ooh, love the red drapes. Had been thinking about something neutral but this really appeals to me. Any advice about how to handle the corners? The windows are almost touching each other on the adjacent corners.

I had the same dilemma as you a year ago, but nothing we attempted really worked well. Ugly is ugly. We ripped out all the stone ourselves and redid the face of the fireplace in concrete...total cost was less than $500, though it was a lot of work. You could try painting it an off white and then spray the brass around the doors with high temperature black paint for a more uniform look.

Wow! Stucco it?

If you aren't planning on getting rid of the stone (I don't absolutely hate it, personally) if you could build a mantel of wood that would fit around the existing stone one, I think that would help tie in the floors and break up the grey- stone mass :) I'd also extend it around the sides of the fireplace a bit.

If you're looking to cover the stone, you might be able to use a product called airstone-- it looks like stacked stone, but is really light weight, so it's much easier to install. You might have to build a frame around your existing fireplace, though, which might mean that doing a complete re-do would be worth it!

For the brass, you can usually buy replacement fireplace fronts-- that brass one should be able to be removed, then you can replace it with something more your taste. Worst case scenario, you could use metal paint over the brass doors (it comes in spray cans), which would look just fine as long as you didn't get too close :)

I would paint the brass in either a black or pewter, and get a giant wood beam to fit over the awkward shelf you have now. There are folks on etsy who can make one custom for you.

I'd just live with it until I had the $ to remodel it to your taste. A custom mantle not cheap & while I think it would help you would still be stuck with the stone you hate. I personally don't think it's that bad, not my taste at all however.

Beverly's suggestion is brilliant

Geez I love houzz! Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. So, we considered a build around (my hubby is pretty handy with woodworking stuff) but the problem we have is the uneven surfaces. The stones are really large and the gaps between stones vary from negligible to about 5-6 inches. Because the stones stick out so far, we'd be left with giant gaps between any wood facing and the stone which would be very apparent around the fireplace itself. I'm to look at some of the products suggested for covering up the stone and I will definitely look for the fireproof spray paint for the screen. Anyone have any ideas about how to hang something on the stone?

Masonry drill bits work & insert a plastic (wall anchors) something inside it ( you can tell I know NOTHING about home repairs) & inset masonry screw to hang or use stick on 3M products sold everywhere, they work pretty good. I've watched my handyman do it .... I make a list & keep him "on call". :)