Leave it.
Paint it.
Bust it all out and redo.
Add a mantel.
Replace the insert with a gas fireplace.
Tile over it.
Some combo of some of the above.

My first preference would be to bust it all out and start from scratch, including making the window a normal window and not part of the fireplace. I'd get rid of the raised hearth (toe banger) and do a real wood mantel with a glass tile surround and a gas fireplace insert. And I'd add ceiling lights to spot light what was on the mantel.

Love ur idea of French doors! that would really brighten up the room I bet!
Mayb for a quick & inexpensive fix you could put up blackout shade on that window & then hang a grouping of art on that side being sure one of pieces is big enough to cover the window... Then mayb a mirror or big clock above FP openingOr maybe a room divider set on the hearth in front of the blacked out window with a big plant & some other decor items around it?? I'm no designer by any means, just thinking of things to try that wouldn't cost much...

Oh I agree with mama-sweetT --Yes on the French doors! Also, if possible (don't know what the distance to the left is) give a little bit of wall separation between the french door and the brick -- the current window-to-brick-feature is too tight and doesn't give either of them their due importance. I think I'd have the window in the brick wall match the french window.

The brick pattern and color is too strong for the rest of the room. Your furnishings (what I can see of them) are comfortable transitional, so the brick is totally in line, but I'd go for a whitewashed/distressed redo on the brick to lighten it up and go ahead and put in a mantel above the fireplace? woodstove? I can't really tell what that is from the picture. I see sage in your furnishings. If the brick were neutralized by a distressed white, a sage mantel might tie things together nicely-- you could extend that to your french door/window treatment to tie them all together.

The hearth is actually a nice feature, in that, if it is a fireplace/woodburning stove, it puts the fire at a nice viewing height and would allow some nice stacking of firewood. If it is really a working fireplace/woodstove, I'd want an arm chair close to the hearth, in the right position/angle for feet up on the hearth, shoulder to that convenient window for light, and reading a good book on a cold day by the fire!! Looks yummy to me!

I would question whether the hearth has to stay...moving a vent should be fairly easy. I would think hammering out the brick would be a lot more work.

Paint or stain the brick. If you hate it, you can always remove or cover the brick, but it is the fastest, easiest, cheapest way to change the look of the brick and the room, so a good way to start.

Have a gas fp insert installed. You'll get a lot of use out of it, and they are much more energy efficient than a wood-burning fp. We've used ours during power outages. The fan (blower) doesn't work without electricity, but the remote still turns the fp on, and it still cranks out plenty of heat (and atmosphere in a pitch dark house! LOL).

Add a mantel, or not. You can go either way.

Cover the window with a solar shade, the same color as the brick paint/stain. Will allow light in during the day, and blend in with the brick at night (you can install a privacy or room darkening micro-pleat shade behind if desired).

Here's your pic.

we had something similiar== we busted out the raised hearth, covered the brick with 1/4"drywall because we were afraid of what we might find if we busted it out!--replaced the firebox thing with a gas insert==I can't find a good before pic--but previous owners had covered much of the brick with lovely dark paneling!

This post was edited by christine40 on Sat, Nov 2, 13 at 9:35

A lot depends on how much you are willing to put into the project -- time and money. I agree that the vent can probably be put into the wall, easier and for less money than tearing out the brick -- probably an afterthought at that point. It could be as simple as cutting the duct and ending it at the wall or it could mean rerouting it -- can you tell where it comes from? Take of the cover and look from that end -- also look from the attic or where ever the ducts originate.

Personally, if you aren't going to go through the expense of either dropping the fireplace to the floor level or raising it a bit more to be floating, I think I'd prefer a hearth.

SImply painting the brick, adding a mantel and uncovering that window could go a long way. If you don't need the wondow covering for privacy, I'd remove it. If you do need some screening on the window, think about replacing the window with textured, leaded or stained glass. You can do a less expensive version for test or for keeps by hanging a stained glass piece insode the window or using a film to mimic the look or stained or textured glass. It's one of those what do I do with this thing that seems so awkward times when rather than hiding it you need to see if you can make it a feature.

Tearing the whole thing out gives you a lot of options, but it will be expensive, messy and still has limitations wit that window placement. Make sure it would be worth it to you.

Here is what we did with out brick wall/fp:

Before

After

My first choice would have been to remove the hearth, mantel, and fp "surround" and then cover the entire wall with sheetrock and install the gas fp insert (leaving in effect, a "floating" in-wall fp). Once we started exploring the cost and work involved with going that route (plus DH's extreme reluctance to tackle another sheetrock/spackle job!), we decided to try a cheaper, less labor-intensive way of updating the wall. Again, we figured if we really hated how it came out, we could always cover the wall at a later date.

Would have painted that wall the same color as the rest of the room had we covered the brick. When we decided to paint the brick itself, I "knew" we should paint it black instead. Embrace the wall being "different" entirely, and make it "something" instead of trying to make it blend-in. That's something you can consider too. Lots of options I think!

Suggest that first of all you paint the brick wall the same color as your walls/curtains. THEN look at the entire picture again and determine the difference that has made, and see how you want to proceed.

