Show us the rest of your room please

Here you go

Stand way back so we can see the whole room from several angles please.

The window and the tv niche are opposite each other? What is on the fourth wall? How big is the room and where is the entry? Looks like your decorating style may be Mediterranean with a lot of deep colors? And is that grey wall-to-wall carpet? I know this is a lot of questions, but they are important in figuring out what to do about your fireplace!

Would hang a more substantial piece of art.

I’m not married to anything in the room. Want to start over but was trying to figure out how to work around the wall with the fireplace. The tv is in a add on that we believe was built for the old very large screen tvs. It opens to the kitchen so no other wall. Carpet is grey but open to changes.

Thanks for the picture idea mdin but I don’t really like the fireplace. Do I take it out but then what happens with the shelves?

It would be a major project to remove the entire thing, but you may be able to remove the hearth and the projecting side columns and brick, cover over the firebox and create a blank area there to hang a TV.

I have lived in several houses that have had bricked over fireplaces in various rooms, with the chimneys left in place.

Start at the main door into the room. Take a photo from there to the opposite side. Then move clockwise around the room, shooting a photo across from each mid-wall and corner. Post them in a comment. Be sure we can see the furniture you have.

I’d reface the fireplace.
Depending on your style. Either do concrete over the whole thing.
Or whitewash it
Or tile over it.
Make it a focal point.
I don’t mind the shelving. Maybe paint it?

I removed a fireplace and left the chimney. However, my fireplace had no brick and only a small surround of plaster looking stuff. (Yours does look more involved.) Best thing I ever did to this house. Gave me a whole new wall.

A beautiful fp!

You could limewash the fireplace to make it look lighter; pick a color that goes with whatever color you want on your walls. Romabio Paints makes one of the best limewashes; check out their colors at romabio.com. For more of a long-term fix, I would consider leaving the opening (the firebox) in case you want to have a fire, but plastering over all the brick details so that you have a smooth, unobstructed surface all the way to the ceiling. To achieve this, you would likely need to build a wooden frame around the fireplace and then plaster over that. Another thing making your room look heavy is the brown woodwork; I would paint the moldings and the chair rail either the wall color or a creamy white to lighten it up. (But wait to paint the shelves until after you have dealt with the fireplace). Also, wall-to-wall carpet has gone out of style; I would pull up a corner to see what is underneath it; and if you are lucky, there may be some nice wood or tile that you can uncover.

Thanks Sheila, great suggestions

Palimpsest, thank you for the pic without the fireplace. Sure gives a different feel. Makes me wonder what it would look like with just the firebox and a nice mantle. Thanks to all for lots of great ideas

I would paint all the stones black and watch it disappear. Easiest solution .

Oh and then hang a great painting .

Thank you.