I think that paneling would look great painted! I would do that and get rid of the carpet first. Then decide on the fireplace. With the paneling and floors freshened up, you might find you like the contrast of the brick. Maybe add a mantle?
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I love the clean and modern look of Momofboiler and notrichenoughâs white painted bricks! But if you want to retain some rustic while losing the color, maybe you can find an artisan to do a white-wash or gray- wash that retains variegation, like in some of these:
Agree with white or very light paint on paneling that continues up the drywall.
And wood or cork or bamboo floorsâŠor splurge on infloor heating and get the wood-look tile for warmth underfoot.
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We considered whitewashing, but with such variations in the brick colors, we didnât think it would look good.
In general Iâm not a big fan of whitewashing, itâs really hard IMO to get it to look good, and most examples I have seen in person just look awful. I think itâs pretty hard as a DIY project to get a good outcome.
We had a brick wall in our house, with a fireplace in the middle of it. We had our house painted and it was the last thing, but eventually I said âpaint it,â (white) and everyone agrees it updated the look of our house.
We also had old ugly paneling in our office room, which has 4 windows in it. With the advice of a professional paint color person, we painted that room glossy white. It looks really good also. (And hiring the professional to help with color choices was great - I now have a blue dining room and powder room. I wouldnât have been confident enough to go with that color on my own, but she suggested it and we really like it).
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@arisamp, you must live at my house! Thatâs exactly the configuration we have.
I filled in the paneling grooves (below the chair rail) and covered with wallpaper. Painted the walls above. We have antique brick, used in previous houses. Have not painted it. Previous owners converted the fireplace from wood to propane, and so glad they did! I did the crown moulding and trim (except the windows) in green. Have never been thrilled with it, but not motivated enough to change it, either. After 25 years in this house, though⊠When we bought the house the walls were peach, the paneling was brown, and the furniture/decor in Miami Vice aqua and peach. Green, burgundy and navy was a definite improvement. Will get pics.
ETA: The carpet used to be peach. My sister put down vinyl planking when she came to visit in 2012. Pulled the rug, leveled the floor and laid the planks in a day. 
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