Have you thought about putting stone on just one facade of the fireplace, say facing the primary room that you think the stone would look best?

I personally don't care for the stone wrap around the lower portion of the fireplace. I think that reduces the verticality of the double sided column as an architectural element.

I prefer the vertical applications of the stone better but I am not sure which one. Is there anything else under this box structure to each side of the fireplace box itself like ducts or plumbing? I would consider making the whole thing narrower and more columnar and then wrapping the whole thing in stone. Of course that would involve repairing the floor and ceiling (if its even possible to reduce the width of the structure)

I did this columnar fireplace on a project that went from two sided to one sided and clad to just drywall because of budget. I would still like to see it clad in something but for right now I think it looks better as painted drywall than it would be partly clad in something--which I think reduces its presence as a unified element.

Emma

I am concerned about the wood surround abutting right up to the firebox that appears it would not be in code compliance. Combustible materials may not be that close to the firebox itself - typically must be 8-12" of non combustible material from firebox out. has this been inspected by the building dept? Please ck with your building dept & builder before moving forward.

Of the choices above the one I prefer is the one with stone on bottom 1/2 - You don't need to have the hearth out built out. The others are very vertical & seem to have an odd challenge of space & perception -

Good luck

Here's another view and some more ideas:

Oh, yes, the fireplace is to code. It has recently been inspected.

Are you sure that you would need to reinforce the floors? People routinely tile large shower surrounds and entire bathrooms. I don't see this as being that much different, as it looks as if the "bricks" you are talking about are actually the thickness of tile.

Yes, the bricks are about 4 times the thickness of tiles. To do the whole thing, it would be 220 sq ft of this brick veneer, it's very heavy. I transported 75 sq feet in my minivan and I could definitely feel the weight when driving.

The pic with the shelves in the side wall is a great idea. I would put the stone only on the lower half up to the mantle, sans the hearth, and then the brown paint on the upper half. What a cool fireplace!

What if you just finished it (over drywall, I would think, rather than plywood) in a venetian plaster-type finish? That would give it some texture and depth. Add a mantel or not. Maybe just a nice mirror or piece of art.

Your place may be too traditional for this option, but I am loving the new textured wall panels. I'm not sure how they work, but they may take the place of drywall, so wouldn't be adding any additional weight.

Here is a link that might be useful: textured wall panels

I pretty much have the same thing-a see through fireplace although we have arches on either side. I did faux stone- real was too heavy- and a white ornamental mantel on the other side. They are somewhat disjointed but everyone seems to think it looks great.

Personally, I like the faux stone a great deal. It looks good but not all faux does so if you go that route, look at lots of different types and find a true craftsman installer.

(side note to jakabedy) WOW WOW WOW...I am in love...where did you find out out about these? Can they be used wherever drywall can be used?

Thank you!

Now on to the fireplace: it might look nicely integrated if you do the vertical of the slate you like, with a full-width mantel, which is placed at the same level as one of the shelves cut into the narrow sides. So it would be like a brown ring around the whole unit, with the slate going up the vertical. I'm with palimpsest that I prefer not to have the slate go only halfway up. I am digging the brown wrap thing, though -- could you do a mantel there on the other side too, to complete the ring?

To do the whole thing, it would be 220 sq ft of this brick veneer, it's very heavy. I transported 75 sq feet in my minivan and I could definitely feel the weight when driving.

But, are you sure that you need reinforcement in the floor?

BTW, I have a 3 sided fireplace, here's a pic:

I like the shelves idea. Have you considered turning the shelves on the left toward one room and on the right to the other room? Then the stone could go up the middle and the sides trimmed in wood and it would all look very deliberate.

Maybe a shelf on each side is see-through also to continue the look.

I agree with creating an alignment between mantle and shelf.

Can you reduce the width of the fireplace surround? It seems very large compared to the size of the fireplace insert. If your plan was to stone/brick the whole thing, why not reduce the size until you can still follow that plan? It seems like it could add even more openness (generally a good thing - though it obviously depends on the case).