over the mantel very carefully. In most cases that places the display significantly too high for comfortable viewing. There is a reason why furniture designed specifically for displays are knee-high on average. When you are seated, you would optimally want the center of the screen at eye level. There's also the aesthetic consideration of making the display the focal point of the room, which it very much will be over the fireplace.

These pictures are before-and-after's of my own home.

Please forgive the plug - you can find a gallery of ideas on our site at http://www.homebedazzle.com , or you can search for "fireplace remodeling" in Google to find more sites like ours.

Stop! Please don't paint it or cover it! The brick is original and meant to be there. People want to make everything look a certain way and in 10 years someone else has to uncover a dated remodel.

Having it cleaned would help, can they sandblast indoors? A larger scale print or painting framed with a white or ivory mat. Paint the walls a warm medium neutral. Ivory cotton curtains such as Cameron from Pottery Barn. Make sure to use dark bronze window hardware and rings. Declutter, a few new large scale accessories on the mantel and bright patterned pillows and the fireplace is no longer a problem!

I had weird tile removed from our 1925 house in San Diego that the previous owner added, the brick was ruined and the fireplace didn't work so we had it rebuilt. Mucho $. You will spend much less on some beautiful accessories that you'll be able to take with you to the next place.

Although there are some beautiful pics of fireplaces above, there is more to these rooms then the fireplace surround that make them interesting. 20 ft ceilings, south facing windows... Far better to listen to your own house. Good luck and Happy Makeover!! : )

i had the same design problem. i painted the 70's ugly brick white and painted the interior a clean black with special 'fireplace' paint to freshen the whole fireplace. it made a huge difference!

I agree with past postings that recommend that you leave the brick and find an antique mantle . I know where we live there is an architectural salvage company close to us that has a ton of mantles, gorgeous ones!!! That is what I am planning on doing this summer to mine. Maybe a rich walnut mantle or something antiqued.

I just finished a job just like this one. The client lightened the colors in the living, but was stuck with a old brick fireplace. I did a brick white wash with a antique white in a soft satin finished. Basically you take the paint of choice and thin it down to a consistency of 1% milk and apply it with a brush. You can still see the brick, but it has a light dreamy look that lightens the whole room. In fact any color will work, I've even done a light sage and they added a old pine matle.

I hope you DO NOT paint the brick - I love the cork color the brick has. I think the mantel is too white.If it was toned down by rubbing a dark wood stain on it -a little at a time until the desired tone or find a unique vintage mantel instead. The brick is attractive and has character - it would be a shame to cover it with paint just to make it look like everyone elses.

I agree I wouldn't paint the brick...you'll regret it. I think you should go out and find a local person in the area that works with reclaim barn wood and they'll get you a great mantel.

Then to break up the darkness why don't you make your own custom mural.
I can help you with that @ its very affordable. http://architecturalArtTile.com

You could beef up the mantel with a natural wood and perhaps put raised wood panels above the mantel to reduce the amount of brick exposed. I would also extend some boxed wood columns on either side of the firebox. I too would paint the inside of the firebox. This treatment would compliment your leather . Check your local building code for proper wood installation near the firebox.

After reading all the posts, have another comment. Painted could be fine...not sure it totally goes with your look, limestone is beautiful, but the brick is could be very nice if you do what queenbee108 said early on. That link will tie it all together for you without breaking the bank. Anyone of those solutions will never be too 'out of date' over time. I think it's imperative to get your architecture right. The details will all work out.

It is hard to know what the brick 'really' looks like in person, but It appears to be a pretty brick. I think 'to paint or not to paint' depends on the look you want to go with. If you chose the wall color that is in the room, then I think you would be happier with painting the brick white and, or course, a bigger mantel. If you prefer warmer colors, I would leave the brick or white wash it. I think covering it with stone is a financial question. My '70's ranch has a never ending list of things to update and the more you do, the more you see to do. So painting is the cheapest option. I LOVE PAINT. :-)

If you like the look of the brick, but not the color, try applying an oil-based stain (the type used for staining wood) to the brick. It will give it a darker, richer color and, if carefully applied, won't get into the grout.

There is nothing wrong with brick - its the existing mantle that needs replacing and beefing up.

I would have a big boxy mantle made of salvaged wood made that goes across the entire brickwork and wraps around the ends.

Great idea Valentina Wolf...I thinking painting the brick makes it look 'cheap' .
I've seen so many cases where people paint the brick and then they're not in love with it...and you'll never be able to remove it.

Wow. You've got a lot of help here.

There are a couple things I'd suggest anyway, and then you can keep going if you think it still needs help.

1. Spray the buff-colored firebrick black with hi heat paint. Be careful not to overspray on the face brick.

2. Get rid of the undersized gas logs. Either cap the gas and go back to wood, with a decent sized grate, or get something else in there that fits properly, either new logs or a modern alternative media burner (like below)

3. Get a screen that fits the opening size. If you get gas logs, an inside fit will work fine; if you go back to wood, a 2" overlap is recommended all around.

What about if they did what you said with the firebox but used some of that colored glass gravel or the round rocks that I see now - I really like the look of those. I think it would look better to cover the hearth top with a piece of granite or concrete counter top application or marble tiles. Maybe match that with a mantel in the same material . I don't like what's there now - looks not classy enough.

We have resurfaced an dated brick fireplace like this (no offense) with a warm Indian slate. We did the space below the hearth and up the front and sides just up to where we put a new rustic timber mantel beam with matching supports. We then drywalled right over the brick up to the ceiling and painted it out in a bold contrasting color to the surrounding walls.

It looked amazing and the materials costs were very reasonable.
Hope this helps,
Greg

Red Ridge Millwork & Design Ltd.
greg@redridgewinecellars.com
http://www.redridgewinecellars.com
http://www.allreclaimedwoodfurniture.com

I too like the idea of painting, but then put a mantel up and maybe a screen that fits the opening in a more tailored way. Here is a makeover one of our customers did with just some paint and a new mantel, pretty inexpensive and a DIY project. You can see some additional makeovers at www.fireplacesafetyscreen.com

thank you for all your suggestions. My red brick has to go because of my contemporary style. I am contemplating painting it white and have a mirror over it. Iwant a gas fireplace.

Stone veneer installed right over the brick would work great, something similar to this Coronado Stone installation: http://www.houzz.com/projects/46457/Virginia-Ledgestone-Fireplace---Coronado-Ledgestone

If you do indeed go with a television above the fireplace in the end I would HIGHLY recommend a tilting or even articulating mount. It's paramount that the TV has a perpendicular viewing angle with those watching when mounting a TV as high up as your mantle.

Note the tilted angle of the TV in one of my installs for a client.

Creat a facade that slides over the upper portion

that question is three and a half years old...

I agree that the mantle is too white and probably a bit too 80's-90's - I think your idea of a railroad tie-type mantle wood suit the brick much better. If the budget is limited, that could do it.

I would agree with ej610 - stone is the most updated look and you wouldn't regret it. I would use real stone as opposed to man-made (even though you may be tempted) because it's the focus of the room. We all know what a shortcut looks like 15 years from now. They actually can keep the brick in place and go right over it.

You could also have a carpenter make a piece to cover the brick. That too would look very nice.

Which decision to make really depends on your taste, what direction you're going in and the rest of the house. Sounds like you know more than you think you do...The very best to you!

We took the brick off. Dry walled the top and used a 6x24 travertine tile on the lower half. It's smooth and clean. Before we dry walled we ran a pipe for cables and electricity. And we reinforced for the tv.

Could have painted the brick...but there were some details done with the brick that made it difficult to work with. So down it came and we did it ourselves.