Thanks for the thoughts and tolerance guys. I think direct vent are relatively good at avoiding Indoor Air Quality IAQ problems but would add the tighter and smaller the house, the greater the chances of exhaust contamination along with time used. Life safety codes require the use of CO detectors when including gas appliances and it seems barely 50% of homeowners maintain batteries and replacement. You don't add IAQ liability or risk when you go all electric. It seems most high performance builders are aiming for passive house airtightness, levels that many other building professionals point to as cost effective for most new construction. Exhausting things gets much harder at these levels. Many designers embrace the beauty of truth in materials. What could be more fake, than a hydrofracked fossil fuel behind a pane of glass that provides little useful heat? What is the real truth represented by the flames? New construction should include infrastructure costs like trenching and pipe drop charges per appliance. Of course if a client is willing to spend more and install gas stuff, I can always see the bright side that I will probably make more money.

That’s a big tv for that location. Do you have photos of the rest of the room?

Are you keeping the tv above the fireplace? I don’t mean this to sound critical, but imo the fireplace is already a focal point in the room, so keep that in mind as you move forward with ideas. It sounds like your goal is really to make it more in tune with current designs and toning down the brick. So in looking at what you want to do, ask yourself if you want to remove the stepped hearth, blend in the tile or stone to be more cohesive with the overall color scheme, change the mantel, etc. Good luck! It is a pretty room.

We have some great rustic options for wall tile Copper Quartzite, Rustic https://rocksinstock.com/products/copper-quartzite-rustic-dimensional-tile-island-cladding-series?_pos=1&_sid=c7cc42504&_ss=r Golden Slate Golden Slate, Parallels - https://rocksinstock.com/products/golden-slate-parallels-textured-wall-tile-island-cladding-series?_pos=1&_sid=f70617d50&_ss=r Sandstone Grey - Rhythm - https://rocksinstock.com/products/sandstone-grey-rhythm-interlock-dimensional-tile-island-profiles-series?_pos=1&_sid=7f6f4745b&_ss=r This RANDOM stone also gives a Rustic look - https://rocksinstock.com/collections/random-series You can always request a sample on our website to help to decide :) We also have reclaimed wood planks, very easy to install - https://rocksinstock.com/collections/timber-wood-wall-panels-wood-cladding I hope it helps! Have a Rock Day!