I like the 3rd one down (rounded valance). I wish I could help with stucco choice but they both look to be the same (gray?) on my monitor.

I like the third cabinet option too (with the arch)- far more classic, imho, and I prefer the second stucco.

I don't care much for the horizontal panels.

Why not #2 but with a plain blue band up to the beam? Like in the paneled ones, but no panel. Don't compete with the overmantle.

I can't tell much about the stucco either, they both look kind of baby blue on my screen.

#3 without the decorative onlay. You've already got enough going on and the onlay gilds the lily.

Neither stucco is working for me. Both are too cool a gray with your stone. That's why they are reading as blue to some. It needs a bit more yellow and red in the mix to take it to the warmer side of the gray spectrum if gray is what you want. I'd personally think that the gray is too predictable and would like you to explore a warmer tone than grey. Just over the line from grey to a tan with a hint of that rusty red that your stone has. I think you might really like how that would work with your stone.

The third bookcase is my fav. The stucco looks the same to me.

Seems to be a preference for bookcase #3 developing- that one is probably the one I am leaning towards a little bit as well, since it also mirrors the arched entry to the room. Too many choices though!

palimpsest the plain blue band was the first design we had on the bookcase and we rejected it because it looked strange on top of the fluted edges of the bookcase (we thought anyway).

live_wire_oak, thanks for the idea. We want a blue/gray so I don't mind that these read as blue to some. We are going to have them turn over the browner/redder stones whenever possible because we want to bring out the blue and underplay the other shades. We have a dark blue roof as well. And we both hate gray stucco with tan undertones, which is what led us to these two choices in the first place. But, I will see if we still have the other sample boards and we'll try it out- I'm open to considering anything.

The one stucco is just a shade darker than the other, which might be why people are having trouble. :)

Re the stucco, rule of thumb, go with the lighter one. Darker house colors can look really good as samples, but they usually look overwhelming when they're actually on the house. I actually think the overflashed lighter one is the best choice. You might try cutting that color with a little white. I also think that more contrast between the stones and paint would be nice (i.e., lighter color), but if you want them to blend more, go with option 1.

Re the bookcase, and thinking back to your previous dilemma, how do you feel about dusting the top if you don't panel up to the beam? I also prefer the simple arch top in the third picture. It provides some tension with the very fruffy kitchen design. If everything is all very highly detailed it can all become a muddle. It's good to plan places where the eyes can rest. But I do think you might be happier with that panel to the soffit. You could do a plain panel routed with a couple of flat lozenges that echo the raised parts on either side of the basket, or even a single flat lozenge across, rather than all one level, or heavily decorated. Best yet, however, would be if you could design a facade for the top of the bookcase that would include both the part that covers the case and the top panel. It would provide you with the illusion that the fireplace molding was overlapping, where in reality the facade was cut to fit.

Definitely the 3rd. The overlay looks best there too because it's v small.

pllog dusting isn't a big concern for me but I would prefer the cabinet go all the way to the ceiling for aesthetics. I'm not sure what you mean by lozenges exactly- is that an industry term I could pass on to my cabinet maker to draw up? I would like to have the illusion that the fireplace molding is overlapping, that would be my ideal- but I'm not sure how that can be done.

I think number 3 too... The others are too busy.

Sorry. Oblongs. Either long rectangles or rectangles with shaped corners/short sides.

The illusion isn't that hard--assuming I'm understanding your pictures correctly. It's the craftsmanship that has to be precise. Thinking on your previous thread some more, I'm not sure that the bookcases and the soffits are the equal depth as they are in your pictures above. If they are equal depth, the facade would be cut to follow the shape of the molding and slid into place under the soffit. That is, the bookcases themselves would be shorter, but the front would go all the way up. The bookcases would have to be assembled in place, but I was thinking they would be if they were coming from the cabinetmaker.

The book cases are definitely being assembled in place- they have to be, in order to slide in behind the already-existing fireplace. Our cabinet maker is a precise craftsman too, so I'm sure he can do anything we ask. I think the confusion might be that in these scenarios, we got rid of the soffits.What you are seeing as soffits might be coffers?

