I would leave the mantel the color it is. Do you know why there is such large wood trim around the hearth? That's the only part of the fireplace I think should be changed. Be sure to choose a warm white that looks good with the stone when you paint the room.

Thank you for your suggestion. I've really got no idea why there is a large wood trim - it was there when we moved in.

you can still use a free standing stove, like a Vermont Casting wood burning stove and use the existing chimmney if it is in good condition. Just have the stone fireplace as a backdrop feature.

a soft warm white for the walls SW Alabaster or BM Creamy white for the walls.

I am guessing the hearth trim is to cover the carpet edge. you could paint it to match the carpet to help make it disappear. Depending on your style, the mantle could be changed, either traditional or more rustic.

I would not place a mirror over the mantle, just a great piece of art.

Since you can't really change the shape of the firebox, I'd remove the stone and make the surround smaller so it's more proportional in size to the firebox opening. The stone in its current form is just too overwhelming. I'd probably go with a smaller tile surround instead and put in a painted mantle.

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The stone is gorgeous. The mortar was expertly applied. I agree the wood trim around the hearth looks off.

Could you post a photo of the wall that the fireplace is on? Thanks

The large wood trim ...maybe to stop stuff rolling on to the floor from the fire ?

I can't really say why but I thought a shot of pale turquoise here and there with white an the wood mantle color would be really elegant.

An enhancing sealer could darken the visual appearance of the granite.

You can overfill the mortar to get a different appearance.

Hi Sabrina Alfin Interiors, many thanks for your suggestion and I would love to do this! However the stove expert mentioned that it would take a lot of prep work to pull it all out and replaster or tile to spec (at least a weeks labour plus material) and then it would be the cost of installing (labour and stove) after this. So I am trying to make the best of what I've got and spend money elsewhere.

Hi BeverlyFLADeziner, thanks and this is a really interesting suggestion. I like your last picture as the white in the morter matches the white around the fireplace. I was thinking of painting the mantel white to brighten the room so this may help tie it together.

The fireguard in the last picture is very pretty! Something like that would probably make a big difference too.

Hi blfenton - I have taken some pictures of the whole wall. Previously, there were some ugly cupboards on either side of the fireplace which have been removed and we are prepping walls to fill imperfections before painting (so please excuse the mess!).

It is essentially an L shaped lounge/dining room.

Hi Lyn Nielson and all

I really like the look of these mirrors on top of fireplaces in the below pictures - do you think it would work?

There are other walls in the room which will need to be balanced up - I was thinking of a placing a few paintings/art pieces to the left of the fireplace and then some soft art (tapestry or similar) above the piano. Above the dining table I will put a big ball shaped light like the one in Blfentons picture. To the the left of dining table i was thinking of making a photo wall. There is also a big flat screen tv opposite the sofa.

The below pictures are ones which i had saved in my Houzz ideabook - so thank you to Houzz for the inspiration!

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Hi mxk3 z5b_MI - unfortunately the hole isn't big enough for a firebox and if it sat out from the hole then I'm afraid that it would come significantly further into the room. Thank you for your suggestion anyway.

@Rachel Plantagenet I love your stone fireplace and mantel as is. I go absolutely nutty with excitement when it is contrasted with mirrors, especially with beveled glass, with crystal chandeliers, and sun catchers. I love contrasting things like pepper jelly, ice cubes in coffee, fur on leather, chocolate-covered pretzels... And the ultimate is stone and glass, including mirrors.

Do you absolutely hate my idea of a pale turquoise? Here is a rug that approximates what popped into my head.

The hearth may be the easiest item to address and it really does district from the fireplace stone. Remove wood and finish the edge of the hearth with stone or tile.Are you going to continue with carpet or replace

Hi K L thanks for providing some context. I like the idea, the rug has beautiful colours and similar to the flower on one of my houzz inspiration pics.

For more context on my side, there is also a staircase opposite the fireplace (see pic below). My thoughts were that if i painted the staircase then i would have to paint the fireplace mantle too. I don't mind a little bit of dark wood but at the moment it is very dominant and I prefer light and bright.

I would really appreciate your thoughts on getting the balance right with the staircase etc?

(again excuse mess etc!)

I also love this light (below) for the dining table and was looking to match white with white framed mirror above fireplace. However could pivot to glass chandelier and bevel mirror instead...

Again thank you to houzz for inspiration pic :)

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@Rachel Plantagenet I just ran across this from Sherwin Williams and wondered how you reacted to it.

I love all of those colours! Warm white for walls and skirting, the grey/brown for new carpet (I have a small dog :) ). Love the soft pinks and blue/ tourquise.

Your stairs... The styling is early American for those, and it looks like they are structurally unsound enough to justify full replacement. Would you agree? 

For style, how do you feel about the strength of metal but the light airy styles here:

Personally, I do not see your warm wood as a problem contrasted with touches of the pale turquoise in the rug. I don't see the need to change anything about the fireplace mantel.

Can you tell me about the hearth? What is the history there? What is the current material? I'm just interested and not saying anything is wrong with it.

Yes a spindle broke and they don't make the exact style anymore (of course lol). It is tempting to just put a plain spindle up the top where it's not as noticeable and paint them all to blend in. The black metal is great as I have black taps in the kitchen/ laundry. Another thing to explore :)

With the hearth, it was like that when we moved it. I guess the previous owners thought it matched the mantle. Lyn Nielson mentioned in a previous comment that she thought it was to cover the carpet edge.

I'm not so sure it was cosmetic. It's very important to have a hearth for fire protection to prevent surrounding carpet from catching fire. There's a functioning drawer to provide ventilation and remove ashes. Ashes are so messy! Your hearth will be helpful. The firebox is small, relative to the surround. I wonder if the original builders/users intended the use of a screen like this. There are so many styles available. Or if a bench was once intended.

Totally love this for you! Two vendors. Price, dimensions and quality shop. Your knees will thank you.

https://www.chairish.com/product/5172667/club-fender-fireplace-bench

https://www.custommade.com/old-english-fireplace-bench-cut-bench-model/by/clubfenders/

I can almost see a basket of newborn white Persian kittens off to one side!

Note that the seating on the bench is the same color as the mantle.

I like both your light fixture idea and the full framed mirror over the fireplace ideas...in case you wondered.

I was wondering so thank you. And your thoughts are that a mirror with full white frame would look fine with the wood mantle as it is right?

The seat area is interesting but it may look to bulky in the room. Ideally I'd like to slim the wood border of the hearth down and just have stone if possible. I fear that it may be hiding something and have knock on effects if i attempt to remove it (more work/costs!)

Hi all, many persons have suggested a more attractive hearth. It would be great if someone could kindly provide some examples please keeping in mind that the room will be carpeted.

Yes, I think the white-framed mirror will look fine with the natural-wood mantle 

I think you need the large hearth as is for fire safety in a room with a carpet. Can you tell us what the material is for the hearth  inside the wood frame? Is it concrete? Painted? Slab of solid stone?

At first I thought you could add tile, but am not sure, as that might interfere with your ashes drawer. What do you think? How much clearance?

The fireplace and the mantle, are actually quite beautiful. I would not do anything with them. However, the hearth really does need to be changed. That wood is a trip hazard too, and sticking up above the hearth, is not a great look. The mirror looks good, if that is what you want there. Just make sure, that what the mirror reflects , is a good look. Thats actually just as important as the right shape and style mirror.

You can remove the hearth and replace it with just a flat, fire retardant product (like tile). It's not easy to take out a hearth, but you can use the same profile and fill it in with something you like better.

My first instinct was to darken the mantle to make it blend better with the stones. So going with that look, you can get dark grey tiles to put into the hearth space. The entire fireplace will look less massive that way. I am not able to do mock ups but maybe someone with some abilities can do that for you.

The last thing I would do is build is up to be more massive.

I love the metal banister idea. Since it will be expensive, go with your current idea to replace one spindle with whatever you find and then paint the whole thing. Just reconsider the white paint. Your staircase can be lovely in a dark color as well.

The colors posted by @K L are beautiful. The walls and your decor can lean into that palette.

