Darzy In this case, I think I would paint it your wall color. I'd also recommend replacing the hearth with a solid piece of black slate. The "block" style here isn't complimentary with the brick.
My first thought would be to paint the brick and stack both in the wall color. I'm curious though, what material is the mantle?
If the mantle is a stone of some sort, perhaps the brick and stack could be a shade of gray/beige that works with the stone? Something that would tie in to the stone on the hearth and the doors.
Our neighbors recently painted their FP a mid-tone gray and it turned out great.
Darzy Hmmm....maybe if you painted the chimney the brick red? That could look awsome. I don't know if possible, but maybe paint the hearth black with the paint for fireplaces?
angiesays Looks like you have the hearth, fireplace brick, mantle and chimney of four different materials and colors. If it were mine, I would find some really nice tile that suited my taste and was complementary with the mantle and tile the fireplace and chimney to match. There are a lot of creative possibilities here.
My first thought would be to paint the brick and stack both in the wall color. I'm curious though, what material is the mantle?
If the mantle is a stone of some sort, perhaps the brick and stack could be a shade of gray/beige that works with the stone? Something that would tie in to the stone on the hearth and the doors.
Our neighbors recently painted their FP a mid-tone gray and it turned out great.