This is pretty much how our coffered ceiling will look (although significant other changes to this room have been made): The top of our fireplace mantel will meet the bottom of the coffer. The book cases can either meet the bottom of the coffer OR can come up below the protruding mantel with space that is empty that spans the height of the upper mantel between the top of the book case and the coffer (with only a wall behind it, as seen in option 3 and the other selections here): Our bookcases will not be stepped backwards from the fireplace like this. Our bookcases will come forward right to behind where the fireplace starts

Protruding mantel:

Looking straight on. Beams that exist are coffers. Bookcase will start at back of fireplace so the whole of the marble fireplace piece will be in front of the bookcases

So, let me rephrase what you are suggesting to see if I am clear:

Coffered ceiling above. Coffered beam meets facade created by cabinet maker, which is flat (?) and which is even with the coffers and falls behind the fireplace mantel, but which has been cut so that it meets the ends of the mantel so the wood piece is tiered and stepped with nothing actually behind the mantel? Then bookcases below with molding?

Definitely I dislike the scalloped edge versions--they carry too many 1940s associations for me. The shield-type feature is a valid way to extend upward--I know that is a concern for you. The rectangles pattern needs to echo other woodwork if you're going to use it at all. Would it match the cab fronts?

The only one I like is the arched one (I'm the Early Am freak, remember?), but if I recall your fireplace surround, its very rococco. What motif from the fireplace can you pick out?

Also, the basket of flowers is quite ironic with the fireplace--another Early Am touch. Again, is there a motif--floral or leaves perhaps? or curlicues?--that could pick out the carving in the fireplace and integrate the wall? Could the curvilinear stuff be put along the hump at top and call it done?

Florantha, the basket of flowers is taken directly from the fireplace. It is a bit hard to see details. The scalloped edge versions are also done to exactly mimic the scalloping on the front of the fireplace. It can be hard to tell from these pictures.
I think the rectangles are probably a no-go. I had the same thought as you, that we'd need to have them pick up something else. I would love to panel the whole room, but I think that might become cost prohibitive.

Maybe better pictures:
Flower basket

Flower basket

Scalloped edge

Not sure what you mean by this:
"Could the curvilinear stuff be put along the hump at top and call it done"

#3. Itnhas a cleaner line And will not compete with the fireplace. Can't wait to see it done!

I agree with coastal and debbie - 3rd cabinet. I also can't tell the difference between the 2 stuccos.

if #3 had a gentler hump at top and you ran a carved acanthus leaf half frieze along it (see side panels of fireplace) that had leaves from two directions that meet at the middle, that's what I should have said.

But I think I'll bow out here. Glad you showed me the basket motif. I see where you're coming from. Have fun stormin' the castle.

or, for simpler look, just pick up on the motif on the sides of bookshelves --just the grooves. Or have grooves lead eye from both sides across the bookshelf top up to a basket at middle, on a rectangular or humped top.

Ah florantha. I see what you mean with the floral theme. I think that could be really pretty!

Bookcase #3 - but I really hate curly-cues.
Re: the stucco - if you want it to contrast go with #1 and if you want it to blend more go with #2. What look are you going for. If you go with #1 be prepared for how much blue there will be because there will be a lot.

The solution you are leaning to still gives you a "sliver of wall" at the top, and I thought thats what you were trying to avoid. You will still have to make a decision of what color this becomes. I think if you just paint it the color of the bookcases it will essentially disappear, which I think is what you want.

One more for bookcase #3. Make it as simple as possible as the fireplace is the "star".

re: Stucco - Although the rule is lighter is better - I agree with blfenton that in this case it would very blue. The darker color reads a bit more grey on my monitor.

Looks like a fun project! Best wishes!

Thanks for repeating. I'm too not all here to go looking for it. Yes, I meant rear coffer beam where I said "soffit". The important part is where the coffer beam is. From the view looking up, which I don't remember seeing before, it looks like the beam will be in front of the front of the fireplace. If that is so, then what I said about the facades of the bookcases holds.

The question is how tall they are, which I'm also not going to try to look up. If the facade is being made out of plywood or a similar engineered board, it's not really worth the money to get a board longer than 8'. The thing to do is move the seam from above the bookcase (which is an obvious place for it). Instead, have the seam an inch or so above where the flutes end. There can even be a decorative routing there to half hide the seam. That means that the seams are on the narrow part, rather than straight across, and the entire top section can be handled as a single piece. You can do the larger version of the flower basket, then, and you can use paint, rather than carving, to make any additional shapes to break up the space.

BTW, rather than matching the carving on the fireplace, I'd choose an applique that complements it, but has a different shape. I think a bough or spray shape might work better with the shape of the bookcases as well, that is, long, rather than the rounder shape of the basket.

OK. Here are two more options. One I photoshopped to try to do an approximation of what I think florantha was saying.
Pllog- I believe our cabinet is not going to have a seam, Are you talking about a seam on the coffered ceiling? And moving the ceiling again?

