Painting it a soft white would give this giant a much less obtrusive presence. A wooden beam might be nice but one would have to see more of your room and decor to give an informed opinion. I wonder if you might also want to rethink painting this room gray given the color of your floor. The gray for the sake of gray look is a trend that is now so over, and gray walls should only be a feature of your decor if it makes sense with everything else.

I would go white or white wash.

Here is photo from our kitchen looking into the living room. The kitchen wall color is painted in SW Colonade Gray. I’d like to carry that same color into the living room.

i would either 1) buy a beautiful mantle, smash off the brick mantle, panel over everything but a brick surround and the hearth or 2) paint it ALL not white, definitely not light grey, but a deep dark charcoal, or 3) wall board and paint everything from the mantle up. Doing this part only in paneling would be a mistake IMO

Ingrid, celerygirl, and greenfish1234 looks like we all agree painting the whole fireplace is an a good option. A soft white feels like a safe choice and one my husband may easily accept. However, Dark gray could be very dramatic and I am not at all opposed, with a lighter wall color it could be stunning. For further reference here is a photo of the Italian porcelain tile in my foyer. While that tile does not connect at all to the living room space where the fireplace is you can get a glimpse of the fireplace from the front door entry. Would this be an appropriate gray to match the paint for the fireplace to or should I go darker/deeper color on the fireplace? Thank you all for taking the time to provide your advice and opinions!

I would go darker-be back with pics

I agree painting it. If want the room to feel bigger & brighter then lighter. if want the room to feel dramatic and cozy, then darker. Personally, I would do a solid color, because I find the darker geometric shapes distractingly odd.

btw, nice tile floors. possibly that color for fireplace.

I would panel over the top half above the mantle and add some trim...paint out to match your trim paint color....than see how you feel about the red brick..if no than I woukd paint out the lower brick dark charcoal gray...it will be much more cohesive with your kitchen...

Our previous home had an orange brick fireplace. We painted it a color 50% lighter than the walls. Our walls were little darker than yours. I was very happy with the color. A color 50% darker would also look good.

Great idea D M!:)

Here is warmer FP

I really like the latest version by celerygirl. Looks much better with floors and walls.

Thank you for all the great suggestions!

The last 1 celerygirl is nice. A big art piece would break up the odd geometric shapes in a good way.

Excited to see the update soon ;)

You have gotten a lot of good advice. I am a big fan of painted brick, but actually love the herring bone pattern of yours with the red and black so if this was mine I would consider having the brick removed from the hearth and replace with a solid stone piece. Perhaps a dark granite or Indiana limestone.

For me the fact that the brick is run in two different patterns is really busy, and that is exacerbated by the multi-color brick. Normally I never recommend painting brick but that is why I would paint, not stain, in this case.

I’m leaning towards the charcoal color paint for the fireplace. Greenfish1234 the second and last photos you posted in this discussion are my inspiration right now. Beautiful! (The last one has a great wood floor that I find stunning.) My wood floors are lighter Canadian Hard Maple but do have a lot of color variation and they are installed through out the entire first floor with the exception of the tile in the foyer. I found this picture when researching the charcoal suggestion and it really speaks to me. Now to find the right paint color. The pics I like have a blue undertone to me? I realize screens can distort the colors and everyone see them differently. Just want to make sure I’m looking in the right direction while looking for paint colors.

I think it will look amazing. I would want some gloss to it, personally. I have BM Kendall charcoal in my bathroom, start here, but I think you can go darker.

I love Kendall Charcoal...but..it tends to go a bit more on the slate gray side so just a slight slate blue cast can occur.

...if wanting a more warm Gray...I would consider BM Iron Mountain

Dark Walls and Light colored fireplace would look odd don't you think? I would go grey on the fireplace and lighter color on the walls

https://www.accentmasonryllc.co/

It's funny how colors are. I just looked in my bathroom for the slightest hint of blue and I couldn't see it. But some of those examples HIWE showed certainly Showed some blue. Goes to show how site-specific color choice is! Can't wait to see how it looks.

The nice thing is that for now you can paint the whole thing, and that doesn't preclude any other options in the future (other than a natural brick hearth and surround, which I love but I would be glad to say goodbye to the part over the mantle) such as wall board, paneling, or even smashing off the mantle shelf and adding a beam (and some touch up paint), but this will be a quick and easy way to make the space feel finished and up-to-date for now.

I love Kendall Charcoal Greenfish looks beautiful in your bathroom!........it is a beautiful color did my daughters bedroom many years ago..but depending on the lighting the more light the more it has a slate gray color...I used BM Iron mountain for one of my clients and it is a great dark gray..

Im excited! I’m looking forward to starting this project. I think I have a small can of Kendall Charcoal satin in my stash of paint samples(one of 12 tested for exterior house paint last year). I will get some iron ore to try out as well. I typically paint my walls with flat and my trim with (Ben Moore advance) satin. What sheen for the fireplace? Since it’s such a dark color I assume the sheen could alter the color, right? Thanks again for all the great advice!

Look at BM Iron Mountain too

Oh, yes Iron Mountain. I don’t know where I got Iron Ore from.

I would do satin if that is what you do for trim. Think about a large piece of art that will really bring the mantle to life and minimal if any decorative items.

Progress update: The room was repainted in SW Collonade Gray (same as kitchen and dining). The fireplace was scrubbed and washed a few days ago and received a coat of tinted primer today. (Primer was tinted at 75% Kendall Charcoal). Love the updated look already! Will try out samples of BM Kendall Charcoal and BM Iron Mountain in eggshell finish tomorrow. The hearth will be done last.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my posts and all the great advice!

Wow. What a difference! Interesting touch leaving the hearth. Is that the plan?

it Will be painted all one color. Hearth will be painted out last as I need to stand on it to get to top of the fireplace

Here’s BM Kendal Charcoal on left and Iron Mountain on right. Thoughts?

Omg Kendall. Iron looks blue. Going to be amazing!

Idk...I kind like how dark the Iron Maiden is. Hard to say because of contrast with primer

Too late. I found the black bricks set vertically very distracting. I liked the looks of the bottom from the mantel on down. I would have painted the above portion same as the wall color and left the rest. But I don't think gray for the walls works with the fireplace so it was probably best to wipe all the color out of the bricks. Hopefully you are happy with your results.

Lol "Iron Maiden..."

We chose Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain for the paint color. Brick fireplace wall is finished. Hearth painting is in progress (only primer so far). As for decor I’m thinking just something over the mantle and maybe skip putting anything on the mantle. Any other suggestions?

Wow what a difference!...has a very cool modern vibe to it with your beautiful floors. You could do a mirror or art layered leaning on the mantle..I love this layered laid back style...of course no topiaries! Pretend they are not In the image;)

Wow fantastic!! What a transformation. I love the "Iron Maiden!" Yes-just a large piece of art would be perfect, mAybe black and white photography? fire tools only on the hearth. Enjoy!!

What a helpful thread! Greenfish pointed me here - as we are having issues deciding on a cabinet color. Love the iron maiden/mountain...looks fantastic!

Looks sooo much better! Hooray no more odd different color geometrical shapes floating around. Like the color chosen. Way to go!

What a brilliant transformation!