Is this is the Pennsylvania are by chance? Lucky you.

Can you take a picture of the fireplace from about 8 or 10 feet away so we can see the whole thing in relation to the wall.

I would suggest researching what was used in the era and area of the house for ideas. Then you can proceed with an appropriate to the house replacement.

Congratulations on becoming the caretaker of an old home. I would also recommend as others have here, to research and live in the house for a year before making any unnecessary changes. It's amazing what you can learn about a house in that time.

We are in Pennsylvania, it’s amazing how you can tell just by looking at it! And we are so very lucky to have come across this property. Attached is a picture of the fireplace from further away (try to look past the clutter, it’s inevitable when living in a construction zone). We’ve been in the home about 4 months, and a lot of work is underway. It was originally a farmhouse, turned apartment building which was left uncared for, and finally transformed into a bed and breakfast in the 1980’s. Much has been restored, but it can be difficult to determine what is original and what has been altered over the years. There is a similar fireplace in the opposite room on the main floor that has a more authentic mantel and is still functional. This fireplace will purely be for decoration and we don’t necessarily intend on trying to make it authentic to the 1800’s since so much has already been done to it over the past few centuries. We decided to use this fireplace as an opportunity to modernize the home since there are so many original features that already provide us with the authentic character we desire.

I lived in Philadelphia for about seven years and recognize the farmhouse photo, lol. Bucks County area has such beautiful stone farm homes that architecturally can not be duplicated anywhere else in the country.

A unique piece of artwork above the mantle in the modern direction could modernize the fireplace. A vintage firescreen and fake logs would add to the stylish already original FP or even adding marble where the brick meets the floor.

Your inspiration photo looks like cast cement fronting whitewashed brick to me. I think I'd pry off the mantle and see if you can easily chisel off the plaster. Your insp pic doesn't have a mantle anyway... If all else fails, hire a stonemason and show him your picture...

Old house lover, old house renovator, old house caretaker. I'd leave it alone. Obviously, it's been messed with, but the tiles are charming and neutral. The flooring is parquet and not original to the room. The hearth brick appears to be original. It looks to be in good condition.

I'd keep it and spend my money elsewhere. Good advice to find a good, bright piece of artwork for the area above the mantle and a great fire screen.

Also painting the mantle white. I do like the marble.

The marble and white mantel are definitely good ideas. I was going to paint the inside of the fireplace dark, but was unsure of what to do with the brick on the floor. Unfortunately there are so many windows and doors that we really have no choice but to place the TV above the fireplace (which I hate)... so we won’t be able to use art there to modernize it. There will definitely be opportunities to utilize art elsewhere in the room. Thank you for all of your input, I’m going to keep it as is and update it with white paint and (maybe) marble if the budget allows. Maybe down the road will overhaul it, but for now this seems like a modest project that I can handle myself. Thanks again!

I agree; keep the existing tiles. They give the fireplace a unique look. The brick could be covered, if you aren't going to have fires.

Whitewashing the brick would look good too.

My suggestion would be to change the tiles as well, as the present ones don’t seem to give “Fireplace Kinda Look”. I’ll suggest you choose your colors wisely, something in a lighter shade should work that will give it a more subtle and sophisticated look. Here’s a blog with some amazing fireplace tile options https://philipbarron.net/archives/5-stylish-fireplace-mosaic-tiles/. I, especially think, Modern Basketweave Gray White Marble Mosaic Tile or Beige Travertine Mosaic Tile will be perfect for your fireplace.