Just had a direct-vent gas fireplace installed in the living room of our 1955 split-level. The attached “inspiration photo” shows the exact fireplace we have, but gives no other design details. Our style leans toward contemporary/modern and I adore the floating hearth in the pic! However, we plan to tile the surround from floor to ceiling and along the sides (which jut out 20”). I have also attached photos of my living room from a few different perspectives (excuse the mess). My questions are:

1) What material can be used for the floating hearth to achieve a similar look? The hearth in the photo appears to be concrete. Is molded concrete expensive? Honed black granite was $600+. We also priced smooth limestone sills, which are a lighter color and not as thick as the hearth in the inspiration pic, but the upside is they only cost $36 for a 6’x6”x2¼”thick piece.

2) All options are heavy, so mounting is a concern. Any suggestions as to how to mount the hearth? Is there a lighter-weight, non-combustible material that would work?

3) My husband insists on putting a 50” TV over the fireplace (44”W x 26” H x 2.5” D) that will fit into a recession in the surround so it looks more streamlined. However, this impacts our tile choice. We are looking at large, greige-ish tiles (12”x24”, 10”x30) with some variation (V2-3) and minimal/no grout lines. I’m worried that the large tiles will emphasize our low ceilings (7’7” high) because only seven or eight 12” tiles will fit on top of each other and only 2-3 tiles fit side to side. The TV takes away even more visual space, so the impact of the large tiles may be lost. We could go with long, narrower, plank-like tiles (6”x30”), but they may look busier with the variation. Any thoughts or suggestions (besides nix the TV)? Am I over-thinking?

4) Should we add a mantle (if so, what size/material) or would it further interrupt the visual flow? A mantle would help deflect heat away from the TV, but since the TV will be recessed, I’m not too worried about that. The top of the fireplace is 38” from the floor and the bottom of the TV will be approx. 17” above that.

Thanks for reading and for any advice you can give!