How would you decorate this fireplace/room?

[UrgeOverkill]

I'm an MN regular but have NC just in case anyone recognises my living room! I've used the estate agent photos here.

We moved into this house a few months ago and are a bit overwhelmed by how to make our living room feel more 'us'. The fireplace dominates. I love the actual brass and tile fireplace itself but really hate the colour and style of the surround.

We are considering painting the room in warm tones, and replacing removed coving. Potentially installing a picture rail?! A lot of period features were removed from our house for some reason.

How would you decorate this room, especially the surround for the fireplace? Is the fireplace actually ugly and something I should consider removing?

If you hate it, remove the top part. Then sand and re varnish or oil the wood a different colour, or paint fire surround in a dark colour to compliment actual fire and tiles

Once the room is painted I think the fireplace will look good in it. I wouldn't paint the fireplace.
Picture rail would look good and the room could take a stronger colour if you like dark colours. Otherwise a lighter warmer colour would still improve it with curtains and cushions to add colour too. Maybe a sagey green colour?

The door next to the fireplace is odd... gives it a really off feeling..

But yes I would repaint in warmer tones and some good heavy curtains lots of soft furnishings..it must be very echoey in there

I'd leave the fire place alone until you've finished the room... is it original?

I have no idea but I just wanted to say I absolutely love it 😍 that space is gorgeous!

What a gorgeous room with so much potential! What’s your style – what you do with the fireplace depends on what you lean towards. I agree that you should do nothing until you’ve done the rest of the room – the dark, glossy wood could well blend in/be less overpowering once you’ve painted/wallpapered.

We painted our fire surround F&B Bancha – a kind of olive green – but it was in less good condition/a DIY replica rather than your gorgeous one; and my style leans toward cottagecore/Beata Heuman/Vanessa Bell so a bold colour suited what was going on elsewhere.

I'd paint the skirting boards, (even replace them - they look hire small for the room, but I might be wrong), door and architrave. I'd also paint the brass fire insert black, and the surround a colour that compliments whatever wall colour you go for. Picture rail would be good.

Thanks everyone! It's a room with so much potential and I'm quite new to decorating anything so all advice appreciated.

Will take advice here and wait until the picture rail and wall colour is up to see how I feel about the fireplace surround - definitely will be taking the top part off as you suggest @Caspianberg.

@Tangledtresses we are going to be getting rid of that door as we have one at the other end of the room - agree it feels weird! And I don't think the surround is original, I think the fireplace itself may well be though.

@bluefootedboobie I hadn't noticed until you mentioned but yes, the skirting boards do seem too small! The finish is terrible, really streaky, so I'll have no qualms about replacing them.

Right, now to save like mad

If your house isn't a one off, have a look at sold houses on the same street on Rightmove to see what might have been there originally in terms of skirtings, fireplaces, etc. I think colour on the walls and curtains or blinds at the windows will make a huge difference.

A salvaged period fire surround might work better than the one that's there.

There was a time when period features were seen as old-fashioned and ripped out to modernise places. We're lucky that our house has so many of them and are trying to renovate sympathetically.

Our house had an old fashioned looking wooden surround when we moved in though it was light wood. We painted it white against teal wall and it totally changed the room.

@MotherOfGodWeeFella

If your house isn't a one off, have a look at sold houses on the same street on Rightmove to see what might have been there originally in terms of skirtings, fireplaces, etc. I think colour on the walls and curtains or blinds at the windows will make a huge difference.

A salvaged period fire surround might work better than the one that's there.

There was a time when period features were seen as old-fashioned and ripped out to modernise places. We're lucky that our house has so many of them and are trying to renovate sympathetically.

I agree!

My Victorian house still has the three original coal-burning fireplaces, picture rails and coving. I consider myself lucky that previous owners didn't get rid of these features

The white paint doesn’t work with the fireplace. But tHe fireplace itself is gorgeous. Once you have redecorated, if the wood doesn’t go, then it can always be repainted. It would be a shame to remove it if you are planning to reintroduce other period features.

Yes that door needs to go! Phew 😅

Lots of great advice... I can't see the tiles in the fireplace but you could take colour inspiration from them?

That room is beautiful. I would be investing in a subscription to "Period Living".

Beautiful fireplace. I think the white paint is the problem, picture rail and a rich deep colour on the walls and it'll look brilliant.

The white paint does nothing for the lovely wood work. I’d suggest something much richer to bring out the glowy -ness of it.
The furniture isn’t helping either - it looks flat and lifeless.
Personally I’d probably leave the door where it is, at least until you’ve lived with it for a while.

It’s going to be a lovely room!

I don't think the skirting boards are original as they would normally be 8" high with moulded top, while the doors maybe originathe door furniture isn't as they would have had knows not handles,
The overmantle is definitely part of the fire surround and is in keeping with period of house as nearly all main rooms would have had mirrored overmantle however it may not be the original one unfortunately as the ornate coving and ceiling roses have been removed as well as original windows it now no longer blends in as well as when everything matched
It's a big room with large window it could take some colour, the victorians and EdwardIan didn't really do white grey cream walls so the fireplace looks more standout than if it had surrounding walls in deep red or green etc etc or even goldish cream

Please don't remove the overmantle, it clearly goes with the fireplace below, the columns and the bird decoration are the same. However, I would paint the fire surround and the skirting boards, there are lots of people who get very precious about painting wood but the room in the photos looks so unstylish because of all the heavy dark brown wood and furniture against the white walls. If everything were painted white and lighter furniture was in there it would immediately look more modern. Or if your taste is more to the dark then the dark wood fire surround might look OK but I'd still think about painting at least the skirting boards and doors (in that case a dark colour that tones with your walls).

I would either remove the surround altogether or paint it.

I would completely remove the wooden fire surround and blacken the brass around the fire. Keep the tiles and hearth. Then get a plainer white/off white wooden surround. I think the doors quite nice though. Loads of living rooms with nice fireplaces on Pinterest.

What a totally stunning room - lucky you! Agree with others that it's the white paint that's the problem. Once you have exchanged that for something warmer or more striking and added curtains/blinds it will look like a living room rather than a theatre set.