sidney - The mirror is 32" and to be honest I haven't even put it up there to check the size yet. I love it so much, I'm going to use it even if a bigger size would be a little bit better. As you can see, I have a large area above my fireplace too. I just saw a picture somewhere and I can't remember where now, but it had three exact mirrors that were framed above the fireplace. It reminds me a little of your inspiration picture. I'll have to retrace some of my steps and see if I can remember where I saw it. Laurie

I don't have a picture but the red brick on my fireplace goes to the ceiling. We have a vaulted ceiling in the family room and the bricks extends pretty far out from the fire box so it is the statement in that room. I've considered dry walling over the brick that's above the mantel, but I've had several people tell me that they don't think it will look right, that the brick is what makes it interesting. It definitely is a more rustic look than having drywall, so I think it depends on what kind of look you want. In my case, the red makes finding paint colors a bit more challenging. I love Karen Rose's fireplace wall with the white brick. I prefer a chunkier mantel. And I like the fact that you're not putting the tv over it (my tv is to the right of my fireplace too). I like when there is minimal decor on the mantel too, like a vase with sprigs on one side and either a couple of candles or a photo on the other.

Remove the brass surround (and the TV) and see how the mantle looks. To me, the mantle looks too big for the space. It might have been added with some easy to remove brackets or more might be complicated. youTube - search remove a fireplace mantle. This short one has no audio but it shows how easy it might be. If you are lucky. https://youtu.be/AfywZhtQZ4g

Definitely need photos. Have you checked that your fireplace will be to code without a stone hearth? Most fireplaces need them...