A wood mantel (reclaimed?) would be pretty.

I would need more info and a picture from further back too, Right now IMO you have too much little stuff on the mantel a single piece of art to replace the mirror is all you need there. Without knowing anything about the style of the room I can’t really comment about the stone. I assume it is not fuctional so I guess my question is do you love it there ?

This reminds me of the whitewashed stone walls of Cornish cottages.

I think it would look wonderful with a chunky, reclaimed natural wood mantel. Granted, yours would not look exactly like these, but just for inspiration:

It's a charming look!

You all never disappoint. Here are two additional pictures to give you a sense of the space around the fireplace.

I've been working from this space for three weeks. It's funny how you don't really look at things until you're forced to.

The satin-ish white paint and grout makes the stone appear fake and one dimensional. To warm things up, I'd add some colors back into the stone face, with complimentary grout, and then do a wood mantle. I agree with Patricia - one large piece of art would look nice there, instead of all the smaller items on the mantle. However, it looks like you like the Joanna Gaines look - so, maybe try turning the mirror and place it on one side of the mantle, layer the "family rules" item and small plant over it, a bit offset, and then maybe add the lantern and something else on the other side to balance it out. I'd just leave the one plant on the hearth. Try for an odd number of items and balance, not symmetry.

I wonder what would happen if I sanded the stone down a bit? I like the idea of one piece of artwork. I don't like the Joanna Gaines layered look.

I wouldn't sand it down. You could, though, if you remain curious about what it would look like. (I suspect it will look like a flaking off paint job.) At worst, you'd just need to paint over it with white again.

Really, what you have now is lovely. What is it that you don't like about it?

It’s very white. I love the idea of replacing the mantle, and that’s pretty quick & easy. I’ve never been great at decorating the mantle. I love the Cornish cottages. I love that style/look.

What a pretty dining room! If you remove the mantle, there may be a spot where you could experiment with wiping a gel stain or antiquing on it and then wiping it back off to try to give it a little depth and dimension. I love IdaClaire's suggestion for artwork. It seems as though it would suit the room very well.

You can slip a new mantel right over the existing one. Match it to your table. You certainly don't need two mirrors or all the other items. You could leave the lantern and plant on the hearth, then use a piece of art hung 5" above the new mantel, Keep it within the footprint of the firebox opening.

Keep it within the footprint of the firebox opening -- great advice. Thank you!

Just overglaze the stone and restain the mantel.

A pint of thinned paint and you're done.

That's interesting, and something I don't know anything about. What is overglaze?

In this case it would be just taking acrylic paint and thinning it with water so you can take a brush or rag and apply it not precisely over the white paint so the white continues to show through.

https://youtu.be/Y0xRgEECZR8

I agree that the mantel is too traditional for the rustic space - I would replace it with one chunky mantle. It’s a great space!!

I vote for drama and contrast....maybe paint the mantel a bronze color; Sherwin Williams does have a bronzy brown you might like. A color that relates to your dining set!

Or a pewter color for the mantel is a possibility......

I think a wood mantel to go with the table is a good ideathen see if you want to play with the stone.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll post an update once the remodel is complete. Stay safe & healthy!