You need to have your furniture and other big items in the room before making any purchases of small decorative items. What do you already own?

Here are some pics I took just now. Please ignore the junk. We put some decor up there just so it wasn’t bare. It’s a little too busy for me with all the greenery. And yes I know the little jars of greenery don’t work but my toddlers made them so I left them to make them happy.

I would also take suggestions for the wall to the right of the fireplace as well.

You are renting, so I would think that you don't really want to spend on big items or paint/stain furniture.

You have a mismatch with the dark bookcase and the light coffee table. The super white of the fireplace is an issue, but you don't own the place, so painting is out.

I'm not a fan of the any of the greenery on the mantle (frond and greenery strip across TV. I am of course do not live there, so you do what you want. Since the kids made them, put them on the floor instead.

I suggest find some sort of wooden/rattan screen that would fit in that rectangular space or a big urn perhaps. Hard to know without seeing the view from the other side now that furniture is there.

Yes the dark cabinet will be redone as well as the coffee table. Im not a fan of the greenery myself and do not plan on leaving them. I think the lighting is throwing the color of the fireplace off though. it is creamier and meshes better with the tile. Do you mean a rattan screen mounted to the wall?

So here is what you see from the dining room. My problem is trying to find something I will love from the front and behind.

I would put a few 3 dimensional objects on the dining room side to detract from the back of the tv....like large pottery pieces, vases or ? Things that relate and complement each other. They will look fine from the back from the living room. You could have some on the LR side, too, and display a collection. Or put your lanterns both on the same side (maybe add a 3rd taller one, and find something else for the other side.

Would the dark cabinet fit on the half wall in the dining room? Don't see what your dining furniture is like but if it's dark, maybe that would work better in that room. You could also add some kind of opaque or semi-opaque film on the back side of the glass doors to hide the contents. (Unless there are things you want to display in there. I can't really see what is inside).

This is a bad attempt at inserting a screen into the space. The screen would be see-through of course, and you see the other side of the room through it.

Or a big urn

I would love to hear the back on how this placement was decided.

I would do 3 vases. a taller one to the left, two shifter ones to the right.

This is what I’d try:

Combine all of your ferns and put them in a decorative container — a large pot, basket, whatever, just not glass (see-thru) because it’s going to be the screen:

The area might be large enough that you could do a duo or trio of plants.

Again, the plants will be used to screen whatever is on the mantel from the DR, but you’ll see nice greenery from the LR, too, behind your mantel decor.

Then play around with things on the fireplace — tall candlestick holders, a pretty piece of pottery, etc. You’ve been looking for inspiration photos, so should get some ideas from that. Treat it as if it’s a normal mantel with full wall behind … except I wouldn’t prop art up on it.

If you wanted, you could use real plants there instead of faux.

You’ll still be able to see beyond them, they won’t be a solid screen, but will give the illusion of separate areas, plus look nice from both rooms.

For your walls, art. What kind do you like? Would the art on your mantel go over your cabinet?

I love art, so might try hanging something here, too:

That’s not to scale or exact placement, just a badly drawn idea. :D

My goal would be to lean into the quirkiness of it a bit, not try to decorate as if it was a wall built fireplace.

I love Jilly’s idea. That would make a lovely vignette.