A broader view

I've been doing some research on brick fireplaces myself as I have a bright red one that is really distracting. Seems like lots of people are whitewashing the fireplaces and even walls. You should google it and check it out. I'm attaching some pics I found.

Paint it!! We did that with ours and it was gorgeous. An off white color with an expanded mantle would make this beautiful

Yes that is one thing my husband and I said we should do, is whitewash the brick.

One other thing change the brass surround to black. Got that idea from this blog
http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/09/how-to-paint-a-brick-fireplace.html

I also would like to replace the gold fireplace screen. I guess what really bothers me is the long bench hearth.

I would not paint it there is no going back once that is done. I would embrace the brick and use it as a design inspiration for the room. It would look great with contemporary furniture and accessories.

Or painting the screen. Thank you mfleck74.

That is the one thing that scares me about painting the brick, the fact that we cannot go back once it's done.

What I would suggest is drywalling over the one wall of brick that leads to the other room. I would have the hearth removed on that wall as well so that it is an actual drywall wall. You state that you will be removing the wall on the other side too. That will leave just the brick fireplace. I also like the other posters idea of whitewashing the brick. Just depends upon the look you are going for.

Brick isn't as hard to remove as you may imagine. The fireplace itself may be brick tied into concrete and fire block, but the other brick areas could be removed and replaced with sheetrock. If you don't like the seat hearth, a demo saw and a sledgehammer will make short work of it, but once you're done, you will have to consider what you are going to do for a finish along what you removed. I used sheetrock, paint, granite, and wood to create a new look for our 70's nightmare fireplace. Unfortunately I don't have any before pictures, but believe me it was white brick hideous!

That is a great space! I love the architectural details and brick. Are you open to painting the brick, or do you want it all gone? If yes, then I would suggest, painting out the brick in a neutral colour, then you need to beef up that mantle - you could build out the entire facade with woodwork painted white or grey or something neutral if that's your aestetic. I think the Hearth would look great built-out in a great stone and then with some cushions on each side to make it look like additional seating. Good Luck!

http://houzz.com/photos/69615

You might consider a plywood overlay since your doing midcentury.

Stone over the top of the brick with natural thin veneer stone from NSVI. Here are some examples of angled solutions.

In this fireplace photo, though not in a corner, the beams worked really nice with the stone type and color:

I am open to painting. How would I arrange cushions on the hearth? I was trying to think of ways to decorate the hearth. Also I was thinking of putting a cypress beam, or some type of wood in place of that mantel. My husband and I like a rustic country kind of look.

You can remove the hearth and replace the flooring. I would use a stone veneer on the center of the fire place all the way up with no mantel. Take the brick out from the angles and sheetrock it in. You can update the box by reducing the size to a more rectangular look with fire rated brick. The photo attached has had the same application done in a remodel that we recently completed.

It could also be modernized by applying a dimensional ledgestone over all areas of brick.

I have to laugh because we had this exact same fireplace in our house! We painted it HC 26, which is a Benjamin Moore color that's the same as our walls. Spray paint the inside a solid black (make sure you get a high-heat resistant spray paint. Home Depot has it.) We also took out the very dated brass fireplace screen and set up a pretty iron firescreen that I found at a flea market and spray-painted black. If you paint the fireplace to match the walls, it will disappear, I promise!

You can sheetrock over the brick that is bothering you and update the mantle and cover.
I like the whitewash idea too!

Any progress on the firewall ?

I agree. Paint it.

Here's an example of a newer product we call Bronze Drystack Ledgestone. It is on a flat wall, but because of it's squared off ends, and sawn heights, it installs very fast, and is much easier to work with for angle cuts. I can provide a close-up image if anyone's interested in seeing the texture and relative flatness compared to many natural stone products.