That is pretty, flyleft. I think the reasons it works are the very high ceiling, the continuing brick work on the wall surrounding the mantel, and the raised hearth. Although that vertical brick makes me wonder about maybe doing stone of some sort in a vertical brick pattern instead of the square limestone tiles. Too trendy perhaps?

Try "Vermont Structural Slate" (not the same company as the one you mentioned) We have purchased from them over the years and they have been very accommodating to our design and stone needs. You should have the sq footage and thickness needs available to discuss with them. I saw a black in the slate section, in the unfading line... and another that was a rougher texture. You can see in their "projects" section that they do the "crazy pattern" cut stones, so I hope they can help you.

I think what you are considering would be lovely. Don’t get hung up on design terms to the point that they limit your choices. I assume that, when you install new counters, you will eliminate the 4 inch backsplash.

@Barbie Clayton - I am a bit confused by your comment regarding not being able to source engineered wood. Not that I am attempting to convince you but I remodeled relatively recently and wanted classic wood floors with the planks being a bit less than 3" and had no trouble sourcing engineered wood. I bought mine before the pandemic and so I am sure that the cost has gone up for all of the materials. I had to have very expensive prep done as I needed self leveling and since I live in a high rise there also needed to be a layer of cork as well as plywood so the installation was approximately $10 per square foot PLUS the cost of the wood itself.