It looks like you have natural stone veneer. I think it's quite nice and painting over natural stone does not seem like a good idea in the short term. There are many thing you could do with the mantel and hearth to enhance the look. Houzz has many excellent photos of fireplaces that I'm sure could give you ideas for future.

I think the fireplace looks very nice as is. If you feel the need to make a change, I suggest making the mantle more substantial with a diy chunky "reclaimed" board look and update the brass by painting it with a high-heat black spray paint.

Hello aidat79,

In agreement with others. The brick looks like it's in good shape and once its painted you can never go back.

You might think about adding a stronger mantel, instead. Take a look at a few pictures from Houzz to give you an idea of a simple addition which would allow you to make this more of a focal point:





Love this... fun, but maybe not appropriate in your application:


Best of luck with your decorating and please let us know if we can be of any assistance,
Elizabeth Cabell, ASID, CID
Cabell Design Studio

This could look great with the right mantle.

Thank you so much for all your tips and ideas! I'm really glad we asked the painters to hold off. :) Better to try a few other things first (or leave it as is) since as Cabell Design Studio said, we can't go back once we do paint.