its not the fireplace. its the paneling the lighting, the fan. move the mantel down. the tv will not look good on the brick. first get all those details fixed and then see what it looks like.

I agree with flair, I don't think the fireplace or functional insert is as much of an issue here as everything else is. I would remove the clock, all the stuff from the mantle, replace the lighting and then paint the paneling. At that point I would take another look at the fireplace and see what you think. Moving the mantle if you can would probably be a good idea, especially if you want to put a TV there.

I would suggest repainting the brick a black color with matte finish, and remove that self

When moving the mantel down, paint it a color in the brick.