What a pretty dining room! If you remove the mantle, there may be a spot where you could experiment with wiping a gel stain or antiquing on it and then wiping it back off to try to give it a little depth and dimension. I love IdaClaire's suggestion for artwork. It seems as though it would suit the room very well.

You needn't do much, replace the mantle with thick dark wood and place a beautiful outdoor scene with some blue in it close in color to your island base.

Please share ideas on how to update this fireplace without a major reno. The tile has never been grouted and is coming off on the bottom row.

Honestly, now that I see gold in your countertops, consider waiting to change out the surround. Do you see how they "talk" to each other? Add a large rug in gold and your wall color. Get a light beautiful artwork over the mantel in golds, and light colors. Add sofa pillows that echo the art work. Fill the firebox with birch logs with some logs on the hearth. That will look great for a long time until your budget allows for bigger changes. Going forward, make sure what ever you add already relates to your "givens," cabinets, flooring, countertops. Add light pillows, art in light frames or no frames. This will balance the browns you don't care for. Palette for large rug with current mantel and current countertops, wall, floor.