Firstly, what to put above the mantle - since its recessed, I don't know if a picture would look odd there. We aren't planning on putting a TV in this room, which would be the obvious choice.
Secondly, could we paint the wall around the fireplace an accent and what - should we just do one or two shades darker than the wall around it? We eventually want to do tile or brick and take down the stones and gold that surrounds the fireplace now, but aren't in a position to do that yet.
Any ideas or inspiration pics (doable on a small budget - we just moved in and have many other priorities right now!) would be appreciated, thanks!!