I would go with just curtain panels.

I would paint the surround charcoal so you end up with something somewhat similar to the below, but I wouldn't have done four layers of molding. That's two too many layers for my taste. But since I don't know what your furnishings are, I have no idea whether charcoal would work.

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something like this would give you a bit of storage, offer some seating to avoid crowding the room with too much furniture. If it were mine, I would modify the fireplace a bit, knock back the surround to flush with the wall., or at least a couple.

Without seeing the entire room and other rooms of your home it's hard to make educated decisions. Not sure why black blinds? IMO blinds are not a design feature they are functional and should blend into the wall or trim color.

I would move the TV as the proportion is off. Aesthetically what you hang over the FP should be approximately the size of the fore box.

I also think the surround would be better with3 layers, again odd numbers are more appealing visually.

I kind of like it! I do think I would paint the 2 innermost vertical piece black to match the fireplace cover - it needs some more width to balance. I would paint the whole wall a rich bold color and add a flat stock molding to the windows ( they look unfinished ) . Do the trim and the pieces you built in a nice bright white for contrast.

Here is my attempt at a mock up

Good luck!

IMO the wall is basically complete.

You could add fixed drapery panels to either side of the windows.

You simply need to select the right size rug and seating that complements the contemporary / art deco style of the surround you selected.

Thank you for your suggestion! Any insights to what color should that surround have? How about a concrete texture? Something like this inspiration picture we had

An art deco surround would be smooth

I suggest you known down the top layer of your fireplace surround, it's overpowering the room.

As suggested above by Lyn Nielson, window seats with storage seem to be a good option with what we see in your picture. Somehow your zebra blinds don't work, perhaps because they are dark. A nice either natural linen or print to coordinate with your decor would be more appropriate. Mantel decor would definitely look much better than the huge TV (I've lowered it) above the mantel.

You are asking questions that largely depend on your taste and style. What does the rest of the room and your other rooms look like? Do you like contemporary, edgy, traditional, soft, contrasting, historic, modern? Show us some of your furniture so we can tell what kinds of looks you gravitate towards.

You have a lot of interest on this wall already - many layered steps on your mantle and surround and windows flanking either side. You do not need a particular texture or material to draw interest to this area. The fireplace is clearly the focal point of this rather small wall.

Over think, and over design, sorry.

Too many layers, too many lines, especially considering windows

Peel a layer off the surround, or beef up/fill in the top layer and please lose the window treatment for a roller screen or just curtain panels.

I'm getting dizzy.........: )

Sorry but theT V above the FP is never ideal, waytoo much inlayering on the surround and kids toys right away are not modern and what is the rest of the sapce like . We need pics of the whole room every window , doorways where those lead to scale on graph paper Posted here in jepeg format in a comment. Pics also iin comments . DO NOT start another post . The windows need to be simple . Usually modern starts with less is more.

I’d be tempted to paint everything black on that wall.

Is that a wood surround? Does that meet code??

I think the shiplap/ wood behind it from the inspiration picture is too too much.

I'm getting dizzy just looking at the picture. You have a ceiling with soffit surrounding, zebra blinds that do not compliment the room, multiple layers of molding around the fireplace opening and then to top it off, a big black TV above. You need to scale back some of your design choices in my opinion.

You have lots of excellent feedback here. remove the black and white blinds, remove the 4th layer of the fireplace surround, keep it smooth and white. concrete texture does not go wirh art deco IMHO.

What is your surround made of? Most sealed gas fireplaces still have a clearance requirement where you can't have any combustible material protruding out above the fireplace for a specific distance above the fireplace top. Ours required about 6" from what I recall. Drywall and wood both count as combustible. A metal beam would be ok. For safety, I would recommend checking the specs for your model of fireplace.

I like Beverly's mockups with the rugs and cleaned up area.

I agree that there are one too many layers in the surround, but I like the proportions of the outer layers. A way to get around not having to remove the extra layer is to add a deco style fireplace screen door. This will also make the fireplace look more like a real wood burning fireplace rather than an artificial gas unit.

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