I agree. It would look so good painted. It would brighten the room and provide and fresher and more updated look.

Would you consider at least getting a smaller TV? It's massive for your room. If you're keeping it, then please don't put it over the fireplace. You need another focal point. Instead, find a beautiful square art work for over the fireplace to pull the eye away from the screen. Get drapes for the window, again to balance out the huge dark pieces taking up almost all the visual space: TV, big leather sofas.Beverly's layout seems the best since it opens up some space for your passageways on the right.

As fireplaces go, it's actually very pretty. By "update," what style were you looking to move toward?

paint it white, and paint the surround with matte black heatproof paint. it will look great -- google "white brick fireplace" for inspiration. if you wind up not liking it, you can always tile it later. I'd keep the mantle and hearth the way they are. but if you disliked those, I'd try either staining them dark charcoal, or replacing the mantle with a simple wood version.