You could paint it. All the different color brick and different directions would drive me crazy painted that would be less noticeable.

jck910 I took your suggestion and have painted it, or am in the process of painting it, white. Now I have the problem of what to do with the black metal insert front. I don't actually use the fireplace, and would like to take the doors off and put either candles or books as a book shelve. Can I get rid of the black insert front or am I stuck with it. Anyone know anything about fireplaces??

You need to determine if the doors helped keep out cold air. Too bad you were so quick on the draw. I think dark was better so you didn't need to deal with the black liner.

In process of painting FP

Finished painting Mine is a gas FP that we use

Paul F.

I am extremely inpatient!!! Get an idea and go for it...act in haste repent at leisure....

So this is my fireplace in progress. Now that I see it, I want to transform the rest. The black area is so big. Is there anything I can do? You can see that there is a grill/vent on top which is why it is such a big part of the fireplace. Any brilliant creative ideas to transform it? I could paint the mantel white? Can I paint the top few inches of the black metal white or do something else?

I would leave the doors, its all part of the working fireplace. You may not use the fireplace, or maybe someday, there will be a need for you to use. Keeping it usable, also improves the value of your house. The black does need painting however. Make sure the paint is heat resistant.. Also, sometimes, it is better to think about things, and make sure you want what you think you want, and have correct paints, etc etc. Its never good, to get an idea for something major, and get started on it right away. Think and plan it for a week, before changing something so drastically.

Do you have an idea about the wood mantel? Should I paint it white?

And as I said before, I do tend to lack patience at times. At for other projects, I can struggle with it for years!

I think you should show us more of the room. Does that color wood show up anywhere else?

No, it shouldnt be painted white. You have enough white there now. I much preferred the look of the fireplace before, but now, you cannot go back to that. If you were set on changing it, a paint wash would have looked better than a solid white. Leave the mantle alone. It goes with the floor.

I like the white paint and the color of the mantel. You could look at pictures of more rustic mantels and see if you want to find a way to rough up the mantel to make it look more rustic. The natural color is nice with the white.

I had those corbels and I hated them. They look better with your fireplace than they did with mine. If you don’t like them, you may be able to remove them. Mine were not necessary to hold up the mantel. I had to remove the mantel to remove the corbels, and it was a pain to remove the mantel from the bolts in the brick and it would have been very difficult for me to put the mantel back on the bolts. It was solid wood, probably 4” thick. I ended up getting rid of the bolts too, and now I have no mantel. But I think your white fireplace needs the mantel. I like the thick mantel. The corbels are up to you, as long as they are not needed to hold up the mantel. I did get a professional mason to cut off the bolts that held the mantel and fill the holes.

Regarding the black, I also had a similar black fireplace with vents in a different house. The vents were required. Since you don’t use the fireplace, you could try to find a nice fairly opaque fireplace screen to cover up the black part. Or you could make something out of wood as long as you don’t use it with a fire. I got this one from Crate and Barrel that fit my fireplace opening almost perfectly. (It may not be available now.) I put candles behind the screen so I could see a glow through the screen. Haven’t tried it yet so I don’t know how it looks. With a screen, check the measurements to see if you would be happy with the coverage.

Your project is complete unless you want to restain the mantel

Thanks for all your suggestions. one last question. should i paint the brass on the doors black? thanks

Yes, paint the brass black.