bump

You have a pretty fireplace. All that railing is very distracting; it creates a visual separation when you’re in the main part of the room, and it probably makes that little area feel a bit like a jail cell when you’re sitting there. Can you remove it and instead provide more subtle signs that there are steps, perhaps some bench seating or potted plants? If that were my room, I’d do everything I could to make it feel less separate.

The railing--custom made for that space, is cool, and reflects the period.

Two questions:

Is that a gas fireplace (the logs look as though it is)?

Is that sunken area cold?

If it's a real log fireplace, I'd put in a dark, polished stone floor to reflect the fire as you sit there. That would be a great mood.

But gas flames aren't very interesting, and if the area is cold, that's two strikes, so I'd put the wood there that you're using in the rest of the room, and a rug.