I would remove the bricks to the left and paint the rest of the bricks a similar colour to the wall. I don't mind the hearth at all.

I'm really into mid-century modern, which is why some aspects of the fireplace and living room are kind of cool -- the room has nice open ceilings. It's such a small thing, but that little edge really bothers me for some reason! O_o

The blue of the fireplace bothers me, and in fact, our whole house is painted an ever-so-slightly greyish blue color. It just makes the whole house feel very sterile to me.

We do addition now and I want to have corner fireplace. I like design ...see on picture below. What I learnt that there is antares porcelain tile in the middle is available in gray color too. May be it will help you.

Just took another look at this and I now agree with nnigrt. It does look better as is than it would if the bricks were removed. I kind of like it the way it is.

Your fireplace is a Mid Century Style fireplace.......I would leave it as is and have the brick sand blasted to reveal the original color. If not that tear it out and locate it somewhere else or do without a fireplace.....it would be a big mistake to start removing bits and pieces and adding here and there. It's a classic and should remain as such and be appreciated, OR done away with.....my thoughts

Gary Finley, ASID

the previous seller made an error trying to put matched chairs on either side, don't try symmetry in your furnishings, one piece of furniture can be longer than the other.

First - paint the whole house - blue green grays are dreary and are making that flooring look even more pink if that is possible. If you have good natural light, go to a crisp pink undertone white on the walls (bm etiquette or ballet white) and do the fireplace in a white white - or flip it - white white walls and off-white fireplace. Once the place is neutral you will be able to sort this through better. You may want to reface with 2 x 4 large format tile - still modern but you could adjust the end a little better. Corner fireplaces are opportunities but also challenges. Search houzz for corner fireplaces and make an ideabook of the ones you love.

Can you tell me more about your color palette, what is the color of the sofa upholstery and I will give you other neutrals that would be great with this - take a great photo of the carpet in natural light . . seems maybe pink and gray?

There are building codes to consider regarding fireplace hearths, so I would first check with your town's building supervisor before getting ahead of yourself.

Thanks for all this input! The carpet is beige, but it will definitely be replaced in the foreseeable future with hardwood. It's nice to know the side edge isn't an eyesore for others.

I believe that the fireplace brick is not just a facade -- it appears to be part of the physical outdoor/indoor fireplace.

No one mentioned their thoughts about extending the fireplace (whatever material it ends up being) across the entire adjacent wall - as a textured accent wall that extends to the left of the fireplace. There's a large window, so the wall itself wouldn't be totally overwhelmed.

I think that is what is bothering you - not the angle of the adjacency but the top - part flat, part angular . . Carry the angle of any new material all the way across so that you lose the abrupt transition above start lower - pull just one return brick at the top out and maintain the angle all the way across . . consider a dimensional mcm tile to echo a throwback like heath http://www.heathceramics.com/home/pages/tile-build/collections-brands/dimensional

but consider how the top angle will get cut into whatever tile profile you select . . a bow tie sort of form might give you the best look

I would be willing to bet that the left wall tile is required by code as part of the surround, as the fireplace hole needs a certain amount of surround on each side of it, per code. In other words, I really don't think you can legally and safely remove the left side of tile without putting something else in its place. That's why you should check with the local code. Years ago I retiled my fireplace, which had excessive tile surround that I hated. At first I thought it must have been code, because why would anyone do that, but then I checked code to find out exactly how many inches of surround were required. I was able to remove what I hated and replaced the rest of the tile with something I liked. It made a huge difference and got lots of compliments.

One option not mentioned is to paint the walls the same color as the tile (whether or not you replace the tile) if you want the tile angles to be more hidden. Another option is to add tile to the right wall to make it symmetrical. Another option is to retile but not all the way up to the ceiling, and add a mantle that extends to the left wall.

If it were my house, I would first check with code requirements, then assuming it's ok with code, I would replace the tile with stone or tile (whatever best goes with the style of the house) only part way up, not to the ceiling, and add a mantle.

Fireplace looks good, but color! Just get right color!

I have been convinced by all of your input. I was playing around with Photoshop, and I tried putting a marble-like texture over where the fireplace resides. I also added wood floors, because why not?!

Love it! What about a dark wood for more contrast and bring out the striation in the marble?

Fairly inexpensively - you can use vein cut travertine that comes in oblong tiles - 1 x 2 for sure - and place it in a running bond fashion to get this look. Travertine comes in several different shades .. .just be sure to seal it so you don't get smoke damage that you can't get out.

Just paint it and add a mantel

I agree with the above..paint brick white to match walls so it's continuous and add a nice solid mantel piece...and raise the carpet to reveal wood floors if you have under.

This is a photo of our new fireplace that replaced a wood burning stove. The stone is Realstones System Latte Ledgestone which comes in 6" by 24' planks.

Fireplaces are meant to be focal points, don't paint white, they are not meant to blend in. Whatever your design style is, go to a gallery with that design or your local Home Depot/Lowes and them to show you what the corresponding look and choose your favorite.

I agree with one of the prior posters. I believe the reason for the odd bricks on the left is to provide the required amount of surround for the fireplace that was required by code when the house was built. The surround is required on wood burning fireplaces to prevent house fires. This is also why you have an extended hearth in front of the fireplace. Basically not all wood burns evenly or well and you often get wood with sap inside that will POP or send sparks flying in all directions, up the chimney and out of the fireplace, and even if you have an appropriate fire screen some of these sparks can fly out of the fireplace. If they land on bare wood (for instance a beautiful hardwood floor) or other flammable fuel (ie. walls, curtains, furniture, knick knacks) they can start a fire. Sometimes a spark can smoulder for a long time before it kicks up flames thus causing it to be overlooked.

I'd check with a mason to find out if the fireplace meets current code for your area, and rather than remove brick I'd be likely to extend the brick on the wall to the right so it matches. If you don't like the raised hearth, ask the mason for a quote to remove it and install a hearth that is floor level instead. Many homes have the raised hearth because it reminds people of the "danger zone" in front of the fireplace where they don't want to place flammable items such as throw rugs. Before using the fireplace I'd be sure to have a chimney sweep out to make sure your chimney isn't full of creosote or old birds nests that could cause a house fire.