I WOULD PUT A SUBSTANTIAL MANTLE ON THE FIREPLACE...AND GIVE THE FIREPLACE A SURROUND THIS WILL HELP IT STAND ALONE AND LOOK GREAT!!REMOVE THE FURNITURE IN FRONT OF THE STONE WALL .REPLACE WITH PICTURES AND/ OR A CONSOLE TABLE ALSO REMOVE MUCH OF THE DECO'S AROUND THE FIREPLACE INCLUDING THE LARGE FAN ...NICE ROOM ...MUCH CAN BE DONE....GOOD LUCK!!

OH YES ALSO PAINT THE CEILING A DIFFERENT COLOR FROM THE FIREPLACE AND STONE WALL...WHITE OR WHATEVER...GIVING IT SEPARATION....

If you tend to lean toward a modern style, purchase prefinished hardwood floors of your choice and install them on the horizontal. You can DYI this, or have a contractor fasten firring strips up onto the stone and then nail wood to that. A smooth grain hardwood will look best, such as cherry. If you like a little rustic/modern touch hickory floors would like killer. Another option is purchasing MDF boards whatever width you like, I suggest 5 inch and paint it. That would look awesome too. Have fun!

FP is gorgeous. Do not touch it or the other stone wall. It doesn't need a mantel. Maybe a TV above if you like that look and need a place for a TV. I wouldn't have anything near the fp let the beautiful stone speak for itself, maybe fire utensils, only. Get rid of ceiling fan, the ceiling is too low for a fan.
Here are similar fps:

Similar fireplace, I like the furniture and colors in room & modern fireplace utensil:
Here's another glimpse:

Here's another:

Similar fireplace, I like the colors of room here and the built-in fire screen:

This has a TV and surround sofa:

I agree that the ceiling fans are too much for the room. There are two of them and it makes the room very dark, even with the lights on. I also agree that the right side of the fireplace is way too much brick. The room is not big and half the wall is swallowed by that stone. That space could be used to showcase picture frames, a console table with decor, etc. I love the idea of pillows lining the ledge of the fireplace. It softens the stone. All your ideas are fab and I'll be pulling from each and every one. Thanks.

I agree about the mantle, a nice large one would make the space look great. But for the stone wall on the right I would sugguest putting up some shelving that allows the stone to show through. If you'd like it to be rustic, some shelves that look like woodbeams would look really nice. Please post "after" photos, cant wait to see what you do!

You can clean the stone with TSP. The full flagstone wall is a perfect "art wall"; purchase an oversize print on art.com and hang it over the clean stone. Eliminate the folding fire screen and use a very streamlined flush screen instead. Paint the ceiling and the walls, and turn your furniture to face the fireplace because it will be a focal point! * Depending on your budget...Installing a wood floor in this room or replacing your carpet with a flat version would be the next step. You have a great fireplace~ clean it up and you might think so too!

Your fireplace wall is great - its the rest of the room that's a hot mess.

Take down the ceiling fan and that moulding around it, pull up the carpet, clear out the clutter, take down those sheers, paint & clean the walls and ceiling.

Consider a set of sliding doors to the garden where that window is now - some tile or wood flooring in this room - and some new, better quality furniture arranged to take advantage of this focal point rather than ignoring it.

@ BEPSF... I appreciate your input, kinda rude though. I noticed a couple of people mentioned removing the carpet, but there is no carpet in the room. Its hardwood flooring. I just purchased the house about 2 months ago so I haven't had a chance to do much, which is why I was seeking some points of view for improving the space. I agree that the space is a mess from lack of care and elbow grease, but I look forward to reversing what the previous owners seemed happy with. Please keep the suggestions coming, but go easy on me. I'm a first time owner on a limited budget. Thanks guys.

I do have some individual questions for the posters. @ Interior Changes, the room is not very big, if I did a large art piece on the bare wall can I pair it with a console table below as Ceil suggested? I want a fully furnished and totally comfy, but not overcrowded room. Another question I have is it was suggested that I do a warm cream on the walls, similar to whats there now. The current walls are painted paneling (GROSS!!!) I'm having them covered with drywall. Should I go for a lighter color to brighten the room because the ceiling is so low?

