Stove surround query

[jason_uk]

Not sure if this is the correct forum, but I'm not sure where it should go!
Basically I have a stove, with brick at the back, and the sides are just the rendered, and then plastered and painted on the wall.

It's been like this since moved in, and am going to paint the room.
Any ideas what to do with the sides.
Can/should I paint them, or just leave it as it is.
Anyone done anything similar?

[Duck_Tape]

HI
I am not an expert in anything this forum offers, I am DIY not trades but here goes
How hot do the sidewalls get?
I ask as a standard room radiator sits about 20mm from the wall and the wall is often painted with just standard emulsion paint and that works
just fine. Room radiators can get so hot, that to touch it for more than a second or two gets painfull. If your walls are hot but bearable for a good few seconds
then basic emulsion may be just fine. Others may chip in with other ideas