Fireplace Fix?

You guys, we need to talk about our fireplace. It is original to the house so it has survived here for 143 years BUT it isn't our favorite color. It is a slate fireplace that has been painted a speckled brown. We find the color to be terribly ugly but it is interesting that it was placed front and center in the house while the home's marble fireplaces were relegated to the upper floors, which indicates it was valued as a statement piece over the marble.

We want to keep the character of the house but update it to feel more modern (read: lots of white) and this speckled brown just doesn't fit with the aesthetic. That said, can we use aesthetic to justify getting rid of it? Considering the issue, we think we have four options and we would love your input.

The options are:

1. Identify a Victorian white marble fireplace from the same period to buy and replace the fireplace.

2. Keep the fireplace in place but paint it a white or faux marble.

3. Exchange the fireplace with the white marble fireplace on the second floor.

4. Refinish it but otherwise keep it as it is - it’s survived this long, why change it now?

Let us know what you think! 

- J