i would leave the hearth tiles, even if they are cracked. or get an expert restorer in if you have the budget. if you really can't stand it - build fitted cupboards the whole length of the wall to hide it. it would be vandalism to get rid, in my opinion... i have white church candles in the fire basket of mine, which looks nice. a friend with one similar to yours went for stripped floorboards, a black and gold chinese rug, black and gold sari fabric drapes and cream walls. stunning! clean the mantle [i think it is slate] with linseed oil. those side tiles do match, don't they? isn't it just the lighting making them different?

Dear @judibutler I assume you are referring to a wall which is wholly above ground and that you have completely ruled out damp tracking into the wall from above. A lot depends on the size and thickness of the wall and other factors, such as if the building is listed. Damp penetration (driving rain) through granite walls has been an ongoing problem in church towers in the southwest of England for some time. Ironically the problem often seems to get worse after re-pointing in lime. Granite is fairly impervious and was often in laid in large blocks meaning trapped water has little chance of getting out through thin mortar joints. Historic England held an excellent conference on the subject in 2013; the transcript of proceedings can be found at: http://content.historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/research/damp-towers-conf2013-programme-transcripts.pdf A roughcast lime render coat may help, but there could equally be voids in the wall which are holding damp and may need grouting. However, grouting is a very tricky and expensive technique which should not be undertaken lightly, and only works if one knows exactly where the voids are. Over-cladding the whole wall with semi-sacrificial weather boarding may be a last resort. This and rendering are likely to require planning consent. Depending on where you are located, a company like ArchiMetric (www.archimetrics.co.uk) could insert some interstitial moisture monitors into the wall to try and find out exactly where and when the damp is getting in and how it is moving through the wall, but this may be expensive. Some localised investigation by dismantling pockets of stone may be useful. The Society of Ancient Buildings helpline (mornings only on 020 7456 0916) may be able to help with specialists in your area. Most importantly try to get an understanding of how water is getting into and moving through your wall before you embark on anything. If your problems relate to below-ground damp then a different response will be needed.

Hello Mohammed, You're welcome ! I think the wooden chest is actually nice and I would leave that and have a mirror over it.. It's looks good but of course entirely your choice. The copper/rose gold or glass bulb light is the one to consider out of the ones you have chosen but the glass bulb would give you more light! However it's more subtle... Reason why I'd be inclined to leave the wooden chest and add something there.. Wood offers warmth and texture which is why I think it's a nice idea.. At the far end I would only suggest a mirror (if the hall is really short but it didn't appear to be) You can always try a long mirror and then try adding something like a column and a sculpture or a vase of flowers or something decorative to stand in front. If you want to add a bench seat by all means or maybe a console table would be nicer or useful - it really depends on how you use your hall. :))

Yes very happy i went for bold. l feel like the hearth needs balancing out on the other side with the log basket but wasnt sure what....as it would have to be non-combustible ideally!!! or would it look too busy with something else anyway?