I've thought of that, but really don't care for that look much either. I guess I just hate the whole brick look! lol

I would also suggest painting (perhaps you would like a solid paint finish instead of a white wash)

Your only other option is to recover the fireplace in either a new stone or drywall (more costly than paint)

Good Luck!

Yep, a can of paint and a bit of labor and your fireplace will be transformed. Our fireplace was done with the ugliest brick I've ever seen—I think they were rejects and purchased because they were cheap—they were also not laid very well. We painted it off-black and it is a different beast entirely. Plus you can't beat the price!

I am in the same boat and our fireplace (3 brick colors) is half the room - probably 6 feet wide. :( I do not like white wash either but exploring paint.

That is what I think I will do as well. We have some bricks outside that I can clean up and paint with some different colors to see if I will even like it. I'm terrified that I will make the fireplace look worse if I just start throwing paint on it! LOL

I am going to also paint the gold front a black. I saw a tutorial on that somewhere. So perhaps a grey wash might be ok on the brick??

Well, if you hate brick, then the ideal would be refacing with different stone. Didn't sound like that was in your budget. The other cleanest change is paint.

This can really change the character a lot, but obviously the brick lines are still there. Maybe you should get one or two estimates on refacing -- nothing to lose by asking!

Tile could work too and probably save money, depending on the tile...

Just a note, you can try a white (or gray) wash and if you don't like it you can try full on paint. But you can't go the other way around.
I had a similar issue in my new home with a half brick wall in my split entry home. I am not a big fan of brick, really not a fan of full strength paint on it either I had to decide which I like the most out of my limited choices. So I tried the wash washing, I did it really light at first, but it ended up looking pink. Even worse! So I tried a different paint and a different paint to water ration until I was satisfied. I ended up liking the white wash.

There is another technique involving mortar. I'm sure it's much harder to do and more messy. Google German smear on brick.

I think I read that used brick is coming back in so maybe you could have it resurfaced to look like that - plus it would go with your furnishings. We started with used brick, then painted it, now we had it resurfaced with stone and I'm thinking too bad we covered up the used brick!

Which photos are your stuff? If the piano, I would place it by the railing to serve as a counter balance to the fireplace. You don't have any ideabooks started. Cruise through Houzz to find fireplaces you do like and collect them together. What style and period is your home on the exterior?

Will the TV be above the FP? I would think about lowering the mantle if so as it would be very high. Try the white wash effect first as it is easier to adjust from light to heavy after. I love the German Schmear approach as well.

The German thing was done on Fixer Upper and is a great look . Also might look into having a box made to slip,over mantel to bulk it up. Could be painted whit with molding or reclaimed wood look . Anything.

decoenthusiaste, This is the exterior of my home. All the photos are of my stuff. The one with the piano by the fireplace was when we first moved in. I moved it by the railing at Christmastime and now it is in front of the window.

sandradclark, My husband insists that the stupid TV stay on the mantel, even though he know's it drives me nuts. haha Here is one pic I found that I would love to do, but I don't know if it would look right with the house...

I have thought about adding built-in shelves on either side but since the fireplace is not centered on the wall I'm worried that it will look bad.

Looks like the fireplace is a match to the exterior brick on your split level home. Are you happy with the brick outside? Which of the inspiration FP photos you've collected are your top three favorites? We need to narrow down to a style you can live with.

Oddly enough, I like the brick on the outside of the house, I just don't care for it in my living room. After reviewing the photos I have saved, I see that I keep leaning towards built-ins. My budget will be more flexible towards summer, so I can do more. Right now I'm saving to go to see my son graduate from the Air Force BMT. (Proud mama!)

These would probably be my top 3 for the style. The colors I just not sure of. Since my furniture is a dark plum/brownish color, I guess I'm limited on colors. I do prefer the tan/beige brick over the ugly red I have.

Here is a shot of the room before we moved in, if this helps. :)

LOVE THIS!!!

I just saw a beautiful front of a brick home done with a German Smear, love it, I think it could look beautiful in your space and keep with the age of the home but add a new modern fresh look to your home.

Messing around with photoshop a little. I am really loving this look. But, what color would I paint my walls if I did this? I guess I would have have to sand and restain all the other wood (railings and such) to match.

I know you are just asking about fireplace but... I think it would help the room if you replaced the curtains with simple side drapes.

Yes, I plan to replace the country ruffled curtains once I have the paint color decided. My mother made those curtains for me about 25 years ago, it's time for something new! :)

I know how you feel. We were on a tight budget, so ended up just painting ours.

Take off the brass and whitewash the brick!

You don't like it. Don't live with it. Change it up! Remove the brass window thingy and reface it with tile or stone. El Dorado Stone makes nice prices for about$6 per square foot. Find a cool mantle to place up there. Figure out your style go for it. And get rid of the stinkin' TV!

Which of those three does hubby prefer? Two out of three are flanked with cabinetry which will be a bit off with your different sized walls. If you let him pick the FP he likes, maybe you can get a compromise on what flanks it and put the TV on the wider wall at the left. I like the first one with a tall cabinet on the right and just a base cabinet on the left with TV above it.

He has finally agreed to move the TV! :) He is leaving the design up to me but he does like the idea of cabinets on either side of the fireplace. I am struggling with the choice between natural wood grain or painted a solid color for the cabinets and fireplace surround. We are more than likely going to build all of this ourselves in the interest of saving a boat load of money as we still have the kitchen and bathrooms that will need updated. Everything is original 1976! :)

We were in this same position when we got married! We had a MASSIVE cultured stone fireplace wall that was probably 10' long and 9' tall to the ceiling.

We removed the metal surround and I chipped off the river rock back to the brick. You could paint the metal surround black with high temp if you want (we just took ours off and trashed it). We sheet rocked the wall above and to sides but left brick around it the firebox to code. The Sheetrock guy was able to use glue and masonry screws to get the Sheetrock to stick. We then added a "big box store special" contemporary tile on top of the brick. We finished ours with a mantle made from an old distressed beam but you could buy a prefab white mantle kit for pretty cheap alternatively.

srobertb do you have a photo you could share? It sounds very nice! :)

If you don't intend to paint your trim and stair railings, then you can match the cabinetry to those. If you ever put it on the market you might want to paint it all white.

Ever thought of a broken tile or mirror mosaic. What a focal point that would be and its an easy installation.