you could always check out FauxPanels.com. they have some amazing materials.

add shelves for built-in bookcases! They need to be lighter than the fireplace or they'll just blend in.

Whoa, that is a nice fireplace that is a victim of very bad accessorizing. I will admit it is a lot of brick but the right things placed properly could make that look great. The paintings and everything else are way to small for the scale of the room. If you are set on playing down some of the brick there are some things that could be done. The indented areas could be brightened up with a light color stone veneer on the back portion. Then use the same stone around the fire box to tie it all together. For less money you could drywall the backs of those areas and paint them a light color.
If this place is in MN. I would love to help you with it.

I think this could be beautiful with very few changes. I agree that you need to deal with the floor and the curtains first, have all the decor removed and then look at it again.

I agree with Interiors International that the fireplace is currently badly dressed. The picture above the fireplace is way too small. Given that you have a lot of brick I would be wondering whether a large mirror hung portrait orientation would be good above the fireplace? It would bounce light around the room and lighten the feel of all that brick. Glad to hear the curtains are going

does the brick motif appear in other parts of the home? if so you'll not want to change all of the brick surfaces on the fireplace unless you planned on redoing all the brick everywhere to maintain some consistency in 'concept'. i'd be inclined to introduce a different surface/finish at the rear walls between the brick 'pillars'. the mantle is very nice and ties each of the vertical pillars on the sides to the central portion, just go in with possibly a smooth plaster, painted, at that rear surface on each side to break it up a bit, brighten it up a bit. tile could also be applied but i'd avoid any 'harsh' textures or dark tones as the brick already supplies a lot of that (too much i believe we're all agreeing). that would then also create a lighter background as contrast to the art and objects on display in those niches. just dealing with a few of those surfaces instead of the entire fireplace wall also doesn't break the bank. :-)

No, this is only brick detail in the house. My husband and I quite like it but thought it could use a bit of a facelift to break up some of the brick, but had no idea where to start.
What about fireplace surround would that look better with another material?

What part of the country are you in? If you're using pine on the floor, it could go many different directions... California coastal, Santa Fe, mountain contemporary?

It's just too much brick and it really dates the room (along with the crown moulding). So your choices are to cover it up which will be time consuming and expensive and you still have this massive structure around a small fireplace. Or you can demo it (probably a days worth of work), save the mantel for repurposing, and then just add back in what you want. I've had my eye on this design for my own home. So fresh!

We are in the south. It will have a traditional knotty pine look. Natural finish. We are using engineered so we will miss some of the character of reclaimed.

This is a bigger picture of the room. Still cuts off top of fireplace.

I would be tempted to paint the crown molding white as I think the dark molding is dated. I would then consider mounting a large mirror as 2dogs suggested above. I would frame the mirror with a wood pannel that would be raised to hold the mirror and would entirely cover the chimney portion of the brick. Then I would frame out the fireplace opening with the same wood and give it some detail and molding. This would help soften the impact of too much imposing brick and make the floor and fireplace "speak" to eachother.

Hmm. I would say it depends on a couple things - is this your "forever" home that you are willing to put some money into? Or is this a fixer-upper/ resell that you will own temporarily? Unfortunately your fix will depend on your budget. Can you be a little more specific with locale? What state are you in? What does the area around the home look like? Desert? Hilly? Trees?

We are in Louisiana. The property has many large hardwoods and this room overlooks a small lake. This is supposed to be our forever home so we will have lots of updating!!

your instinct to break up the relatively large amounts of brick is spot on. and i love louisiana homes, lived in new orleans for six years going to college but got out to the rest of the state as often as i could ;-p as an aside, don't paint the crown moulding, you've got dark trim everywhere else from that larger picture and mixing finishes on similar elements can lead to a hodge-podge effect. regarding the fireplace surround inset itself, the question you posed above, to keep the treatments consistent, use the same finish that is over the insets to each side. if that treatment/material is not entirely heat tolerant, you could add a small trim around the firebox itself of a neutral (or even black) metal. if you wanted something slightly different at the fireplace surround, possibly a decorative tile in the same color tone as the niche treatments. i keep seeing neutral light earthtones in these areas to brighten them up while breaking up the expanse of brick, something creamy (take off from the predominate wall color to ground the accents). decorative tile wise, check out these cool designs, http://www.villalagoontile.com/art-deco-accent-tile.html, and again, only reserving the tile for a small area keeps cost low while getting some bang. congrats on the forever home!

oh, as others are saying, definitely something larger displayed on the chimney portion. my thought is a mirror isn't as necessary re: light as you have so many nice large windows/doors into that room. dig up one of your favorite, best photographs you've ever taken, go to costco (or equivalent) and have it printed out on canvas as a triptych to proportionate dimensions that will cover up a better portion of all that brick.

OK, so do you want it to say "lake house" or something else? What would ultimately make you wake up every morning and say "Ahhhhh"? Oh how I wish I were closer to you to help you with this. Your main issue with this project is that it's probably not going to be just a cosmetic fix, especially since the left opening leads outside. Do you want to keep that feature? What are your plans for the bank of windows?

I definitely don't want it to say lake house as the lake is more of a really large pond. It's a serene setting with very natural landscaping dogwoods, azaleas, fern, hydrangea, etc. Because of all the windows overlooking the wooded lot and water I want a bit of a rustic feel, but not so much that it feels like fall year round. I guess maybe earth tones and textures that mimic the view outside. I don't have a plan for the windows yet. They are beautiful paneless casement windows with a paneless transom over the tops. I was planning to remove the window treatments and see how it feels first. Our hope for the fireplace would be to do more of a facelift than full demo. My husband (and children) find the space for the logs great! The house is well built, but classically 80s. I'm conflicted about whether or not to preserve some of the 80s feel as it now feels a bit retro than outdated.

There is something about a brick wall in an interior space that I love. Once you get rid of those drapes and clear all that stuff off the fireplace and replace the floor, the room will look totally different. I would paint the crown molding the same color as walls and ceiling and then probably go for a sleek, modern look.

Can you send me a couple more pictures from different angles? I have some ideas...

The brick and wide mantle are nice. I think it would be fun to add copper sheeting to the back of the bookcase and also around the fireplace below the mantle. Then add glass shelves and lighting at the top of the book cases. But if you are not a fan of copper use stainless but it would loose some of the warmth.

The house is not "ours" for a few more weeks so these are all the pics I have for now. I like your copper idea. I love copper. The other materials that have been suggested are rainforest granite for the surround (mimics the tree branches) and slate for the hearth.