If you do decide to make it all flush, you can float it out with framing and cement board, but you cannot do that on the sides of the opening. You must use non-combustible material within 8" of the opening on the sides and 12" on the top. So either steel framing or bricks must be used in that area.

I don't understand this statement: " I worry that if it's made flush no fireplace inset will fit anymore due to the extra depth from the sides".

Please explain.

Why don't you just paint the brick? White, charcoal (any number of colors) - it depends on what you're planning on doing with the areas on the sides that now have shelves, and the rest of the decor in the room. What is the flooring?

I find your existing fireplace very interesting! Before I would do anything to its structure I would remove the strange shelves on either side. Then…I would consider painting the brick, as kandrewspa suggests. AND paint the paneling, too. The levels of the fireplace are interesting and unique. They call for cushions on either side. I also suggest, if it bothers you, to paint out the brass on the insert with heat resistant paint so that the insert is all black. In other words, keep the fireplace as it is!

a simple cosmetic DIY until you are ready for a complete over haul of the wall.

I would not improve the finish on the brick if you are going to leave the paneling, it would be a total waste of money.

Remove the metal shelf brackets, shelves and Paneling Then address the fireplace as a complete wall improvement. Build in a unit including proper lighting, etc.

How About a Navy wall (including the shelves and brackets) and leave the brick as is?

Thanks all for the suggestions. My plan is too remove the brick on the sides completely and add floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

@Hansen Wholesale What I meant was if fur out the sides of the cneter fireplace it will cover the inset on the sides. I plan on changing on the inset and am not sure if they make ones with the right depth.

@kandrewspa Thanks but I really don't like painted brick. The floor is LVP. Under the carpet pictured is hardwood that I put LVP over.

@ptreckel My plan for the sides is to replace the paneling with drywall and put floor to ceiling bookshelves on the sides (removeing the brick). Do you think a fireplace with this contour could be plastered or tiled over without madifications?

@Lyn Nielson Yes, I am looking to do a total overhaul (see above). I'm mostly wondering about how to tileor plaster a fireplace with such a weird contour.

I sure hope not the shelves you show with the visible brackets . As for furring out the sides best to go look at inserts to see what will fit then plan how to finish this . I assume this is a gas FP so do you need the huge hearth ? I think you need to see what can be done before doing anything. I always ask what is it you have that needs display. I do not love shelving filled with a bunch od knick knacks better not displayed . IMO the FP width is good so I woudl check out furring the sides to match the front but you need to see what insert will fit. Why not try painting it first nothing lost . I would get 2 nice pieces of art for either side and as mentioned maybe cushions under tha art and no shelves.Or just no hearth if you can do that and you like modern.

@stustustu The term "Inset" is what threw me. I assume you are referring to the fireplace doors.

I've been in the custom fireplace door business for over 30 years now, so as far as I am concerned, it doesn't matter whether you float out the sides or not, we can make a screen or door that will fit either way.

If you want to shop at a home center or hope to find a standard size door that might fit, you MUST float out the sides or they won't work.

The door you have on there right now had to be custom made to fit under that ledge.

I know you say you don't want to paint the brick but your fireplace could look something similar to this (painted charcoal) if your remove the bricks at hearth level on both side to place your built-in bookcases. You can spray paint your fireplace doors with heat resistant paint such as for BBQs.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting I have a lot of books so the big shelves works for me. Need somewhere to put them! @lisedv @Patricia Colwell Consulting That picture doesn't look half bad. I'm painting the walls Evergreen Fog: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/green-paint-colors/sw9130-evergreen-fog

Is there a fireplace color that would go well it?

@Hansen Wholesale Ah sorry, I'm not up on the precise lingo. Thanks for the good information. Can you elaborate why the sides have to be floated out. How would you flota out the sides if I was only painting the brick. Seems like bricking it up wouldn't match the patern of the center part that well? Can't a premade screen be recessed? Not sure how you can tell the dimensions of my fireplace aren't standard from the picture.

I don't love the door on the fireplace, the paneling on the walls or the rec room shelves. I would get rid of all the bad stuff first and see what you have after all of that is striped out. You are going for the one nice thing first instead of all the bad stuff first.

@stustustu I may have jumped to a conclusion about your existing door, but my experience has been whenever there is an overhang that a fireplace door needs to fit under, it almost always needs to be custom made. There is a slim chance that a standard size door might fit, but it is not likely.

