Hi Hilary, thank you so much for your kind comments. It gets pretty darn cold up here, in N Yorkshire and when the fire is lit, it really does warm up the room (whilst the rest of the house is like a bloomin' ice box!) Hello again Bespoke Decorative Finishes, thank you too for your kind words. Ah, the gold mirror is from ebay - thank you again. Yours is beautifully done and so clever and sophisticated; mine is a bit 'rustic' but I think ok for the room, in probably a very basic way, which has limestone flags. When I first came to the house 8 years ago, the previous owner had built the fireplace out in the same stone as the back of it to 1.5 metres on both sides of the fire, projecting forwards into the room. I thought it was pretty hideous because it was was way too big and dominating and it also seemed to absorb the light as it is not a well lit room. So I borrowed a jack hammer and over the weeks, in the evenings, I took the stone walls down which stretched about 70cm each side too. It was a bit task and I took out a lot of stone. Then I found the two RSJs. I think I said on another post, I couldn't understand why there were two, one on top of the other, so I took one out. BIG mistake. The room above is my bedroom and I noticed when I went to bed, the floor had dropped by 4". Ooops!

Hi,Firstly what a lovely fireplace,such a design feature and something that should definitely be embraced. Painting would just give a block colour to something that seems to have many hues to it. Perhaps a black granite upcycle to the plinth and shelf would give it an edgier feel. Good luck!

I love exposed brick - here it is in my London flat, which is part of an 1870's semi detached house. Excuse the fact that it's a bit bare: it is about to be rented out, after me living there for 12 years (renovation was 8 years ago). I left some plaster up on the main hallway wall and painted it - it used to house a collection of African masks that have moved with me.

being a big fan of all things rustic , I would say not only leave brick but go 1 step more and make that brick wall as bold as it can be. bring back it's original brown appeal or even paint it that rustic bold brown that any brick decor deserves. that said, some pics wouldve helped a lot here because sometimes going old isn't always the best option hah