I don’t think it will work maybe paint it a gray like mortar color and use a piece of reclaimed wood for a mantel that might make it work

It seems to me you have nothing to lose. It will be difficult but if you want to try use the Citristrip.

Try looking into soda-blasting. It's the best, quickest way to remove paint from brick. Get a few quotes. Make sure the area is sealed off completely and no one is near the exposure area. With the vibe you have elsewhere in the home the painted fireplace will look odd. Even if the best you can get is a DIY semi-stripped look, this will still look more appropriate.

Nice huh?

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Hi! I just saw your post & wondered if you still need / want to do this.We did it to our fireplace. It had MULTIPLE layers & colors to go through. We did it BY HAND using a product called "CitrusStrip. It is a very thick gelatinous product that DISOLVES the paint allowing removal with a putty knife, wire brush & other non plastic items.IT DOES NOT STINK!!! It was labor intensive and and had to be worked on in spurts- time between product applications,etc. But my end product is breath-takingly gorgeous. Clean-up was easy. I'll try to post a photo if you like.