I'm talking about the height from the base to the top of the bookcase. If it's more than eight feet, or if it's being made from lumber, the face will be pieced together. That's not a bad thing!!

What I was trying to say in my can't wake up today way is that I thought it might be possible that you were given a height limit for the bookcases because construction boards are generally sold in eight foot lengths. Actual lumber is easier to find in longer boards than plywood is, but they only go up to the width of the tree (about a foot, tops).

The kind of extended facade we're talking about would have to be made from plywood, or from boards laminated together. Since you're painting, plywood is the reasonable material for it.

Just to be clear, the bookcase would end as you've shown it, underneath the the molding of the fireplace. It's only the facade that would extend up, over the gap, to the same level as the top of the overmantel.

BTW, I like the double arch, but I think it might be too much when repeated on the other side of the fireplace.

Oh- no I wasn't given a limit on the book case. All the others go to the 9 foot ceilings or higher. The reason we put this lower is to allow for the molding.

My cabinet maker likes the double arch better too. But, I would need to see it in a picture done on both sides.

Thanks blfenton and beachpea3. I think the darker gray is a bit less blue. I'm not sure I mind that, but I don't want the house to be too blue either.

If this was just done to allow for moulding-of the fireplace I assume, why can't it just die into the face of the bookcase?

The molding of the fireplace has to extend a bit in front of the bookcases. The bookcases have to be even with the back of the fireplace. There are no side pieces of marble to be fitted into place for the bookcases to be set back so that is a definite. The over mantel thus must protrude outward and in front of the bookcases since the mantel and fireplace piece itself has somewhat significant depth.

If we were to score the bookcases so that the side of the overmantel fit into the side, it would look like the mantel and fireplace was partially inset into the bookcases and a part of the side of the marble of the fireplace would be lost.

If I understood your question correctly?

Why can't the front face of the bookshelf abut the back side edge of the fireplace mantel and overmantel directly?

The front face of the bookshelf does abut the back side of the fireplace directly. The overmantel pieces come forward in front though. With the bookshelf abutting the back of the marble where the marble ends, it is partially overlapped by the protruding mantel pieces.

See the side:

The book shelf has to slip in there and come up behind, so that it fills that entire space. That will put it slightly behind the mantel itself with the protruding parts of the mantel overlapping. The book shelf cannot be stepped and abut with the stepped parts of the overmantel because the stepped part spans the depth of the mantel so the book case would be overlapping with the entire side of the marble, which we do not want. We also do not want to lose the stepped appearance of that. It has to be in front of the book case.

Am I not understanding?

I have a question: Is there any style connection at all between the fireplace and the bookcases? What is connecting the two so that they flow across the wall together. I understand that the fireplace is the star - but if there isn't some element tying the two together there will just be a huge disconnect in the wall.
Now, your renderings when showing us the bookcase ideas don't look like the fireplace actually built and so is that the same with the bookcase? Do your renderings actually look like the bookcase or not.

The position of the bookcase - I understand that it will fit in behind the fireplace so, will the moldings at the top and middle actually touch the sides of the bookcases or is there a gap.

The height of the bookcase - (which I gather is a problem) where on the fireplace will the top of the bookcase actually be and where will the top of the arch actually wind up. If you look at the inspiration photo that you posted, the arch tops out where the upper edge of the TV opening is.

The inspiration photo that you posted - The lower fireplace opening is arced as is the insert and the bookcase follows that idea at the top with the stylized arcs. The side (upper and lower) moldings of the fireplace mimic the cupboard doors of the bookcase. And the top moldings that reach from side to side along the wall are the same presenting a very cohesive picture but at the same time you know that the fireplace is the focal.
I don't see any of that in what you are showing us.
Don't do double arches. You have the pretext of an arch with the swag effect above the fireplace pit opening but not enough to carry off a double arch in the bookcases, (IMHO)

blfenton- that picture isn't my inspiration picture. It's just the picture of the model house that our house is the same as (if that makes sense) so our ceiling will be the same (or similar, anyway)

The book cases will look like the renderings. The fireplace doesn't because the fireplace was carved in marble and my cabinet maker didn't make it and isn't going to take the time to produce a copy of it in his drawings.

My original thought was to do the scalloped edge of the book case the same as that scalloped edge on the front of the fireplace. But, I don't know if it came across that way, and no one likes that scalloped edge it seems.

The front of the book case will come directly to the back of the fireplace. If we opted for the option with the molding (option 2) the molding would come out and touch the side of the fireplace. The molding would also mimic the molding on the overmantel. Otherwise, the molding will also stop before the fireplace starts, with the back of the fireplace butted up against the front of the book case and all other wood-features.

What would you do instead? How would you make the wall tie in?

What is the width of the fireplace and the proposed widths of the bookcases?
The lines up the sides of the bookcase - where is that idea coming from and is carried from or to anything else in the room. It maybe in the fireplace and perhaps I'm just not picking it out (I have old eyes).
Just throwing out an idea here - kinda talking (typing) outloud really - Can the bookcases be set up like unfitted furniture and have the same type of feet as the fireplace but on a smaller scale. Just the block part with the little second layer - not the curly stuff.
I think it would be neat to have the top molding of the fireplace repeated on the top of the bookcase if possible.

Gosh, seriously I wish I could see this set-up in person.

You can come on over and took a look blfenton if you are anywhere near Wernersville PA :) I'm serious- I'd love the help! :)

The lines up the sides of the book case come from the flutes of the arched door molding on the arch leading into the room. They are the same ones we have throughout the house on all book shelves, on kitchen cabinets and on door frames. It never occurred to me to do something different here, but I could... the question is, what?

The molding to match the fireplace was my first thought but creates height problems. It would have to come in below the overmantel, creating a gap between the top of the book case and the ceiling that I began this quest to try to get rid of...

Here's a few more pictures my cabinet maker sent me this morning to better illustrate the coffers and also two of variations on a new idea we came up with that uses the floral leaf pattern and that lets the book cases go all the way to the ceiling. The book cases probably could be changed to have feet, I can check and see if it can be drawn up that way. That concerns me a bit as far as cleanliness underneath though b/c we have 2 dogs and I think their fur will just get sucked under like a vortex!

Because the fireplace is so dramatic (and gorgeous BTW), I would vote for keeping the bookcases very simple. I would just do flat across the top opening rather than an arch or scalloped shape. I think part of the problem is that in your mockup illustrations, the fireplace is fairly simple and linear, so adornment on the bookcases looks nice. But IRL the fireplace is very ornate and I think that will stand out best against a simple yet beautifully made bookcase.

This mockup is a bit messy because of the different perspectives, but I'm trying to show the simple bookcase next to the ornate fireplace. The vertical sides at the front of the bookcase would be wide enough so that the outcrop of the mantel and other adornments wouldn't extend in front of the bookcase shelves.

{{!gwi}}

I think you need a wide stile on the inner side of each bookcase, to completely fill the area behind the molding projection with flat, blue stock. This will keep the fluting on the bookcase from being overlapped by the mantel shelf and any other detail from being obscured or crowded by the top cornice.

It could be separated from the bookshelf "proper" by a small bead or by having the bookshelf in turn project *slightly* --say the width of the face stock (~3/4") in front of that stile.

I am at work or I would draw it.

What about this thought? It mirrors the lines from the fireplace face itself and gets rid of the flutes blfenton didn't seem to like :) And it sort of addresses the stile thing that you are suggesting palimpsest since it gets the detail outside of the book of the fireplace (although isn't exactly what you suggested)?

It is taking me more time to do these book shelves than the entire kitchen design took (except for the hardware selection in the kitchen, of course!) My poor cabinet maker is on drawing #32! Thank heavens for him, his talent and patience!

chicagoans thanks for the mock up and suggestions. I see your point about keeping things simple, but I don't seem to be very good at that anywhere in the house!

Beagles, I think the final drawing in your message posted at 13:49 looks quite good. The non-matching scallop and the curlicues on either side of the basket give it more balance, and pull in the elements of the fireplace while not being too matchy-matchy, which would be weird when combining stone with wood. The fireplace is so ornate, I think you need the flutes to give the bookcases their own presence.

I also disagree about copying the molding. The bookcases are a frame for the fireplace, so they have to have enough frou-frou to balance it, but copying it directly is making the FP kind of leak onto the frame. Think of an old master portrait in a heavily carved, gilded frame. The leaves and berries on a frame look better with the old lord in his brocades and velvets than a sleek, simple frame would, but you wouldn't want to see the apple in the lord's hand, or the whorls in the brocade, as a repeated motif on the frame. That would pull the subject out of the center and call attention to the frame rather than having the frame be a terminus which keeps the picture contained in it's own world. (In this rather clumsy analogy, the fire and the art or TV above, are the "face", the FP surround and overmantel are the background, and the bookcases, hearth and coffers are the frame (more or less).)

At the very top of the bookcases you could use a small, flattish molding to anchor the transition between the facade and the coffer. Nothing that projects. Just something to finish off the top.

I would leave off the panels since they can't be evenly spaced or related to the structure of the bookcase itself. If you want a detail do a bead or a single flute up the edge of the stile close to the doors and shelf.

