If it were my room and I didn't have huge bucks to spend I'd do Ikea billy units either side, while adding some final detail like, crown moulding etc.

I like the idea of shelves. I love the picture above your fireplace!

It depends on what storage you need, if any. What is the size of the room? What does the rest of the room look like? How will you use the room?

Also, interested to learn more about modern/industrial. Makes me think of big, open, sparsely decorated (in a good way) space.

Plants, artwork, a bar cart....

I like the idea of shelves. Together with this-do you need filling these two sides for mostly functional purposes like storage, or for beauty/balance/etc?

Because frankly if nothing functional pushing you-I wouldn't flank it with identical shelves/cabinets. Ii's actually a very successful well balanced nice fireplace. Like the step, the mantle, everything. I'd just put a plant on one side, an odd chair(lets say) or another..put more art maybe.Then leave it alone.

But if the storage is the main factor-I'd make these shelves open, as not to make all the wall too heavy. You can always keep part of stuff in baskets/boxes or on trays..makes it look neater..))

and I'd check the possibility to make these shelves custom too..sometimes it's the smartest AND cheapest way to go..in the quality/price combo

I actually think brick all across would look cool if it's not too late. I am a fan of the industrial/loft looks.

Your mantel looks great--maybe have shelves built that mimic that? I think the Ivar shelves from IKEA look great with brick, and the pricing can't be beat.

I agree with ms b. Since the brick appears to be a veneer and very thin, I think it would look best on the entire wall.

I'd also do the brick all across if you still can. I'm not really picking up a modern/industrial vibe right now.

I forgot to ask why the baseboard molding is around the front of the fireplace? I don't think I've ever seen that done that way.

Laurie, I considered Billy bookcases. Unfortunately, they're about half an inch too wide.

Oakley, the painting is from our first trip to Cuba, 17 years ago. I am not loving the frame colour in this setting, so it might not stay.

jmarino, it's the dining area. I do have some stuff in boxes in the basement I'd like to unpack somewhere. Although I don't really "need" storage. I'd also like a small (not wall mounted) wine rack. Something like this:

Here are some other photos of the area.

(Yes, I am aware the light fixture is too high. My husband is tall and has a phobia of hanging fixtures. They need to be lowered gradually. :D ) That globe is going to goodwill. I bought it for the old house. In this house, it's too little and brown. The white seated stools are currently posted for sale online. The brown/maroon chair under the window has been waiting to be recovered. I can't decide if I want to do it in white, or the same green as the other chair.
Speaking of bar carts, I love this cabinet. But it's a little high, and I feel like it would need to be balanced on the other side. I'm afraid an open style one is either going to look cluttered or flimsy.

And I have a tendency to kill indoor plants. And I'm not good at dusting fake ones.

aprilneverends, thanks for your comments. I really just find it kinda bare, and I have a few things I'd like to display. I am leaning towards open shelves. I'm even considering asking the welder who built the stairs to build supports for shelves like I posted above. But that is not going to be cheap at all. And then I'd need to cut the wood myself. Is the green chair what you were thinking of an "odd chair"?

barncatz, the hearth is actually designed to be a seat, for extra dining seating in "emergencies". It wasn't intended to be used when the fireplace is on, but I have sat there when it was on when I was really cold a few times around Christmas. So seats on either side would basically extend the bench right across.

ms b and My3dogs, yes, it's pretty much too late to extend the brick right across. Unless I wanted to rip out the cut pieces on the edge in order to replace them with full pieces, which I don't. This was my inspiration for it. I still need to do wood trim, but I want to decide what else is going on here, so I don't make the trim too wide or narrow. (Like if I'd planned to use Billy bookcases before I started this, I could have done the whole thing half an inch narrower and it would have worked.)

Because the brick doesn't project from the wall, I'd be leery of putting shelving or storage units next to it. The effect will be that the fireplace is recessed between the storage units.

I'd just put artwork on each side.

chickadee, I'm actually not sure why we did that. My brother-in-law contractor's idea. I think he was worried about the brick being against the floor. It kinda looks off to me, and I've considered painting it dark grey. That part is fixable. I can totally rip off the trim and put another row of brick on.

And ms b, I forgot to mention that the mantel is the same material as the stair treads. It's a super heavy, solid glulam beam.

Oakley, I don't like that your DH had to go to the ER, I like that the new fixture is bigger. Mine also got stitches in his forehead from an outdoor fixture at the old house. He came around a corner too close and got the corner of wall mounted light fixture to the head.

But even he says this one is too high. Maybe because it's round? :)

by odd chair i was meaning any chair that you like, and that has a good/interesting shape. It's often not the best seat in a house, in terms of comfort and prolonged seating, but it might be quite comfy too. It can be tabouret or a rocking chair or a visually light ottoman..doesn't matter

OK..found the green one:) Well the idea is right. The chair itself- not quite probably.

but an odd chair like this can be used when you need extra sitting, and in his free time(lol) host books or a flower pot( I know you've said you're a plant killer..me too, yet all the plant killers find their worthy opponents, sooner or later...) or..

And might put art over it.

The shelving can be done completely by somebody else. Or you can find a free standing shelves that look like that. Quite easy. I'm into finding very narrow bookcase for my son's room right now-even here, on Houzz, I saw several. But maybe you don't really need it, at least not that much.. After seeing the whole room I'm afraid it'll overwhelm the good looking wall even more Maybe one free standing cabinet/shelf-and I Like your idea of color-will suffice. It can be half closed half open..or open altogether like an etagere. Or an odd chair I was talking about, but then I would't do both.

Shelves on 1 side and cabinet on the other: