I like your room, except the fireplace. At first I thought it was just plywood! Oh my! I would definitely look into getting it tiled over or put metal over it or something. The whole thing might come off easily!

@unwantedadvice - It's actually tile and yes I'm keeping them, I like them. The stair railing was a bit busier before but I DIY'd it last week to make it a little more simple (here's a pic of the before).
It's a big undertaking but we pretty much gutted our last house a few years back so we're kind of used to it; this time it is super nerve wracking because the previous owner of our new house is quite the contractor, he works on penthouses belonging to Martha Stewart and other celebrities in NYC and he put his heart and soul into this house, for instance his tile work is impeccable. So any changes I make I'm always thinking "would he approve of the quality?" where as our last house was such a disaster that anything I did was an improvement lol. I know it sounds silly but I can't help it.

Anyway, where we live we have to have an architect draw plans when we're taking out walls and adding others so we just met last week for measurements and it's going to take about 3 weeks to have the drawings back. Once I have them I can get some quotes on the cost and get started with the first phase. We are switching the dining and bedroom because the back bedroom leads out to the screened in porch that we eventually want to convert into our family room.
I'm sorry if this is long winded, but it's actually nice to 'talk' to someone about it.🙂

@Tara I'm truly loving the metal, will get a quote as soon as my husband does some measurements for me

@Salina, I can certainly see why you’d be hesitant to do any work to possibly undo what the previous owner put in knowing he was an excellent contractor. Maybe you have your forever home when everything is finished. It’s a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say, about what needs to be done and to share your creative undertakings with others and you’ve already gotten new ideas and help you here on Houzz so that’s a plus. Of course, you’ll need to provide pix of the stair railing now, right?? 😉 You also sound like quite the DIYer, too, so that’s a plus since you’ve accomplished it before on your previous home. I think that gives you more confidence in moving forward. Btw, glad you’re keeping the riser tile, I really like it as it adds more character to your home.

@unwanted advice here are the stairs currently. I plan on changing out the hand rail to match the wood of the stairs.

Ah, much better! More sleek and modern.

what are your thoughts on this particular tile? my husband is not a fan of the metal surround - he typically is drawn to more traditional styles than myself.

Here's how the tile might look. I would replace that old fireplace door, it is very dated.

I love your new railing! We put in something similar in our house.
My honest opinion, I don't love the tile you're showing for the surround. It's kind of busy looking. With the strong repeat pattern caused by the gold inlays, when you cut into full sheets to fit it around the opening, it looks disjointed. I think I would prefer something a little calmer and definitely no gold.

I fear that tile will look dated pretty quickly. It’s very unique and bold. I suggest considering something a less pronounced as it will be costly to replace. Use pillows and rugs for strong accents. It appears you are trying to tie to the mantle. Can you replace the mantle, too, so that’s not a limitation?

@hansen you are right, I have to bite the bullet and replace it. I painted it black (it was brass) to update it but it's just not cutting it.

@Amy well I can't wait to show my husband these comments because he loves this tile. I'm leaning toward a typical subway tile to be honest.

@Timi thank you because this freaking tile is $25 a sq ft and I am glad you and Amy are not fans so I can tell my husband I'm not picking on his choice. Honestly I like the mantle, I like the live edge and the color. I really like this emerald green subway tile I saw but I'm also afraid it will look dated quickly due to the color so I was either going to go w a black or a white tile.

@Amy thank you regarding the railing, I'm really happy with the easy it turned out. Are you open to sharing a pic of your railing? (it's perfectly ok if you don't want to)

Here is our railing that goes around the stairwell. We just replaced it last year. Our house is a definite work in progress. We have since replaced the gray tile with wood and plan on refinishing our floors to something NOT orange! The chair and table are place holders until I figure out what else to do.

How many of us need to say that his tile choice isn’t great so he will be convinced? I agree with @Timi M that it will look dated quickly. I also think it doesn’t go with the style of the house. Your idea to use a “quiet” subway tile is better. I LOVE what you did to the staircase railing!
I’m sure it’s intimidating to rip out the work of a respected contractor, but you have to love your house. So far, everything you’ve done is pretty terrific. Your instincts are working for you.

@Amy it looks beautiful. I especially love your light fixture and wall art. I also like your floors too, once you tone down the orange it will be perfection, all though I feel like floors always look more orange in photos than in real life. I hear you on it being a work in progress, I felt like we worked on our last house from the day we bought it until the day we left.

@Red well the two previous comments are more than ample, I don't want him to feel too bad lol. Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it, alot of times I get insecure and I don't even know why. I'll get a few different subway tiles when I go back to return these.

Thanks Salina! Yes, that's the plight of the DIYer. The work is slow and never really finished. Having house always in the state of being updated is tough. But we all just keep plugging away, don't we 😉
Can't wait to see what you come up with for the surround. I'm sure you'll hit in the right thing and I'll be here for it!

Consider also a square tile instead of a subway tile, perhaps one with a handmade look. Look at Bedrosians Cloe tile- it comes in different colors.

I do like a dark green tile for your house :)

@Carolae I love that color. The tile reminds me of the zellige tiles that I am drawn too and I do like the squares also.

It would look great with your black granite hearth! I would do a darker grout, not white. Handmade look tile is less expensive than handmade tile :)

@Carolae I just ordered some samples in black, white and green. Patiently awaiting their arrival. I am in agreement with darker grout.

Here's the Vert Boutielle #011 Authentic Zellige Tiles from Etsi

You may not be able to add the tile without overlapping the black granite on the sides like I am showing here without exposing the edge of the tile, so you would want to talk to a professional about how they would manage that in any of these examples.

I've shown this with a custom 3 sided frame screen in black with gold finished solid brass rope casting trim and gas burning reflective black glass.

I personally like this look better than any of the other mockups I have done. But then again, that color of green is my favorite color. I love how it ties in with house plants and brings a more natural look...especially with your natural wood mantel.

This could work beautifully with your wood mantle and other design elements.

@Hansen hands down this is my favorite also, I like the lush, natural feel of it. Thank you for taking the time to do all of these mock ups for me, I truly, truly appreciate it! In order to make sure I get the right size doors do I just measure the current ones and get the same size or do I have to measure from the inside of the fireplace? It's a wood burning fireplace if that makes any difference.

Actually, both mock-ups would work in your house! (I’m like you around the color green. Given choices, if there is a green one, I choose that.)

@Salina If you would like help with a new screen or fireplace doors you will need to remove the existing doors and measure the opening. We will need to see some pictures with the doors removed so we can determine if there is anything unusual that must be considered.

Please follow the instructions here: Free Fireplace Door Design Service

There is a wide variety and plethora of materials and finishes to choose from. I will help you further by creating additional mockups as I have done here on Houzz.

Here's a couple additional links to get you started:

Custom Fireplace Doors

Fireplace Door Photo Gallery

Hope this helps.

Hmm, i love your decor, it is really put together so nicely i probably wouldnt have noticed the fireplace. I also dont care for it either either, but its not my house anyway. I didnt read through all of the comments, but it was alot of talk about replacement. have you considered just painting it a chalky black or white? you could do that while you think about what you are going to do as a permanent solution, and you might end up liking it. feel like it would go with your current modern decor and looks kind of sleek. idk how you woukd go about preparing the surface to make it smooth and if paint would be appropriate, but it probably is. That pic with the small white tile and wood mantel that Timi posted is beautiful and has some reminisence of tradition, with a modern take. maybe even timeless.

@Salina - can you give us an update?

Have you made a decision yet? If not, I would suggest tiling the existing stone. It is awfully orange and I can see why you would want to eliminate it.

Hi Everyone, here's a quick update. I ordered the Chloe tile a few months back in green, white, and black. I've basically been staring at the samples (black is out) for the last few months. Most people I ask are pro green but I'm leaning towards white. I'm concerned the green might be too dark and I might get tired of it. I still haven't made a decision yet though. Will keep you all posted! Thanks for all the positive comments on our living room. We're 6 months in to living in this house and we're still figuring out exactly what we want to do. I'm glad we took the time to just enjoy it because things I thought I wanted to change in the beginning I have come to enjoy.

Oops, forgot to post a pic

Hmmm, I’m a lover of green but I see your hesitation. Can never go wrong with white. Not to make this more confusing, but did you look at ivory/creamy tiles in the same look? Maybe the white is too stark (?)

@RedRyder I forgot to add to my original comment and I can't figure out how to edit text in this app. Yes, I am actually considering the Chloe tile in the off-white/cream color because I think it will be less jarring. I am also a lover of green hence my hesitation with this.

You will never tire of a soft white. Green is trendy and limits decorating options. You can accent with green in plants, rugs, throw pillows, and art.

I agree- soft white is a safe choice. This is where id bring hubby in and discuss it as well. The qustion i have for you is, color of the grout. Are you going to do something like a light grey or taupe? or go dark with charcoal?

@jlkhan I'm leaning towards this look, so a light colored grout

Here's how it might look with the Cloe Creme Tile:

I threw in a unique Gas Burning "Windswept Tree" Sculpture for a sensational modern flare.

@Hansen love it. I think I'm most likely going to remove the black granite on the edges and the floor and do the same tile on the floor.

Thought you might want to go that way...I think it's much better this way. Sorry, had to remove your bird, but left some feathers hanging.

What do you think of the Windswept Tree burning sculpture?

OMG how did you make that railing with the holes in it? THAT IS SO COOL! Same with the tiled steps.

@selina, that looks great! looks like you found your answer! mind if i ask hiw much is it breaking the bank? i also have a fireplace dilemma as well, except its stone and i havent seriously thought of tiling over it!

@Hansen I like the tree I think it's funky lol. Ours is wood burning. Would you mind doing a mock up for me without the gold and maybe a darker grout (don't know if that's possible?).

@jlkhan Right after I had started this post I ended up coming down with covid and had canceled the appointment with the person that was supposed to come out to give me some quotes. Now that you all have got me back on track I will do that soon and provide an update.

@JD I actually removed the railing with the holes it was a bit too busy for me and everyone would use it as a coat rack when they came over lol. It may possibly be converted into a wine rack. I love the stairs, there are actually two built-in "desks" in our master with the tile on top so it ties it in really nicely.

Omg that’s beautiful. I’d love to see those desks! I know it’s a bit off track, sorry. I can just picture them being lovely though. Also I’m so glad you are better from Covid...how scary I’m sorry:/

Hope you feel better! Get good rest, stay hydrated and think about your fireplace so much, unless it makes you happy, please! And its ok- do post pics of the desks if you like!

What is the trade person you call for a fireplace facelift? I've got a similar situation but can't seem to find people who do the fireplace redo without a total gut job with a price tag of $9000. Following...thank you.