Congratulations!

The entire FP and surrounding area needs an overhaul. If you have the budget, go for it.

What is that area to a right- cut out to another room or sunken shelving? I can't tell from the photo.

When you find a photo of what you like, show a few contractors and get estimates. You could have all white shelving installed to the right. The white tile hearth surround is not working that well. You could try painting them if you don't want to rip them out.

The mirrored wall really needs to go - qualified contractors will know what to do. It will be worth it even if you have to wait and do it down the road.

You could just paint over it in the wall color do the time being.

You could glue on a "frame" out of molding painted to match the mantel to make a mirror over the mantel and paint out the rest...use something like styx or even an oil-based paint will stick will to glass. The nice thing about that is you can get what appears to be a really nice, large mirror at very little cost. Big mirrors are expensive and hard to hang...

I reflects nothing worth it and IMO removal is the answer , dry wall is not that big a deal to patch or replace.A nice piece of art can replae it. BTW the art on the left wall is hung too high . When hanging art on walls the center of the piece should be at 60-65”. It seems there are some more mirrors to be dealt with

I was thinking along the lines of what Annie posted. This one is elaborate, but just to illustrate the idea of framing it:

I wonder if existing mirrors can be antiqued somehow, like this one:

If you just hate it being mirrored, then yes, I'd try taking it down and fixing the drywall. Google "getting rid of mirrored walls" for step by step tutorials.

I also googled mirrored fireplaces and lots of nice images came up ... if you want to see how others decorated around them (until you decide what you want to do).

WOW! Some great ideas and I am excited about the prospects. I would like to remove the mirror entirely but the options for keeping it up and "tweaking" the look are giving me some inspired ideas! Thank you to everyone for your advice and contributions!

REMOVE! I know, that's easy for me to say, right? But, we bought a house with walls of mirrors and taking them down wasn't a heavy haul.

They are glued on and yes, you'll have to do some mudding to get the wall ready for finishing, but if it were me, I'd pull the trigger if I had the budget and desire.

Imagine a beautiful piece of art above the fireplace...

I'm starting to gain some confidence in removing it. It sounds like it shouldn't be too dificult afterall!

We took down enormous plate mirrors in our DR when we were doing our kitchen redo. It was quick work for our contractor.

We still have a wall of plate mirrors in a guest bedroom. Sigh...

I don't know what it was with people and mirroring their houses back in the '70's!

Congratulations on your new home! Don't mess with the mirror by camouflaging it - remove it. No reason to keep them in place. Do the right thing and remove the mirrors so you open up your options for decor without having to work around the mirrors. You will be glad you removed them :)

Please be careful if you plan on doing this yourself....I'm big into diy and even I wouldn't attempt this....

I would, however, find someone who would. You will love it so much more without.

Thanks pennydesign! I was thinking about attempting it but as I google the process they also emphasize using a contractor rather than attempting myself. :) Good to use caution! *thumbs up!

Yes...keep those thumbs to "up" for future projects :)

There will be tons of other ones for you to tackle. It's fun and rewarding.

I'm so excited to get at er! Stairs, kithcen cabinets and painting are just the start! :D

You are doing the right thing by planning first. Make a plan for the entire house now and tackle it one part at a time as budget, time and energy allow. :) Repairs first, then decor. You won't regret doing the repair items first.

Thanks Denita! Great advice!

You're welcome! Congrats again. Have fun!

if you can't remove it in one large piece, grab a hammer, gloves, and some eye protection. Get a box to put all the broken glass in and have at it

Remove it. Depending upon how it’s mounted, yes, it can damage the drywall. I had floor to ceiling mirrors removed from a long wall in my dining & living rooms. It was a mess, required drywall replacement, but it was worth it. It looks so much better .... a job for a professional IMO.

Is it clear or smoked mirror?

I removed a big mirror by criss-crossing the whole thing with masking tape before hammering. There was very little mess.

Google on how to remove a large wall mirror. Normally you'll want to use a LOT of tape all over it for safety's sake. Protects you and keeps the glass from shattering all over when you whack it. Be safe.

chijim, It is smoked. Totally 80's vibe

If you do the tape and shim it off the wall technique, don't do it alone. I did my wall to wall vanity mirror on a whim and it came off the wall so easily but damn was it surprisingly heavy when it released into my arms!

I would try the paint first, it's the cheapest option and could be cool if you framed the part in the mirror and painted rest as commented earlier.

