Thank you, CB! I'm still sold on a floral arrangement next to the TV, and maybe a solid color table runner. Roobear, thanks for the help but with the tv above the big fireplace, it looks like two black holes! lol. Also, having such a high technological piece above an 18th century FP defeats the purpose. No offense to anyone, but I don't like TV's above the FP. IMO, a FP should stand alone, except for regular decorating on top of it. No large clocks. They're too trendy. I also have a nice grandmother clock on the mantel which has beautiful westminster chimes. Hockeymom, I agree. The good thing is the room is sooo big the tv isn't even a focal point. It comes across as one in pictures, but it's not IRL. Maybe in a few years when the newness wears off of the stand, I'll get a nice piece of furniture for the TV..which is what I wanted in the first place..but oh well, dh was so proud of his purchase, I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't my cup of tea, but I've learned to live with it so it doesn't bother me anymore. I also remember he drove all over the city in his suit on a very hot summer afternoon shopping for TV's and stands. Men and their toys. :) When we're finished using the FP, I'll piddle around with the bucket and wood stand. Now dh has his chess board sitting behind the bucket! It's nice, but I may move it some & see if he notices. ;)

After painting I would perhaps try a couple of things on the hearth....plant, basket, sculpture...? I would be inclined to NOT draw attention to the mantel.

Thank you all for the advice everyone. It looks like it is cemented into the stone, if that makes sense. ShashaDog I will contact them and find out. BF, I am a straight forward person, I can own up to it when making a mistake. Building a home was my dream and I had every detail planned out. Honestly they screwed up a lot of things. The light fixtures that were supposed to be put in were not. They screwed the bathroom tiles. The wrong garage door color and style was put in. The wrong handles on the kitchen cabinets were put in. During selections the man I was working with was texting on his phone and making calls and taking calls. He was extremely rude, I told them that I didn’t wanna work with him anymore, but by that time the selections were made. They did replace the garage door, but that was about it. It’s all good, I’m healthy, I have an amazing family, these are all little things that can be replaced. This was a learning experience for me. I’ll use that knowledge when building my next home. I really appreciate the advice.

Lol, it was taking awhile to upload my question so I wasn't sure if the site was working.