How do I make this fireplace in the living room even look ok?

It is beautiful and has so much potential! Have you considered adding a mantel? This is a great tutorial for you- https://www.hometalk.com/diy/living-room/fireplaces-mantels/the-living-room-a-fireplace-built-in-10350571

Hi Kimberly. I would definitely add a mantel and also a surround with glass doors, and wire screen for safety. You could also white wash the brick. You could add a few wooden beams to try and hide the conduit pipe. It would have to be thinner pieces and cut into so it fits over it well. I would also put a big picture or mirror over the mantel. Good Luck!

Wow! What you're looking for here is character. You need to break up the monotony of the wall by hiding it in places and giving the eye a direction to move. I love indoor brick - but you've got too much. The brick over the fireplace needs to be cleaned and the electric conduits covered. I'd sort of like to see them boxed in with some big cedar pieces, or, other material that goes with your remodel, and a huge mantel spanning the wall from the column on the left to the conduit cover. Use a material that will pull in whatever floor color you're using. Decorate the heck out of that with tall and short accent pieces.

Hearth material of your choice (flagstone would be great.) A nice screen for the fireplace and modern looking fireplace tools. Next, try some built-in looking shelving, perhaps around the entire corner (very cool!). You could top the brick with (inverted) molding and even run a light rope behind it for some soft indirect lighting. Paint the drywall above the brick in an accent color. Definitely window cover around that window on the right, floor to ceiling would be perfect unless your furniture dictates something else.

Obviously, you're good at this! Just find a starting place and run with it.

Hi, I painted my brick fireplace white and added a nice mantel in a taupe color. It looks amazing. Since you have so much, if you know anyone handy, you could add shelves on the brick just to the right of the fireplace opening. That would break up the wall and add some interest with items you could put on the shelves. Amanda had a great idea about adding a nice fireplace screen. There are a lot of interesting options now available. Another option would be to drywall over the brick and then put a nice looking stone or other material veneer over it. My sister did this and you would never have known she had an old fashioned, ugly brick under it. This does require more advanced skills. Last thought is go on line and look up "images of brick fireplaces". It is crazy the ideas you will get. Two good sites are: www.pintrest.com and www.houzz.com. No matter what you do, I hope you love the way it turns out.

I would suggest you sheet rock over the brick(giving you a clean slate), buy or build a decorative mantle and surround and tile over the firebox surround. Did this for a client and it turned out beautiful. Salvage places have great fire place surrounds.

Everyone is putting up tile over brick and stone fireplaces, or getting rid of them by removing the brick or putting wallboard over them these days. That fad will also fade. First question is-Is the brick veneer, or does it make the wall itself? You have a few issues so:

1> Install a thick beam or handmade multi-wood-strip board at the top of the brick on the wall, and use decorative trim or chair railing over the brick/board edge, painting it your desired color. OR, use a wide board like the one over the window, but remove those broken and odd top brick and bring it down a bit.

2> For the window brick wall, I might try taking off the top half of brick and add a chair rail, painting the top half a slightly darker color than the top board. I would probably paint the brick as described in # 5 below. If there is no wall behind that brick, put up wallboard and paint. I just hate the idea of destroying so much lovely brick, but I do like the idea of a half-brick wall!

3> Where the conduit is on the wall, I like the shelf idea mentioned by several others here, but I would build a framed box to place over the entire area, with a boxed opening for the switch. The back would have to be slightly inset to allow space for the conduit.

4>> Your exposed vertical beam, I would paint to match 1 & 2 and hang a couple very small decorative items, using removable strips.

5 > For the fireplace brick and the brick wall, I would NOT cover it with tile or wallboard. I, too, have a fireplace that needs to be updated, but mine is stone of various colors. I am going to paint the stones varying reflective colors to bring light into the room even though it faces the south. No pattern, only 3-4 very slightly different colors, and then I will add a long mantle. As mine extends around a corner, I am going to take the mantle around as well. I am going to outline the brick with inverted baseboard, to cover where the paneling (which has already been painted) is cut out around the brick but has too much of a gap. We also have a HUGE Buck stove that has to be painted, and I am planning to go lighter (black now) so it will blend in better. Adding a mirror and a few accessories on the mantle and I will be done. I have seen this look before, and it was lovely. While removing paint from inside brick is messy, it CAN be done, in the event you want that brick showing again!

**Of course, CLEAN the brick before doing anything unless removing it entirely.

Clean it and then whitewash it

Personally I like brick, but considering the more elegant look you selected for your kitchen and the fact that it opens to this room I am assuming you are looking to match this room to the kitchen. The brick wall looks like it was broken off on the one side and that it stands out at the other. To remedy these issues and match your kitchen style I think covering the brick with sheetrock and installing a new surround might be the easiest way to go. Another possibiity would be to build a surround in as part of a larger built in of shelves and cabinets, which could wrap into a paneled section on the adjacent wall that has brick as well. The conduits could be hidden in the installation and the built ins could be finished in a similar way to the kitchen cabinets.

I would whitewash the brick and build floating shelves to the right of it. Then put a big heavy wood mantel

I go for covering the brick or painting it and adding the mantle like Wendy suggests.