Does anyone think that Caroline could throw a roll of wallpaper up while waiting for professional help for this? If it lasts 6 months and cost 25 dollars it would be worth it.

Of course if it doesn't bother you too much, C. then carry on!!

And I'll add my congratulations to you on your new home. If you need any cheerleaders, we're your peeps!

I was thinking wallpaper but wallpaper I've seen runs way more than $25.

The fireplace surround is such a nice classic shape. I wonder who thought the mirror would be a good idea? You'll get it off.... :)

Another wonderful idea Pennydesign! I like the idea of a textured "accent" wall around the fireplace! Exciting and you're right, affordable temporary solution!

Thanks for your advice and you're right... this site is wonderful and so are the people who use it! Keep Calm and Decor On! ;) I'll be sure to post an update pic when I figure out my next move :)

Fori this one is 23 and change...

(first one I saw...not saying this is your taste.) Paintable is great as it doesn't tie you in to any color unless you want it to)

https://www.wayfair.com/decor-pillows/pdp/graham-brown-paintable-33-x-205-damask-3d-embossed-wallpaper-roll-gab1311.html

There is wall paper out there that looks very much like planks of wood. All different shades and tones (some even have a bit of blue in them)

That may coordinate better with your current furniture since this may be a temporary fix.

I forgot about the paintable stuff! The other nice thing about wallpaper is that it'll serve as safety tape when you finally do come at it with a sledgehammer. :)

I wouldn't think of it as a long term solution because I like to hang art over my FP and it's hard to hang things on glass. But a combo of a framed out mirror section surrounded by texture would fix that. Pick the perfect size and location for a mirror, glue appropriate molding to frame it, paper around it...yeah, that could work.

This definitely needs to be documented with photography, every step!

I would wallpaper over it as a temporary solution until able to remove it. They make wallpaper that looks like wooden boards. Could look nice with that type of paper:

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I'm late to this but I was reminded of this thread from last year,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4551819/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall?n=56

I didn't think of leaving out a mirrored section (easy enough to do....just paper all and then cut and peel off before the glue sets then wipe clean. Don't even think of cutting out a section ahead of time, that's too much work)....Anyway, I think that's brilliant.

If you do that and it ends up looking awesome, don't forget about it when you move--leave a note (after closing). I'm just imagining me tapping a nail into the wall and....bwahahahaha. I am so easily amused these days. Paint fumes I guess...

Removable wall paper is an easy option to cover. You may need to ad some molding to cover the edges but that can easily be painted out if needed.

Consider hanging a mirror over the mirror. Here are directions on how to do it.

http://makethemwonderblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-attach-mirror-on-mirror.html

Something like this one, with a light weight frame, would do the trick!

I removed two sheet mirrors from my bathroom, the largest one was 6 feet long. There was no drywall damage at all. I just had to pull off the big blobs of glue and sand smooth.

I've removed mirrors attached to walls and had both experiences - breakage and no breakage as well as no significant wall damage and more wall damage. But even the more wall damage was something that could be mudded over. I don't remember needing a patch, but it all depends on how happy the installer was with that mastik.

The discussion here seems to all be about the FP, but am I mistaken or do you have another mirrored wall behind that -- along a staircase? Does it go behind the stairs?

Use duct tape generously and criss cross it all over the mirror, put duct tape along all four edges. Slide a large putty knife behind an accessible edge to "break" the glue bond. I think you will be surprised at how easily it may release from the drywall. Have a blue tarp on the floor in case it does break up. This is a two person job. Our 6 foot by 4 foot slab mirror came off in one piece using this method. It had been there 30 plus years!

Paint it. Easy and inexpensive. Then prop a picture in front of it.

Looks like you've got more mirrors in the next room?

My first reaction to your fireplace surround was that it is literally smoke and mirrors.

Get rid of the mirror. I had a large mirror which came off easily, in one piece and with no damage to the drywall. I did have a professional do the work.

Several of us have asked what is going on to the right - mirrors? a cut through to another space > . hello.?

Thank you everyone for your advice! There is a set-in shelving unit to the right of the fireplace. It is also completely mirrored and even has fixed glass shelving in it. It is even more intimidating than the mirrored fireplace wall. I want to remove the mirrors from in that small space as well.

Thank you clairebuoyant1 for the advice!

lascatx The mirrors in the next room are mirrored closet doors... thankfully a very easy fix! ;)