If you have length along the wall to house cabinetry, consider stepping out the joinery, so start with a 300mm deep bookshelf full height as a bridge between the new and old, and then place a deeper pantry etc after it. A bookshelf that can house small app.lances, recipe books, bowls or decorative items can work within the traditional fireplace, but also a modern kitchen fit out. Your joinery style can be modern and still include a traditional element like a bookshelf. I would then also build one on the other side for symmetry.

Hi ronmarg77, Personally, I'd take that lovely fireplace and turn it into a feature of the room! It already has that lovely brickwork around in that gives it a theatrical feel. I would suggest moving that armchair away from the fireplace to open up the wall, and mounting the TV on the wall as well. The colour palette of the room is quite neutral, so adding a splash of colour via a rug or some cushions would elevate the appeal. Depending on what the other side of the room is like, you could add a potted plant to throw a splash of greenery and colour to the room. You could then fill the emptiness on the wall that's either side of the fireplace with some lovely art pieces. These would keep the room cosy, but not clutter up the floor space, thus allowing the fireplace to still be the main feature. To really maximise the warmth that a fire brings, I'd recommend some warm toned pieces, such as this dyptich, Rock and Trees, by popular artist, Penelope Oates. These two pieces would sit nicely next to the fireplace https://bluethumb.com.au/penelopeoatesart/Artwork/rocks-and-trees-diptych Some other warm artworks I'd suggest are: https://bluethumb.com.au/ric-burkitt/Artwork/january-landscape-richard-burkitt https://bluethumb.com.au/emily-lauro/Artwork/an-autumn-walk https://bluethumb.com.au/tjukupati-james/Artwork/17-450-alpi https://bluethumb.com.au/penelopeoatesart/Artwork/stratasphere If you mounted the TV on the wall on one side of the fireplace, then an artwork would balance out the other side. I hope this helps!

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

It is always a bit difficult when you essentially have three key features (view, fire, TV) that should all have the living area seating orientated towards them. With your current floor plan, I think the logical place for the fire is in the corner to the right of the TV. You may have to ensure that the wall projects far enough that the fire is not in front of the window. This wasn’t the question, but of the two fires that you showed, I preferred the first, more contemporary looking one.