Thank you! Would you do anything with the shelves? I was thinking of doing a darker shade of the wall color on the inside of the shelves - what do you think?

how will you use this room and what is your personal style?

if you are painting everything you have an opportunity to remove the mantle and surround and 'contemporize' the fireplace if that is your style preference.

if you are creating a dining room or den, consider treating the cabinet wall as a whole: trim out the shelving in wood and stain all to match......like an 'old boys club' library. varathane and minwax have a great stain/varnish product that eliminates stripping!

just please paint out the base trim under the cabinets to blend with the floor.

I would start with the back of the cabinets white as they are small and easy to change later- wall color, fabric, mirror...

Paint the cabinets, trim and shelves white. Consider SW Peppercorn for the mantel.

Consider papering the backs of the shelves. Do this in a way that is removable (mount to custom cut foam board for example). Change it up for the holidays.