These are actually from IKEA - but the contractor cut one end off to fit perfectly, which go into the wall at either end, and the finished end is against the fireplace. Then he filled all the cracks between the wall & the shelf with paintable caulk so I could paint over it -- it looks seamless! There's a tightening screw which holds the shelf to the mounting bars -- make sure this is on the top, so it's not visible from below. Shelves: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00011013/

What kind of stone is that?

LanaCar - We are finally getting ready for this project to get underway at our house! How much did your contractor cut off the IKEA Lack shelves? It looks like we're going to have over 10" to cut off and I'm concerned the shelf will be 'unbalanced' - any thoughts?

We only had to cut off about 4" - double check where that mounting bracket falls. As long as you don't run into where that sits you should be fine, because you're mounting it to studs (or at least at 1-2 points along the span). These shelves aren't meant for super-heavy loads.