Ah, a word game and a guessing game, lets seee.....

help:

appreciate it-yes itis nice unusual combo

improve it - well there are a couple things that kinda bother me.

tear it out - seems a little drastic

paint over it all - i never recommend that

I don't know what to do, but i have to do something!

Generally I recommend you live with it awhile. Sooner or later, the right decision will cry out to you. Word games and guessing games, and probably me, will not be necessary. in honor of h. potter and all hallows - Brew haha! Talk later?

Sorry the houzz app not only posted my post too soon but posted it 3 times so sorry! We are eventually going to totally rebuild this fireplace with either brick or stone but we will be moving into this house first of Dec and Id like some ideas on how to paint this so it looks decent for Christmas in our new home. Colors etc . Thanks so much

well first, several questions

the top part that is wall board, right?

What is the gold thing above the firebox, below the vents?

Is that real pink marble in the surround?

why is there white marble in front of it?

What color will the room be?

What are your color/style preferences?

Are you sure you do not want to live with it? Sometimes something seems like a big deal, but once you have your stuff in, not so much.

The gold thing is a hood. Not real marble surrounding its faux painted on. Not sure why there is white marble on the floor. I like more of simplistic rustic look so living with it is not a option for me.

Ok, so first thing I am going to do is call my friend's attention to this thread, she is building her home at the moment and has gone over to lurking. You guys have a lot in common in your basic design ideas though.

TEX! Where are you? You little lurker you. Come look at this.

Anyway, I do not know your budget. But from your ideabook, you are definitely rustic, just this side of steampunk. Now is a good time to be hunting for deals though, because i agree you cannot live with that fireplace.

sand and stain the wood darker, I see it as too light for you. I actually like the style of the wood moldings, but you might want to look at the possibility of removing some.

Pick out a darker paint for it. Tan, grays, sage, slate blue.

Figure out what you are going to hang on the chimney to help with your choices.

Next point, i may be wrong, but i do not see you as being happy with the surround or that hood, look on line for diys on how to darken it all or costs of replacement.

If you can get measurements all the better, plan on replacing the marble apron at least. If you can get a killer deal, do the surround and then going up.

These are listed pretty much in order of cost effectiveness, I think that the first 3 would see you well for a while. Stop it from sticking out like a sore thumb. The rest you can do as you find deals, some may become less important with time. Have fun and let us see!