By all means you can have chairs flanking your fireplace, although I personally prefer that they are a matching pair. The adorable chairs in this photo are from Target.

Yes flank away it will look great!

Ugh, sorry. I should have mentioned that the doorway to the kitchen is not far from the edge of the fireplace. So a chair might be a little close to that. Still ok? Thanks so much for the quick responses!

It's still okay, as long as there is a decent amount of distance between the backs and the fireplace. We have 2 chairs set up like this in front of the fireplace at my moms, and it looks great. You can see the fireplace, and you can get to it easily. I think she has a small table in between too, and it still feels accessible. The chairs shouldn't be crazy-bulky.

She has a television on one side of the room, a picture window opposite of the TV. She doesn't use the fireplace, but it's an important visual element in the room. I think the set up works well for the multiple purposes (tv, conversation, fireplace appreciation, and flow through).

Ok, last question...would such a modern LR as this go in a house with a country/rustic DR? The rooms are completely separated by a wall, not open concept. My dining set is a farmhouse table from Ethan Allen. Thx

The best thing to do is just to try it. Can't tell you how many times my own furniture has been moved around: big changes and slight changes. And, covering part of fireplace is no problem, conversation ease is the most important!

The furniture arrangement is not dependent on the style of furniture. It can work with any style. But it's a different thing if you want to have contemporary furniture in one room and traditional in the next. That is not something we ordinarily do. What we do is gently mix the two for a more eclectic look. If that is something that interests you, you'll love seeing this Ideabook: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Eclectic-Style#Decorating-Styles

I figured. I'll have to keep looking for LR furniture/ideas then. Thanks for the help, all.

Where is the couch from?

Smaller scale chairs or bench would work.