Would you consider white washing it?

Add a nice mantle & paint the brick. Remove the brass strip around the fireplace and replace with iron.

Once brick is painted it is hard (or impossible) to get back the natural look. Really think about what you're doing! Cleaning the brick surfaces could improve the look a bunch. A mantel and nice surface on the hearth would great here!

Tile over the brick to update it.

Another option with tile

Add an off white mantle

I love the flooring and the rustic brick is not keeping with the rest of your interior, I say paint it. If the brick was good looking then I would spare it but in this case I would take the lightest of floor colors i.e. off white, biscuit,oyster etc. it will brighten up the whole area! Also if you live in a cold climate I would consider an enamel wood insert rather than looking into that dirty firebox.

I think the only way to reasonably get around the look of the stones within the brick of the fireplace would be to white wash it. Make sure it is clean, then dilute a light color latex paint with some water to make it thinner & easier to work with. Take a rag & dip & dab on the surface until you have the look you like. Maybe leave the brick surface the same as it is for the hearth. Lookin cozy, huh? Agree with replacing or painting (metal paint) the brass strip on the firebox apparatus.

whitewash is inexpensive and will be lovely. I don't think you should whitewash the seat though I'm not sure. I think it will look lovely. You can also paint out the brass very easily. whitewashed brick is a wonderfully clean look and allows you inside decorating to go a lot of directions. You have woodwork that will probably need painting too. inexpensive first steps because a new house will cost lots in the first couple of years. Given the shape of this whole thing, I would be careful about a mantle. You can do without one as you live with it.

As stated above, once you paint or whitewash it, there is no going back. If you are fine with the brick, and its just the rocks that you don't like, maybe just strategically place some artwork or architectural pieces to cover them up. (This could be just temporary, until you make a final decision, or they could stay.) I do agree with Caroline McKay; it doesn't need to relate to the exterior brick, so if you decide to paint it, go for broke. Enjoy making it your own place!

The most cost effective thing to do would be to paint or white wash the brick. I agree not to white wash the stone bench. I would do a heavy distressed wood mantle right at the 2 courses that change direction for the full length of the wall with the fire box. It looks like you have a beam above framing into the brick wall, and another one framing into the side? I think I would paint the one one the side with the spindly thing white to disappear and refinish the one framing into the front to match whatever you decide with the mantle.

We have a bench in front of our very large fireplace too. I just use it to put medium to large sized houseplants on, as well as a few 8 x 10 and larger family photos and a couple of tall wrought iron candle holders with candles. We hardly ever use it for fires because we can never seem to have a fire without making the house smell smoky. So I just use the bench for other things. We have a large mantle, upon which I have some smaller houseplants, but you can do lots of things with mantles. We also bought a large piece of art to put above the fireplace, which helps with the look of it too, without going to the trouble of painting the fireplace, which you can't undo later. Perhaps with some things on the mantle and a piece of artwork, attention will be drawn away from those rocks in the bricks.

I've been trying to figure out the same thing: http://bit.ly/1FRRXcZ

Currently I'm working on changing out the lighting to LEDs thinking that I will first brighten the place up before making a final decision on what to do about the brick.

I have a similar brick wall and brick seating. I was wondering if I can cover it using drywall (put a wooden frame and place drywall on it) then add a mantel. For the seat I plan to break it and put a piece of granite in front at the bottom. I do not want to paint it. I am reading the above suggestions. Thank you.

Painted brick looks great... The color can 'disappear' all of that brick and transform it to a wall of beautiful texture. Do an off white/ white and it will be lovely. Also, on a tight budget, remove the brass and spray paint it black. It will look crisp, tidy, updated. No need to buy a whole new one.

I would tile over the brick too....

This is a neat product called Real Stone--lots of different colors, too.

You could create a wooden face to "snap over it but I think the brick is a nice compliment to the style of your home. Add a beautiful wooden mantel, update your fireplace screen and a few comfortable pillows on the hearth and it could become the focal point of the room. A good scrubbing will also give it a fresh face and once styled you will not even notice those rock inserts. have fun!

brick fire place in my living room (furniture of previous owners)..should i cover with drywall?