The stone wall will become a feature wall if you use one large piece of artwork OR if you put artwork over a console table in front of it. Actually the console might be very nice because a single lamp would help light the texture of the stone and the artwork over it. I don't think that it will feel crowded at all. A few larger pieces instead of several small ones should make the room uncrowded. As far as the wall color...I would play off the stone ( a light gray or cream would be great). Enjoy your transformation!

Hi there. Congratulations on your new home! I say keep it cheap and easy. The stone walls are cool. Keep them and simplify the fireplace-you could take away the screen and go more modern in that room. Do a search on the Houzz site for "stone wall fireplace" and their are some nice inspiration ideas. Go light or white on the walls in the room. With the wood floor I think this would modernize that wall. Have fun!

Getting rid of pieces is the easy way to go. I would keep the stone wall but would build a drop down ceiling with incandescent lights all around the wall to highlight it! It will create a nice looking dimentional wall. Build a nice mantle around the fireplace, declutter and accessorize with earthy-bright colors .

Lots of great ideas here. I just helped a client out that had a large and imposing brick fireplace that they wanted transformed into a warmer and more contemporary style. We installed "sleeper" slats on the brick and then installed and finished sheet rock to hide the brick. Once that was done we added book shelves and some other trims and turned the wood burning fireplace into gas insert. If you are on a budget you could just do the sheetrock portion and then go from there.

One thing I would be wary of is the "vents" I see in the area above the fireplace, there might be a blower there that would need to be disabled before anything is mounted there or covered.

If you want to go even simpler you could add floating shelves from Lowe's the the larger wall to the right for putting pictures and such. Will be a little tricky as most are designed to install into wood or sheet rock, but a handyman would be able to handle and not cost as much.

I have pictures of the living room we did on my fan page if you would like link and i could post/send before pictures.

There's a lot of potential here!! If ease and cost are issues, keep the stone and the hardwood floors. Add a simple mantel. Change out the ceiling fan to just a regular flush mount light fixture. Change the fire screen to something more modern, add a rug in warm colors and keep the wall color soft and light. Hang floor to ceiling window treatments in a a substantial fabric weight but color that blends well with the walls and stone. Cushions along the stone bench in warm reds, ambers, and in fabric that is also substantial (no shiny, frilly stuff) would look great. Good luck! j

Congratulations on your new home! I don't think it's odd..I think making seating along the ledge of the stone wall without the fireplace would be great with nice deep cushions the length of it. I would add plenty of pillows along the back..It would be a welcome place to sit especially when entertaining because you are facing the room..I love the idea of a piece of art on the wall above..I would make sure it's not too low that it hits people when they sit against the wall..Please post pictures of your room and let us see how you do it..Good luck!

I agree with the cushions along the ledge and adding a mantel. A mirror rather than (or as well as) an art piece would also help open up the space. Also, if it is simply too much stone for your taste, you could stucco over the portion of wall to the right of the fireplace, but I think some combination of mirrors, art, and cushions will do the trick. Have fun!

Excellent potential without an extreme $$ investment. Definitely, please change the ceiling and the wall colours to "seamlessly" blend with the stonewalls. If your eye can travel throughout the space without a lot of interruptions the area immediately feels lighter and airier! The stone wall won't be as overpowering as it would be by segregating the walls from this very obvious element in the room.
I love the idea of a mantle, but just above the hearth area only...- perhaps with a slightly rustic edge to keep the warmth of the stone intact. Offsetting this rustic quality, some beautiful stacked crown moulding around the ceiling above the stone to further frame it with a polished "ending". Although an investment, consideration of a gas insert would bring it all together with a solid update and enhancing your resale value.
If nothing else, update the grate you currently have to something larger in scale - just be sure to strike a balance between the visual weight of the mantle and the grate. Now throw a couple of oversized prints with with a lot of negative space to ensure minimal visual clutter. Remove the bulky furniture in front of the stone and replace with a sizeable sofa table with minimal accessories. Lastly, wood flooring (laminate or hardwood) in a medium/dark tone will really ground the room and add a major punch of sophistication -thus fooling the eye into accepting the potentially overpowering stone features.
Good luck and have funnnn!

oh...and if that is a "sitting ledge" that carries across the entire stone area- then eliminate the sofa table and choose some fun oversized pillows....make it an inviting place to plop and read a book by the fire place. A chunky ottoman would be a great addition to assist in providing a cozy place to hang out.