Remove the hearth. Keep the shelves.

@HU-187528210 The current shelves are cheap looking. If keeping the shelves, I will have to replace them with nicer shelves. From the research I did, the bookshelves on the sides of the fireplace is kind of an old-fashion/traditional thing. I like to keep it simple and contemporary. So I am leaning on removing them.

Unless a room is truly huge and a ceiling higher than 8', a raised hearth is usually "in the way" -- a stumble hazard -- and visually overbearing. In lieu of a raised hearth, consider creating a floor level (flame proof such as brick) "hearth" -- different flooring immediately in front of the fireplace..

Remove

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you very much for your suggestion. It is a wood burning fireplace. I may change to a gas fireplace, or just keep it.

I struggled with where to put our TV because the space above the fireplace will be squeezed if I put the TV above the fireplace. I though the majority of the fireplaces stick out of the wall, so I did not think of the option of making the whole wall one level.

@suezbell Yes. I will do a floor level hearth if remove.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting I was wrong. I just checked the fireplace and found out it is a gas fireplace. The previous owner had already changed to gas. We never knew that!

I would remove it and beef up the shelves.

What are the materials leaning on the fireplace?

Regardless whether you decide to remove it or not (wood burning, needs to have the hearth), the hearth should be shortened, and shelving removed. I do like shelving in that area, however, but, it needs to go from the floor up, not from a piece of useless hearth up. There is no need to have that hearth run the full length of the wall.

@WestCoast Hopeful The large tile is the one I picked for my bathroom. But I also think I can use it on the fireplace wall. I got lucky that I was able to pick out some tiles that I could match with the veining, so it is very pretty and looks high end when installed.

I love the shape/style of the hearth. The bright white paint I could do without.

If the whole space is being redone then I would take it all out. The hearth, the brick, the shelves. Start fresh. Use the tiles or whatever and a blank slate

The beam above it is also squishing the height from the top. Is it false? Are there more like it? Perhaps removing beams will visually "raise" the ceiling too.

@decoenthusiaste It is false. That is what I thought too. The beam is only in that room. I just feel it is extra feature, so I didn’t make decision yet.

@WestCoast Hopeful Is it doable to cover the brick with tile?

@cat_ky I guess it might be that the previous owner wants some seating.

Isn’t the brick uneven? How would you cover it?

@WestCoast Hopeful I thought we could use mortar to even the surface first, and the lay the tile. But I might be wrong.

If you're planning to redo the entire face of the fireplace and wall anyway ( certainly would ... budget permitting, of course ), then consider recreating the fireplace to be less dominant and create a pair of large hidden closets -- no visible door hardware -- on each side of the fireplace.

https://www.wayfair.com/Real-Flame--Harlan-Grand-Electric-Fireplace-8060EBLK-L74-K~JFP1892.html?refid=GX528879910047-JFP1892_18865015&device=c&ptid=889424989386&network=g&targetid=pla-889424989386&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=32365584&fdid=1817&PiID%5B%5D=18865015&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhMOMBhDhARIsAPVml-FnZ-TaSIFmOQ-p-R-_wz80xNywcG4Nj8C_DVcpBs77NflBgZXAZ38aAq0tEALw_wcB

In my experience tile is not forgiving to uneven floors. I can only assume would be same for fireplace.

@suezbell I am not sure how hard it is to remove only part of the brick, or can we not even remove only part of it? I do feel the same way as the brick is too wide.

If you have or can get plans for the house or just tell from the room behind the fireplace what is behind the brick beside the fireplace, that could help you decide.

Sometimes duct work and/or plumbing and wiring is hidden in a wall and that otherwise unusable space might be what the brick covers up ... and the reason the built in shelves are not wider. You could actually just cover as much of the brick as you want with wood paneling or dry wall if tearing out the brick is not practical ... or if you just want to leave the brick in place in case a future buyer prefers the brick being visible, potentially increasing resale value with the right buyer.

I like the raised hearth. What I find incongruous is the traditional mantle. I would remove it. The shelves are quite thin and the spaces they segment are quite small. I would remove the shelves and play with spacing to accommodate taller pieces like vases, and smaller items. Vary the size. And add chunkier, natural wood shelves. If you really need a mantle, a chunky wooden beam. I’d embrace a more modern aesthetic with a large piece of bold art over the firebox. But…I might be completely off base here! Good luck with your project!

@suezbell That wall is an outside wall adjacent with the garage. It is the garage behind the fireplace. So probably nothing in it?

That beam appears to be there for a reason. See why its there, before removing. That entire end, where the fireplace looks to be an add on. Are you 100 percent sure it isnt. Could it have been added on at same time, the garage was built??

@cat_ky Did you mean the beam on the ceiling? Several of contractors told me those beams are just for decoration. I am sorry I didn't quite understand what the entire end you mentioned was?

Can you hang the TV on a different wall?

@Mrs. S In this room, probably not. We will remove the wall on the left of the fireplace. There is a tall window on the wall right to the fireplace. I am struggled with the location for the TV too.

I love our two fireplaces with raised hearths. The hearths provide a place to park when there is a big gathering, but remain out of way otherwise. You can see in the upper photo that a chair and couch are close. In the lower photo the raised hearth is in a virtual hall/i.e. a walkway. In neither case would a chair fit, but the hearth is a convenient place to sit.

Yes, the ceiling beam, that is closest to the fireplace.