I also like the drawing at 13:49, more specifically the first one. It isn't that I don't like the fluting up the sides, it's that I wanted to make sure that it was tied into something else in the room/house. Thanks for explaining that.
Also thanks for posting that new picture of the fireplace (which I was going to ask for) as it gives a clearer pic of the molding and its importance to the fireplace and so I agree with plllog to not continue it across. It's quite heavy and I think will over-power the bookcase and it is a big part of what/who the fireplace is and so should remain there.
I do think that the bookcases need to be the same height as the fireplace.
Now the fluting - the fluting does end before the top molding of the fireplace but will be hidden by the mantle of the fireplace will it not? How will that be addressed or are you ok with the interruption of the fluted line?

Again, talking(typing) out loud - if you want to repeat the scallop outline of the fireplace firebox, what about putting it along the bottom of the bookcase. Do you see your drawing of 14:46 - put the shape in that context but copying the scalloping of the fireplace. Try that.

And the last part of the design is often the hardest to finish because so many elements are already set. You don't want to copy the other elements and you don't want to recreate your cabinets here but you want similar elements and a flow to the space. It is one of the hardest things to do.
And unfortunately I'm on the wrong coast and wrong country otherwise I'd be on your doorstep. This looks like fun.

Back to your blues for a minute - you have blue in your house - have you chosen that specific blue and how does it tie into your samples for the outside blues.

I do think the fluting is strange that it ends. But, it should be hidden by the mantel mostly. I'm not sure if I'm OK with that or not. That was one of the things I just sent to the cabinet maker, my concern about the dead stop in fluting. The panels would be a possible correction to that, but then as palimpsest says, they can't be even and don't directly tie into the book case so that might not be the best choice.

I lik the idea of the scalloped edge along the book case bottom a lot and I really like the way that looks in the picture. I have emailed my cabinet maker to see if it is possible to do the footed bottom with scallops instead of the traditional toe kick. I do have remaining concerns about dog hair though.

The blues- we have several wholly separate sets of blues within this house but not in areas that share a sight line. Do you think that is a problem. There was rationale behind the choices:

In the kitchen, we have blue bahia granite for our center island, and there are cabinets that are blue, although the kitchen is predominantly white (the sink cabinet, stove hood and backs of the china cabinet are blue). We took a small piece of the granite to Sherwin Williams who color matched the blue bahia color exactly to create the paint. This paint color is the blue being used in the kitchen, as well as on these gathering room book cases (gathering room off of kitchen) as well as in the sun room adjacent to the gathering room to create the fireplace surround. Just to perhaps complicate matters before, there is a fire place in both the gathering room (this one being discussed above and in a adjacent sun room along the same wall- and the gathering room and sun room are separated by a glass wall. So, we essentially have two fireplaces in a row. Sort of. But you can only see both from certain vantage points (Did you follow that?) You can see it on the floor plan- that wall between those rooms is partially glass. (This is an old floor plan and doesn't show all the built-ins)

Then, we have an entirely different blue on the cabinets in the conservatory, great room and dining room (the same in all 3 of those rooms though, of course) This blue is a stain, not a paint, and it was chosen to match a blue and yellow tile mural that is being inset into the hardwood floor in the front hall. These cabinets will actually be stained blue with yellow piping (picking up both colors of the tile mural)

Our master bath also has blue tile. Different blue tile. And there's an upstairs bathroom with blue decos and tile.

I haven't considered how any of these blues ties in with the outside blues or really thought they had to go with each other if they weren't in the same line of sight. Do you think that is a problem?

The blues should be fine. I wasn't sure how much blue there was in the house. What colour will your walls be? My philosophy, for what it's worth, is that a home should flow style wise and colour wise from the outside and throughout the inside. That doesn't mean that everything needs to be the same colour or same style. Just that one element or colour is carried from area to area. You are carrying the blue, even if the sight lines aren't seen, from room to room and they shouldn't scream or be jarring as you walk through the house.
Let us know what you decide on the bookcases.

blfenton, I am learning towards a yellow for the walls since I love yellow with blue. But not a screaming yellow. Just a really nice one to complement them. I am not sure my fiance is in love with that idea but I'm afraid he's picturing a YELLOW. I adore this dining room for example, I think the color combination is wonderful (and the paneling too- am stealing that for my dining room):

I'll hopefully get final drawings that meld the new ideas together tomorrow and then make a decision- before my cabinet maker dumps me like my original tile guy did! When everything is finally done (months from now!) I'll do a big reveal too :)