My opinion would be to stick with the character of the rest of your house. If you have Coastal and Craftsman features, don't go too Contemporary or Formal. Both examples that you have posted. ;) Besides the siding on the outside of your home, do you have any hard surfaces, like brick or stone? If so, match those instead of bringing in a third element. We recently built an outdoor area for our home. I had my heart set on a stone fireplace, but the house is brick and stucco with a wooden screened porch. The more that I thought about it, the more I decided that bringing in another element was too much. Matching brick would be the way to go. I am so happy with my choice. We also have columns that mirror the columns on the inside of the house and painted to match the screened porch trim and stucco accents. A cedar wood pergola is stained to match the darker taupe of the majority of the stucco. All colors blend in with the brick. If your house is all siding, then I would go with the stone. for inside and out. I believe that the plaster both outside and in, as shown in photos 2 and 3, would be too contemporary and formal for your home. I like the interior stone and wood trim photo that you posted with the hearth, but sadly, you do not have room for that set up. Another opinion...I'd take down the knee walls. You don't need them for a division. The one between the window is taking up valuable wall space. You can create a natural division between the dining and living space with your furniture. I know from experience. We put a built-in in our living room, and I wanted it to have some character, so the middle section sticks out about 10 inches beyond to side sections. That middle section has become a thorn in my side and prevented a couple of different seating configurations that I would have much preferred in that room. The bump-out gets in the way. I think that your knee walls will narrow your walking space, getting around furniture, such as a sofa. Again, just my opinion.

Poor son. Someone "updated" the fireplace already and did a horrid job. The floors are beautiful. I would not want to ruin the banister like they did the fireplace, with white paint, but the room does need lightening. The walls are already white and any color will only darken the room. Maybe he will need to invest in a lot of light fixtures. Is the ceiling white?

Hi again Keri, My neck hurts just looking at the picture of your tv. What you might consider if there is enough room is getting a cabinet where the tv can be mounting inside and a remote brings it up into the open for view. I saw the construction of such a cabinet on youtube at one point but don't have the link. I have one that I bought used sitting in my garage but it has more cabinets with it and is fairly large. It's the same idea though.

Please stcked stone is already dated and IMO never really belonged indoors at all If you really want help we need info . What is your style maybe some pics of your interiors where you are , IMO the srched window will drive the rest of the design of the FP.