The title of your design dilemma was "electric fireplace". Since there is no photo of one in the room I thought I would post one that we just used in a large project in San Diego where we added a great granny flat to the home. This unit is a fireplace//heater and is beautiful. Purchased on Wayfair.

This is the house we are moving into. I am trying to start planning how to place furniture as it is somewhat awkward. Ideas welcome, also any advice on how to update this fireplace, take off the white trim? Paint it black? I will be adding more modern black lightning and hardware as well. Thanks in advance!

If it were me I would take away the arches and shelving in the niches and slip your 2 glass display cases right into those spaces. would do tile rather than stone in your fireplace surround, but i like your stone. But I wouldn’t touch the wood mantel. your sofa is fun but it could do with a decadent bohemian makeover of fake fur and fun pillows

Hi! Thanks for the response and for bumping up my post! I'm not sure if you can tell in the most recent picture I shared, but there are two bricks on each side that they painted red. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or maybe they used spray paint and some of it got on the brick maybe? But I'm wanting all of it to be black. I've looked at the Rust-Oleum and other high heat brands but they say not to use them on direct heat, only indirect heat. So I'm not sure what the outside grate part would be considered. I know the brick would be direct heat for sure, so I really don't know what to use for that. My inspection report didn't even include the fireplace so I'll probably need to get it inspected and maybe cleaned before using it.