The "marble" is actually the brick hearth, sprayed with drywall mud (but I'm glad it looks like marble in pictures!). Most fireplaces in New Orleans don't work like normal wood burning fireplaces - they used to hold coal and then, in all the houses I've ever owned, seemed to be converted to some (must have been inefficient and dangerous to boot) gas operated space heaters. They were still in this house and operational when we bought it. So no, the fireplace doesn't actually work (the chimney was capped off in the attic). Because the hallway/bathroom was once a bedroom, the wood floor was already cut to accommodate the fireplace hearth, so we didn't mess with it. All we did was remove the mantlepiece to facilitate traffic flow. I think I will go with a runner and tuck it over the hearth with a little padding to even out the edge of the transition. That seems like a workable solution to warm up the space and not crowd the runner (or the walkers in the hallway!). Maybe next you all can help me figure out to do with the incredibly nice rug from Turkey that my in-laws gave us as a wedding present to go in our formal Garden District living room. Sadly, try as I might, I cannot find a place in this house where it will go...unless I just decide to not worry about it being smack dab in the middle of the traffic pattern of my storefront (it's a pale gold/spa blue/spring green/cream oushak)! Right now it's in our bedroom (all wrong) and the only other place it could conceivably go is in our breakfast room (under the table...where we eat neatly, but I've noticed my daughter's friends...not so much!) At 8x10 it always seems too big or too small for the space. Does that make sense? Moving house is so difficult. How do other people keep the same beautiful stuff for years and in many different homes?!

Have you looked at the stone patterned engineered tile, like Alterna (made by Armstrong), Supreme Elite, IVC or MetroFlor ? I do think they can look very good against natural wood -- because they have more substance and a different finish, they look much better than any sheet vinyl and many planks, also are warmer and more comfortable than tile. There are several other brands. I have a (now discontinued) Metroflor product that I think looks really nice next to my old red oak floors. You do have to be sure that the tones are compatible with your wood. I have seen some wood grain vinyl planks that are really lovely and durable, but to my eye they just never look right next to real wood -- especially an older wood floor. Have you considered cork?

this is what I found and without pics it is hard to understand where you are placing the mirror. I usually use art todraw the eye in a hallway and also better lighting not mirrors. According to feng shui, mirrors placed in the hallway are generally seen as a positive. However, when they're placed at the end of a hallway, they can slow down the flow of energy in your house. On the other hand, they can be great on landings of small staircases to help widen the space.Sep 17, 2020

I'm not sure what color you're looking for, but when I ordered a neutral rug for my daughter's bedroom recently I noticed it's available in many sizes, including runners up to 22' long. The one I saw was called "SAFAVIEH Natura Gerta Handmade Wool Area Rug" and it looks like that rug is available in a couple of colors in the 22' length. There are 405 search results for "runner" and "22' length" on the Bed Bath & Beyond (formerly Overstock) site.