Carleenimlach your fireplace is stunning. It is infact original in bungalow detailing, and the bricks are not painted. I know this treatment very well. They had a brick stain applied, which is a red oxide painted to give the appearance of an even red brick face, this was done when tuck pointing is applied to the mortar course. I can see yours was. It looks as though it was charcoal, also another Edwardian bungalow detail, and the lines accentuate the archway. The mantel itself is absolutely beautiful. I myself would restore the brickwork, and let this period detail return to being the heart of the home. The hearth bricks definitely need to go, in their place I would lay a single slab on stone, which is a little costly, but overall, is worth the expensive you save in defacing the brickwork anyway. I suggest a rough sawn bluestone slab that will further enhance the charcoal tuck pointing, and grey is not only a current interior colour, but it is also what edwardian bungalows often featured. So you get to have a current, updated interior whilst preserving the beauty and character of a period home. This is where the homes value lies.

We want to retain a simple modern look. sorry can't do photos Is there a type of surface that is tough and doesn't discolour with the heat?

Since this room totally clashes with anything resembling the Hamptone, I would be updating the whole room. Yet to answer your question and if I were on a budget I would be gathering lots of hardwood timber off cuts ranging from 50mm to 100mm to create a timber cladded wall by liquid nailing onto plywood or mdf panels. Or you could clad using old hardwood fence palings in landscape. Mortar less stacker stone (sandstone) tiles always are a classic choice. If you have the internal space it would be lovely to heighten the fireplace and add a stone platform to sit on. Loose the print, curtains and matching bench fabrics and replace with indigo blues, whites and stone colours I'd personally replace the curtains with white shutters as they are easier to maintain, insulate the windows and never date. Happy decorating, hope this helps. Suzy

This style of fireplace surround was common in the 1960s in many mid-century modern and post-war homes. It wasn't expensive then due to the cheap labour with lots of stone-masons immigrating from post-war Europe. There is a lot of skill and craftsmanship to get all of the irregular stones to fit together harmoniously. Poorer houses didn't have fancy stone fireplace surrounds, but exposed face brick, often to match the exterior or just the chimney. Today it is a very different story, with stone masonry a dying art, many of the stonemasons from the 1960s having since retired (or gone to the big stone quarry in the sky), and not many younger people taking up this trade. So today stonemasons who are skilled enough to do this type of work to this standard are rare and can charge what they like for their craftsmanship. It would be an act of vandalism to smother this craftsmanship in common render as it is a beautiful feature, and could never be re-instated. I would use it as a starting point to give your living room a cool mid-century modern vibe. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits