I would add tile and a wood mantle as pictured below. Beautiful and clean.

This one is a little higher, but gives you an idea if she wanted to surround it with a tile or other material.

This one isn't as accurate, as it bumps out from the side walls...but you could build up a little hearth to the bottom of the insert and then frame in a tile and add a mantel. (similar to the third picture, just not as grand)

Thanks for the photos and suggestions so far.

phuninthesun - I think she would really like that clean, simple look... Maybe with a hearth as Barnes suggested, since it is at a bit of an awkward height.

She would also probably like to just add a mantle or some art and call it a day, so that second photo Barnes posted is interesting, though I guess wouldn't have the same effect with her flush-to-the-wall fireplace.

Since her fireplace has that extra black frame around it already, would it look silly if just a hearth and a mantle were added, no tile/stone?

Thanks for taking the time to put that visual together, Kevin! Looks amazing. I think she will like the lack of tile/stone up the sides. That said, the fireplace gets quite hot, even around the edges of the black area. Would trim be a fire hazard?

Thanks again!

Check with the local building inspector. If there is a code that says the wood should be a certain distance from the firebox then you could always add some tile. It would look pretty much the same but just be a little wider and taller.

Kevin, that looks nice!

The minimum distance for mantel from opening is 12 inches.

I would keep this project super simple with paint. Sometimes building a visual fortress around a gas fireplace insert just looks fake. How about doing a black painted area above and to the sides, and finishing the look with painting out the wall base black or the wall color (and changing the outlet cover to match the wall).

Hi Vicky, thank you. I like the idea of black paint instead of tile.

Kelly - that looks very elegant. I think she would like something like this. Thanks so much for sharing a photo.

No decisions have been made yet. Right now she has some cardboard being used as a fake hearth (while the fireplace is off) to get a sense for whether she wants one or not. In any case I will try to remember to post photos when it has been completed.