Hello Philip! Glad you like the fireplace. This fireplace was in fact all stone. We framed out the lower portion so that it sticks out past the stone creating a simple mantel. The rocks above were filled in with plaster so that it is less dimensional and lighter in color.

The room on the opposite side of this wall also has a fireplace where we did the reverse...stone on the bottom, drywall above. Note that the way it is done in the photo below meets current California fire codes as the firebox is surrounded by non-combustible material (stone). The opposite version will need to also be a non-combustible material in order to meet code safety.

Thank you so much for your response and for the photo of the other side. Much appreciated!

No problem Philip! Good luck!