Hi! I suggest that you paint the bricks with a light gray, or other neutral color that compliments your wall color and furnishings. Then paint the fireplace mantel and surround in a deep espresso brown or dark charcoal, for a more contemporary look. Here is an example of another fireplace where we painted the surround dark.

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The curve under the mantel is what bothers me, I think. Can that be taken off? Then you can decide whether to paint the brick or not.

How about taking stone all the way to the ceiling? Even with the slant it should look great.

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i'd take down the crown molding in this area, its just not very successful with this kind of ceiling, especially since you want a more modern feel. the previous owners were trying to up the traditional.

this is an easy project for when you are going to paint the room.