@RedRyder - Thanks so much. You mentioned darkening the mantle - what colour were you thinking? And also what colour would you suggest for the stairs if not white?

@Cat_ky - thank you. The mirror will be reflecting the stairs :)

@KL - I love the colours you suggest for the room and accessories to tie in with the stone. The ash drawer and all the metal items for the fireplace are not fixtures, they just sit on top of what is currently there. Everyone seems to agree that the hearth needs changing so I’ll focus on that but do you think it should be a lighter grey flatter stone / tile?

I would be super appreciative of any example pics 🙏

@Rachelle Plantagenet what do you think of ceramic tile in a cream with streaks of caramel and grey to go with that same color palet:

I found some pics with stone fireplaces and curious what you think of the colours.
The first is similar colours to mine but with a white tile hearth.
The second actually has a white mantle and doesn’t look bad at all however it may just be because of how it pops against the blue wall behind it, my wall will be white.
The third has a beige stone hearth which looks like it blends in okay however it is raised so is slightly different.

Here are the other pics

My thought for the mantle was leaning towards a walnut or semi-black stain because of the color of your stones. I would also blend the hearth tiles (if redone) to the stones. That entire area is “one thought” so everything should work with the interesting colors in the stones. I think with the right mantle piece and a newly designed hearth you’ll appreciate that fireplace a lot more.

Look at Sherwin Williams Iron Ore, Black Fox or Peppercorn for the staircase. One leans more brownish.

Again, everything stationery/permanent and part of the house should honor the fireplace. All the walls and furnishings can go soft like the color pallet you’re loving. The blues and beiges and greens will all work with the fireplace.

Thank you for showing the rest of the room. Please do that anytime you post on Houzz. Trying to fix one "problem" all by itself isn't the way design works. Every element of a room has to work together with the "givens" of a room whether it's a fireplace, staircase, flooring color, wood trim.

I'm with the other Commentors who find the fireplace beautiful and think you should work with it and devote your energies and budget to improving the entire space. I haven't read through all the Comments, but there are ways to bring out the beauty of what you have and not some painted mish mosh to cover up the fireplace.

--Leave fireplace, mantel, and hearth as they are. They add character and texture to your room. I'm showing this room below because the fireplace isn't a knockout at all. But notice how well the art work, curtains, furnishings, wall paint, and bed cover harmonize with a not wonderful fireplace.

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This should be your goal as well, to focus on your wall paint--something warm many, many shades lighter than the lightest golden stone in the fireplace. Choose furnishings in warm browns, creams, golds, possibly one gray upholstered piece like the sofa. Think warm brown, camel, wood, and sofa cushions in warm colors. Leave your wood stairway for now and think about the whole room.

Below is a perfect palette for your living room--grays, creams, bronze coffee table. Go in this direction but perhaps with more modern furnishings if this looks too traditional. Note how the wall color picks up the color of the golden stone but much lighter.

Rustic Living Room in Neutral Palette · More Info

On your hearth, add a big basket of long, chunky logs, and you won't be bothered by it.

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--When I look at your inspiration photos of staircase and dining fixture, I'm guessing you're falling in love with one item at a time and don't fit with anythng else. Pull your living room together first so everything in that space works together with fireplace. Then turn to dining room. One major, major thing we don't see in the photos that should certainly dictate where you go with the space is the flooring. What colore and materials are your floors? If they harmonize with fireplace and staircase, that's what to work.

I love the basket and although you mentioned to leave the hearth as it is, I do like the simple black hearth in your example fireplace pic.

We are getting new carpet in a med grey/beige colour after the walls are painted.

RedRyder, I really like your idea of darkening the mantle however i feel that if I did that to the stairs it would really darken the room which is the opposite of what I want to do. What do you think of painting all the spindles and wooden part underneath white and the bannister and mantle very dark brown?

Doing white or ivory spindles and a dark banister to match the fireplace mantle will work. Too many wood tones that are visible to each other isn’t a great look.

Have you read what @housegal200 has suggested? I know you’re in love with soft greens and blues (so am I) but the cohesion of a room with a strong feature like a rock fireplace has to be taken into consideration.