imo, painted or white washed brick is rarely an improvement.

You may be able to tile around the existing brick.

Or- wait until you get your new furniture...

I wonder if you scrubbed the brick to clean it if that would improve its appearance. AI indicates gently using a nylon brush and sudsy water.

Paint it… paint it.. you’ll be glad you did…it will give your home a updated look for sure. I did mine last May , painted it white from a cream color brick. I wish I did it sooner. It has really changed the character of the home with a bright , cheery and a cleaner well updated look.

Just my opinion… ever one has different tastes and different styles,. just do what you like.

So here’s before and after pics . Wudda think?

Before

After..

Paint the mantle your trim color and then sit back and wait and see how you feel about it. If you decide to change the brick you need to use the correct product to do so. A limewash will not be as severe as solid paint. The product you want is Romabio. https://romabio.com

Some visuals for you I think your fireplace wall looks a little lonely and that is contributing to your fireplace feeling out of sorts . Think about flanking it with two cabinets and lamps and a large piece of art above it.

I don't mind the brick color (you want to stain brick, not paint it). but, I , too, suggest you paint the mantle Alabaster in a satin finish.

You need accent colors, a coffee table and art over fireplace. If there is a chair pull it up onto the rug and in the conversation area.

Before you decide, look on line to see if/what appeals to you. Changing the mantle can also make a difference. I painted our two fireplaces white 15 years ago.. no regrets.

Thank you! Can you share what paint and techniques you used?

That room sure is.........brown. I'm confused by your arrangement in the room. You have 2 reclining sofas facing a fireplace. Why? Is your intention to add a TV?

I don't think your seating and rug are positioned correctly for the room. The 8x10 rug should be centered on the FP, with the sofa facing the fireplace and the loveseat in front of the windows centered on the windows. Move the end tables. Add lamps.

Having the fireplace in a contrasting color along with the mantel would be more interesting that the current design concept IMO.

Limewash is an option. It can be applied to allow the color of the brick to peek through and make the fireplace a bit more interesting.

Or the Limewash can be applied in a solid fashion.

This technique is the German Mortar Smear done with gypsum mortar applied to the brick.

Your fireplace could use a more interesting arrangement of items than you currently have.

If you feel you must change the fireplace, use special brick ”paint” or whitewash. People have had good luck with Romabio fireplace paint.

Painted bricks look so artificial to me. Don’t cheapen your home.

I agree with painted brick giving a cheap look. Our brinks are pink which clashes in so many ways. I’ll start with painting the mantel. We have talked about putting marble over it too. Might be an option.

Agree with DIS…paint the mantel with Alabaster first.

@beverlyfladeziner We do have a TV across from
the long recliner. Both recliners are going. They were my husband‘s, which are just here so we have something to sit on. We are shopping for new furniture tomorrow so all that is going to change. Everything is a work in progress. I won’t put a TV above the fireplace as I don’t want our TV to be the focal point of the home.