Is that a porcelain tile on the hearth? To my eye, it's the juxtaposition of that brick and tile that is so unpleasant and jarring, not either one by itself. The brick and mortar does look pretty dirty, and the contrast between the white wall and the brick seems too harsh. Are you planning to paint the wall? In our last house, we had dark red brick that I actually liked. But the PO had painted the room a pale yellow. I chose a deep red that complemented the brick and we loved that room. Before: After: If you're planning to paint the walls, I might wait on the brick until you decide about a wall color. Walls are easy to paint and repaint, but painted brick is forever. But there is still the problem of the brick surround and tile hearth. One or the other doesn't quite seem right. Gray painted brick might work with the tile, but does it work with your furniture and decor? Is the gray tile even a shade you like?

I have two fireplaces that are white painted brick, they were like that before we bought the home, and the outside of my house is white painted brick so it all goes. I actually really love the look of my painted brick... I have kind of an eclectic coastal thing going on. However, I really like the color of your brick. It adds a nice texture to the room. I will also tell you that one drawback of my painted brick is that it's hard to keep the top of the hearth looking clean in my family room. Everyone sits there, food and drink gets spilled on it... it just gets looking grimy and it doesn't clean up well so I end up slapping more white paint on periodically. No one sits on the hearth in my kitchen though and that hasn't been difficult to keep clean looking. So just some food for thought depending on how your room gets used. :)

Well, I've painted the bricks and area above the shelf. It really helped lighten up the corner area. I'm not sure if I will paint the shelf or leave as is. Lesson learned: the area above the shelf was wood and at first I used a satin paint to match the trim. I felt there was too much shine from the ceiling lights, so I painted over with a matte finish and like it much better. No more glare. I understand where Fori is coming from. I still don't love the fireplace. While painting the bricks I had covered the surround tile to protect them. And I really liked the look of the painted brick w the tile hidden. However, when I pulled off the protective cover to reveal the surround, I felt the same sense of "ugh" I had before painting. Not only is the fireplace dated, but the materials are not cohesive. And painting the brick doesn't change how odd I think the surround looks. That said, I'm glad I painted as it is less dark/dreary. Also, when we are finally able to tear down and replace with a more modern design, the new fireplace will be in the same general light color. It's nice to be able to visualize how the lighter color plays out as we decorate around the area. Any advice on the shelf? Paint the same color as trim? Or try to stain darker--like an espresso? Unfortunately, I can't easily remove to replace the shelf. Sanding would be challenging. Also, there is a groove on the top of the shelf--not sure why it is there (??).

Is there a reason you want to paint the brick? It is because you're chasing the all-white look? Or is the brick truly bad? I had a painted brick fireplace at my other house, was there when I moved in and frankly it looked cheap. I did have it repainted a different color which improved it -- but painted brick is not an attractive look IMO. If it's truly horrible gold or pink brick or something, then go for it, but if it's a perfectly service traditional red, brown, or grey brick I'd work with it. Posting a pic would help responses.