What does the rest of the room look like or are you remodeling everything? What do you like? If you ask people for suggestions for “updating” they will usually just tell you to paint it some shade of gray or put gray tile all over it.

The rest of the room is a nice blue/gray color but it has all oak trim and baseboards 🤮

I like the brick, so I would not paint it. Maybe paint the wood a dark gray almost black in a matte finish so it doesn't shine.

I think you could hang a fabulous piece of art in the spot light and remove most of the other objects. I found this on allposter.com.. They have a great selection. I've purchased from them and was very happy.

Is it a rental? If you can do anything you want, what’s your budget?

Does the fireplace work and do you use it?

Do you like urban styles or do you wish you had a warm cottage-y or clubby library feeling to the room? Or beachy? Boho?

Is that still a wood burning fireplace or has it been converted to gas or electric? If it's still wood burning, your local code may limit what you can do to the surface (where I live, you can't change the surface material and keep it wood burning) and need to keep a fire screen and tile border. If it is gas, you'll have more options and endless possibilities if it is electric.

If it's wood and you want to keep it wood, whitewash it, get a new mantle that matches the direction you want to go in and buy a new fire screen.

I would do something with that tile boarder. If it's not wood burning, you can probably get rid of it. If it is wood burning or you don't want to change your flooring, a newer tile would probably look better.

What style are you going for? That will really drive the recommendations. Depending on the style, you could get rid of the hearth and the mantle and the brick.

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;)

We’re just looking for inspiration at this point. I favor modern and my wife favors the more cozy look. This has been converted to gas. One thing we can both agree on is that we both HATE the color

There is really almost no limit to what you can do with this fireplace, but we need more context to limit our responses to what works within your room. Please post some pictures of the room along with another picture of the fireplace taken from the other side of the room so we can see the entire fireplace wall and built-ins that are on each side.

You could tear it all out and put in any kind of fireplace you like.

If you are fine with everything except the colour, the most budget-friendly approach is to paint it a colour that looks good with your blue-gray walls and your furniture fabrics.

Since it is gas and you hate the colour, a cheap option is to just paint it a solid colour - dark grey or white. The rough mantle is kind of cozy which your wife wants, so paint it a contrasting colour. For a more modern look, replace it with a smooth wood mantle that compliments your new brick colour. A stone or quartz on top of the hearth would also be a nice update, but add to the cost. I would definitely consider getting rid of the screen and replace it with a glass door or at least a more 2d grate.

If budget allows, built-ins beside are both cozy and modern. Use the same wood as the mantle.

Here are some inspiration photos:

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