Dear fellow decorators, Thanks so much for all your responses! I knew I could rely on you guys. Thank you very much for the inspiration pictures, "jejvtr." I absolutely love them, and the look depicted in all three of them is pretty much spot on what I was envisioning. However, I am realistic and I know that our end result will probably not match what is in these pictures, because yes, the stretches of brick to the left and right of the main flank of brick are uneven. Also, I could remove the hearth, as you suggest, "egganddart49," but there are electrical outlets on both sides of the hearth, so I am certain removing the hearth would require electrical know-how, and DH and I are not up to snuff with that. I don't mind having the fireplace as the focal point, anyways-it's inevitable, and with a nice large painting above I think it can look nice. "Jakabedy," our house is actually a two story traditional colonial built in 1940. I do appreciate the MCM style, although our family room is not that. It was an addition consisting of a family room built on a concrete slab with a new master on top. I think whoever did it just took various elements popular at that time (floor to ceiling fireplace, large patio windows, wooden paneling, etc.) and mashed it all together. Cheers, Anna

I really like those taller, wider mantles posted by hilltop! Here's a picture of our in-progress fireplace redo - please excuse all the construction mess and cr*p on and around the fireplace. We're in the middle of installing our hardwood floors and everything's a mess (my pool table is in my kitchen!). This will NOT be our mantle decor, no matter how much my DH might like to display his collection of knick knacks there! I was planning on posting before and after pictures once we install the hearth (or to get ideas for a hearth) but thought you might like to consider an antique beam like the one we used for a mantle. They come in all sizes and widths. I think our mantle is relatively high in proportion to the firebox, but we were limited by the existing heading, which we did not want to rebuild.

If you google "craftsman fireplace images" you'll find lots of inspiration pics. The raised hearth might necessitate some fancy footwork, because most older fireplaces are flush to the floor, but you should be able to work around it. Look for screws inside the fireplace screen, probably on the sides.

It looks like a tiny mosaic tile over all the surfaces around the fireplace is the only option....being careful to choose fireproof tile of course...you can pull out the stops and get a very decorative mosaic as it wont require too much tile....or get one in a simple solid color with a contrasting grout....just keep in mind that this feature can dictate everything else you do in the room ....if it is too distinctive