Mass produced stock size fireplace doors are designed to overlap the fireplace opening anywhere from 1/2" to 5" depending on the brand and width of the frame. The wider the frame, the more fireplace sizes a door will fit and the more it will shrink the viewing area if you are fitting it under a ledge.

When we fit doors under an overhang, we recommend doors with very narrow frames so they do not shrink the viewing area very much.

Compare this example to the one you currently have installed:

I could go on, but I will stop here and answer any other questions you might have.

@Hansen Wholesale Thanks for the advice. I would like a frame to match or be smaller than the central brick column like you have shown. I don't understand though, what exactly would prohibit any fireplace door I buy that is he right width from being installable under the overhang?

@lisedv I guess that color that was already there fits pretty well.

I don't know what your furniture looks like but the Evergreen Fog colour on the walls looks good with the charcoal/black fireplace.

I like the brick painted gray.

I hope you are not going to use these shelves. They look cheap.

Some options for ones.

@stustustu This is probably TMI, but it's difficult to explain briefly.

Below is a size chart for standard size doors sold at Home Depot and other mass merchants. If you look at the small size you will see it fits a variety of fireplace openings from 30" to 37" Wide and 22.5" to 29.5" High. The doors are not adjustable to make them fit, they just overlap the opening more or less depending on the size of the fireplace compared to the overall size of the door frame. The top left picture shows the actual overall size of the small door, which is 37.5" W x 30" H.

The reason the door fits such a variety of fireplace openings is because the frame is at least 4" wide, so it can overlap the opening anywhere from .25" to 3.75". The wider they make the frame, the more fireplace sizes it will fit. Unfortunately, wider frames get ugly and really take away from the fireplace. But only having to make 3 sizes to fit a wide variety of fireplaces allows Home Depot to keep the cost down and sell them cheap while minimizing inventory.

In your case, it is not the width of the fireplace that is of concern, it is the height. You must find a door that fits right under you ledge since you cannot overlap it. If your ledge is 28" high, none of these doors will fit because they are all over 30" tall...even though the size chart says they fit.

If you keep your blower, it affects how tall the door can be as well.

If you want a door that looks good, fits under your ledge and does not shrink the visual height of the opening by 4" or 5" like these doors do, it needs to have a much narrower frame. Stock doors do not come with narrow frames since the narrower the frame is, the less fireplaces the door will fit.

The door I used in the mockup I created has a 1" wide frame that only overlaps the sides 1/2". If a company tried to mass produce stock size doors that could only overlap the opening 1/2", they would need to produce thousands of sizes, which is just not possible to keep in stock, particularly if there are finish options involved.

@Hansen Wholesale Thank you so much for the explanation. I understand the issue precisely now. The opening dimensions for my fireplace are 47-¼” W x 25-¾” so you are right that those standard doors will not fit.

I'm guessing custom made is my only option? What If I converted the fireplace to a gas log? Does it have the same requirements about needing a screen?

@stustustu Glass doors are not necessarily a requirement for wood burning or gas logs, they are just one of many choices. The main benefit of glass doors is your ability to close them when the fire is dying. Because your damper will be left open overnight, closing the glass doors nearly eliminates the cold air coming into your home overnight, or as long as your damper is left open (which for some people is always).

Gas logs do require you to prop the damper open at least 1" permanently, so there will always be a draft. It's like leaving a window cracked open all the time, which you probably would want to avoid during cold winter months. So glass doors do have a benefit with gas logs. You open them when you burn the fire and close them when you turn it off.

All gas log manufacturers will say that some sort of screen is required in front of the fire when the logs are lit. The logs are normally made from cement or ceramic and when it gets hot rapidly, small bits can potentially break off due to expansion and become little projectiles. So for liability, they have to say that a screen is required. With that said, many people don't abide by that rule and burn them without a screen.

If you want some recommendations for various types of screens that would be appropriate for your fireplace, including: glass doors, mesh curtains, free standing screens, etc., take advantage or our FREE Fireplace Design Service.

BTW: Although we specialize in custom glass doors and screens, we also have many stock size fireplace doors. I checked all of our size charts and there are very few that are made wide enough for your fireplace, none of which come close to fitting the correct height. So if you want glass doors, you are going to need them custom made, which is no big deal. 95% of all the doors we sell are custom made since they look much better and always fit perfectly.

We also sell gas logs and can help you with that since there are many considerations when it comes to getting the proper burner system, controls and sizing for your fireplace.