Hey that fireplace looks a lot like mine! Don't worry, I despise it to. Especially that pinkish hued tile. What is with builders and pinky-beiges?

We won't be in our home for more than a few years, so I'm not sure it's worth changing out. But if we end up getting a new tile backsplash in the kitchen then I'd for sure have the tile guys redo the fireplace surround. I was thinking of maybe a large subway sort of tile. I'd probably go neutral with a crackle for texture. I do love stone though. Is your living room open to the kitchen? If so, you may want to keep your kitchen counters and backsplash in mind.

You could also beef up the white trim. That would give it more presence without overwhelming or becoming too dark.

I had never seen or thought about pebble tile for a fireplace, so I googled it to see how it looks. It's really a great look (I also love river rock fireplaces). I think it would look wonderful with your style of home and furnishings.

I think maybe you should try putting black tile or other material instead of the pinkish tiles and then builing up the moulding around the FP.
Something like this photo

May I suggest framing and hanging your pretty picture above the fireplace...that would give it more presence and not look like an afterthought. I too think you should build up the fireplace surround like Lyban pictured.

How about painting the whole thing white then painting painting the tile black like suggested? I think a peice of carved molding painted white would also look nice centered about the tile. I don,t know what they are called but they look like a wood carving and come in diff styles and sizes I would also replace the trim around the tile with something smaller so it looks a little less framed. That would be the easiest thing to do with that space but there are tons of fun options . You could even turn that whole wall into a built in . I know its homely as is but its a great base to built on ,there are tons of ways to go with it.

Usually the thing that bothers me about these rear-outlet builder trimmed out fireplace is the scale.

A "real", or wood burning fireplace That had a firebox projecting into the room like this would have a chimney that also projected at least partly into the room.

I would suggest building out a "flue" over the fireplace with framing and drywall and that would help the overall scale of the fireplace by taking its presence all the way up to the ceiling. It doesn't need to be more than 2x4s placed against the wall with a drywall sheathing. This would only be about 4" deep and the full width of the fireplace, so you would still have a projecting mantle.

To me that would correct the issue of proportion.

Thanks for the suggestions so far and please feel free to keep them coming. Some of the thoughts so far are making me look at this space in a very different way. Black tile? I never would have thought of myself, but I'll bet it would look great. Everyone, your ideas are a breath of fresh air.

palimpsest, I agree with your comments about the proportion. It's all out of whack with the scale of the actual gas FP and the room. It looks a bit better in the houses that have bookcases on either side, but only marginally so. Maybe the heart of the matter is that this FP wants to be a focal point, but as is it's just an awkward intrusion into the room. I do think building out above the mantel would help that. Once it's drywalled, would I want to texture it the same as the walls, or leave it smooth? I'm not sure I could match the texture exactly.

Ideally I suppose it should match the existing texture, but if it were painted the wallcolor it may not be that noticeable if there is a variation.

I wonder if the scale/balance is bothering you of the attractive large furniture piece directly to the left? I would before doing anything else move that unit to sit along the side wall, if possible, as I think it and the fp are too close in size and they fight together...

I look at the windows and the chair and i see arts and crafts, but not when I look at the fireplace...would that be a direction to go in? with oak built in book cases on either side of the fp and use oak for the mantel with a tile surround? But it looks like the sofa is too close for that to work as a conversation area.

I agree with pal about the proportions, and especially the skimpy molding for the mantel. And the wood molding is not a nice transition between the hearth and the floor.

peegee, yeah, I do think that's part of the problem too. The cabinet houses the TV. We made a decision to keep the TV there because the only other spot for it would mean glare from the enormous window and to actually watch it, we'd have to put the couch over the only heat register in the whole room. So in the corner it stays. I love my cabinet and find it restful to be able to close the doors on the TV, but the scale is not right. I do have another cabinet that is very pretty. We could put the TV on top of it, but then it would be out in the open. The whole thing would be a good 2-3 inches shorter than the existing cabinet though. I'll have to think about that.

Here's the direction I think people are suggesting. This looks so stark because of my terrible photoshopping. Despite that, I like where this is headed. Other opinions?

Honestly, I think building out the dimension of the flue is a winner.

But the pebbles to me are worse than the tile you have now.
Why? Because it is trying to look rustic, but still looks like it was slapped up there, not like the fireplace is made out of rock.

If you want rustic, then I think you should research how old rock faced wood burning fireplaces look, and then try to replicate that. I think the rock will need to go up all the way to the ceiling.

If you don't necessarily want rustic, then I think you can find an alternative that is more cohesive and has a better look than the pebbles.

My problem with the fireplace isn't the fireplace or the tile--it's with the minimalist molding and with using drywall where it should be built out with wood.

That could be because I like my fireplace, of course. Ours is not built out on the inside although it is a wood burning fireplace--the chimney is on the outside. It does have more substantial molding which I think makes it seem more finished than the flat area between the fireplace and mantel.

Note: This is an old picture but it shows the fireplace.

I agree with bethohio above, to me the fireplace looks unfinished and the skimpy molding just add to that. I think if you add a surround and new mantel it will look so much better. Love your fireplace btw bethohio

I would actually remove the molding around the tile, then cover the entire surround (not just the area directly around the fireplace) with a nicer tile - maybe slate - or river rock. I think a neutral color river rock would look great. I really don't like the white painted part with the pebbles, or the current tile.

I think another thing is beth's has a piece of molding lower than the mantel to make the fireplace surround in the contrast material more evenly spaced...

I would do something similar or move the mantel down so it isn't so much taller than wide.

I am not a fan of the river rock....

The fireplace is such a focal point, that it needs to really have a defined and more consistent style. Right now, the river rock is rustic but the white paint is more formal. And the lack of molding on the windows is bothering me too. I would want to beef up all the trim in a consistent manner so the wall really looks sharp as it is the focal point of the room.

[Traditional Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Philadelphia Architect Asher Associates Architects

[Traditional Exterior design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2107) by Seattle Design-build Michael J Cox

You're right. It's a mess.
Not to put too fine a point on it.... :>)

Look at Lyban's exanple, and at Annie's first example, to see what the proportion issue is.

At the moment, your mantel is too skimpy, your tiles are too big, your side sections are too narrow, and the molding around the tiles is too small and uninteresting. So it needs some rejiggering to fix those issues.

Pal is right about adding the chimney breast above. I would:

...pull off all the trim, and build the false wall above (taking care to line the sides up precisely with the sides of your lower section, not the edge of the mantel shelf).

...install a deeper and more fully trimmed mantel to reduce the dimension of the section between the firebox and the bottom of the mantel assembly.

...pull off the tiles and replace them with tiles that are a quarter the size of the ones there now (which look like floor or shower wall tiles) with a glossier finish, or whatever you like, and build the wall in around those.

...and add molding around the tiles that is the right style and heft to bring the whole thing into proportion.

Thank you everyone! I co-sign on just about everything said so far. The more I look at the mock-up with the pebble tile, the more I realize I dislike it. I think the trick now is to try to balance fixing the proportion issues with the $ amount I'm comfortable spending. This isn't our forever house, otherwise I would be a lot freer with the cash. I think there's a bit we can DIY though. I do realize my first complaint was how cheaply this was finished, but there's builder cheap - slapping up leftover floor tile and molding, and then there's a homeowner's thoughtful budgeting. :)

I love, love, love the tile in the second photo Annie posted. To me it reads as an arts and crafts look without being too rustic or too formal. I know I keep talking about the tile, but I promise I see that it's the least of what's wrong with this FP. All the other issues need to be addressed. I just like tile.

Since you like the arts and crafts look I think framing the bottom of those windows in stained wood with a moulding under it would look nice . I would use the tile you love and add a wood top to the mantel. Simple changes that would make a huge differance in the look and feel of the room without putting out a lot of cash.