Pink

Sorry, I'm in the minority I guess. I think you should work with the brick. It is NOT loud or ugly, there is just so much of it. It DOES go with your other furnishings. I think the suggestion of a gas fireplace insert is an excellent one as well as adding a mantel surround. I would make the window a feature. It needs trim, or stained glass or shutters, something to make it deliberate. Search the internet for inspiration about the window. I LOVE the hearth. The fireplace would look silly IMO high off the floor with no hearth underneath. The hearth gives you a place to sit and warm yourself in front of the fire as well as extra seating when entertaining. You need a large piece of wonderful art above the fireplace (and mantel to come:) Also, I envision something decorative on the hearth near the window but not sure what: a wonderful basket of something? A plant? Christmas is coming, some wonderful large Christmas decor? I just think the brick is warm with rich texture and subtle coloring. Once you paint it, there's no going back. You can always paint or cover it later if you can't make it work in the room. Show us the rest of your room and we can offer more opinions. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions! Christine40 I love the way your fireplace and wall turned out! Annie thank you for posting my pic - I couldn't figure out how to do it!

Joanie38, I agree with you. I like the brick, but there is just so much of it that it's overwhelming.

I will be exploring all of the suggestions and will keep you updated on what we decide!

I could not live with the window as part of the arrangement .

What about surrounding the window with shelving to look like a built in bookcase, integrating a mantel into the arrangement? I'd put some shelves across the window to lessen its prominence and use them to display some beautiful art glass. I'd go floor to ceiling and about as wide as the window plus the distance to the corner matched on the left of the window. You could cover the brick behind the bookshelves with wood and match the wood of the whole unit to the wall color, and then decide if you want to paint the rest of the fireplace or leave it brick colored.

Kind of like this, only just on one side, with the window integrated into the upper shelves. Of course, it wouldn't be recessed but would extend out from the brick wall.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Menlo Park Interior Designers & Decorators Grace Dumalac Design
You could enclose that end of the hearth into a lower cabinet, just as deep as the hearth to keep it as shallow as possible (might not be too usable, but is more of a camouflage for the hearth at that end) and probably even accommodate the vent with your choice of door material. I'm wondering, though, if the vent isn't an outlet to blow heat from the wood fireplace - maybe pre-insert when it was likely just a wood burning fireplace? If you get a gas insert, you likely could just disconnect it, as the insert would have its own fan, wouldn't it?

Or you could cover most of the brick and just leave a surround like this with the bookcase on one side as described above. Paint the brick or not.

Yes, for me it's the window that is the most problematic issue. It just looks odd and out of place. If you go the tear down and redo route I would just make the fireplace narrower and then it would just be a regular window on a regular wall. Or do a built in unit over the brick surrounding the window as Oly suggested. French doors are always nice if they don't disrupt furniture placement.

Cat mom....love what you did...that room is sleek!

I agree with Joanie to work with the fireplace. One problem I see is that the white window treatment to the left suddenly cuts off that brick wall.
Could you post a picture of what it looks like behind the verticals? And use different window treatment? Maybe also paint the walls a different color?

Also, the white blinds on the window of the brick wall seem very jarring. If you had a glass window hung there and art work above the fireplace, it would look a lot more cohesive.

Also, a gas insert and mantle would be great.

If you don't like the brick, you could also try white washing it.

The other thing --- and I can't find anybody who's done that -- -would be to try built-in shelves. maybe someone can play around with photoshop.

Thanks joanie! We are extremely happy with the way it turned out. :)

I don't really think it's so bad. I've seen far uglier brick, for example.

The easiest thing, and the thing I see them do all the time on home shows, is to paint the whole thing white. It does neutralize it some.

I also think that, if the window stays, it needs more heft. Maybe trim, or w/t

I was going to suggest exactly what olychick suggested: construct a built-in around the window. Symmetrical on either side of the window and as deep as the hearth. Disguise the brick completely on that side.

I would white wash it, and add a mantel, and some type of trim/ledge to the window to match the mantel. Small plants on the ledge of the window (?). I'd use either natural wood, or something that goes with whitewash.

If you Google white washing brick fireplace you should get some ideas.

BTW- I love the fireplace and would NEVER paint or cover it up completely. Your fireplace has a lot of charm, so keeping it semi-natural, but brightening it up will still keep it cozy and up to date without killing its' purpose.

I cringe when people tear out brick and put in of-the-moment tile. I think brick is and can be classic and lovely and I'm not sure why it's looked down on as "dated" on design shows. But that's my pet peeve. :)

And that said, I agree that toning it down seems like a good option, and I love the window framing ideas. Built-ins would be lovely, too, if it's in the budget and a look you prefer.

[Christine, just wanted to clarify that I think your new fireplace & surround is gorgeous and an amazing transformation -- no cringing from me! ;)]

So many great suggestions! I should have mentioned that I like the brick, but I want to minimize it. This is a wood burning fireplace with an insert that we use quite a bit in the winter. The insert is trimmed in gold - very 70s! So, I know the color will change to all black.

The vertical blinds will also go. They cover a patio door that will be replaced with French doors. I have thought about covering the brick wall around the window with sheetrock/drywall and adding some trim to the window. Why did they put that window there?!

I never thought to surround the window with built ins, but I will seriously consider it.

Thanks to everyone!

I would consider just shortening the wall and the ledge to just surround the fireplace.

The vent there is it a heating vent from the fireplace or from your heating/ac system?

If from your heating/ac system it should be easy to convert it.

If you remove part of the bricks it won't be as expensive as the full area.

You could also just remove it along the wall and leave the ledge and do a built-in to cover that part and allow the vent to stay and come out of the built in area if it is a vent coming from the fireplace. Of course this is an option in either case.

Then add a mantle over the fireplace

Here is a crappy mock-up and I just did what was easy to illustrate - style is up to you.

The mock up really helps to visualize how the space could look. I like it.

Thank you Lyfia! Your mock up helps so much! The vent is part of the heating/AC system. The ideas are beginning to flow for me...