This post made me laugh and I will work on a picture, but I get dirty daily. As I go from job to job all day I step in drywall mud, rub against wet paint, get drywall dust smear all over my pants, and for sure the sticky epoxy gets somewhere. I have busted shoes, torn purses, and scratched glasses. Hazards of the job, it's all in a days work.

we have a anthracite coal burner, and do occasionally burn wood too. It's some amount of work, bringing in coal, filling it up, clearing ash... But we share the workload and the enjoyment outweighs any inconvenience. I often find the tasks pleasurable. I do, however, live in a relatively warm climate, so it's only used in the few cold months

strip part of the brick and mantle back to orignial if the exposed colour lines up with the room, strip the whole thing. Looks so well crafted not to pay respect to the past

You could consider custom joinery that actually looks freestanding - purposefully creating a gap from the edge of the fireplace surround to the wardrobe & on the wall side also. This would also mean that it really does not matter if the front of the cupboards do not align with the front of the fireplace. Adding a nicely detailed leg, and a feature handle (you can get some really unique Australian made ones these days) to give some visual interest to the otherwise minimal finishes. Keep it simple & classic so it ages with your child's taste and preferences. As an example, The Design Files recent article has an image of a cupboard in a lounge area, that could be adapted to two double door units on either side of the fireplace https://thedesignfiles.net/2019/10/interiors-house-p-cjh-studio/. Seems perfect for a child of any age, or even if you want to convert the room to a more 'grown up purpose' once they leave home ;-)