I think we need to see more of the room. Can you post another picture so we can see that entire wall?

Your room is light now with the large patio doors now - very nice - - adding a built in next to the fireplace may make that wall in the room seem very heavy. So, my vote is no built in.

I'm not able to visualize the gray flooring with all the warmth currently in the room. Do you have samples of the board that you could place by the fireplace and post another pic? It would help us get a better sense of the colors together.

Have you considered taking down the mantel? A tall, vertical piece of artwork would help to make the space seem more contemporary.

Thank you for taking the time to comment, Sammie! I have not received the floor samples in the mail yet, but we are considering Somerset's Maple Greystone. Taking down the mantel sounds like a great idea. In my opinion, it is too small and just doesn't seem "right." I am open to any ideas, and that includes flooring choices!

Is your current floor not to your liking or is it too worn?

Great potential here!

-no built in's

-remove the mantle and I don't think you need any art there or, if any one with very little pattern.

-paint color depends on flooring, but I would go with something warmer.

What is your goal in getting new flooring? Will you be replacing the entire first floor? Thanks.

you're correct. mantel is far too thin. it's easy enough to get larger piece of wood. we got a fir beam (maybe 4x6?) at the big store, beat it up a bit and stained it.

or go to a lumber yard, show them this pic, and get one similar

or, remove it altogether

for the hearth, see if you can get a solid piece of limestone or something along those lines, that look like this hearth topper.

Do you have to cover those windows? I like how they've trimmed out their windows and keep them free

Thanks for the insight, Open House Home Staging & Redesign, LLC! I would also entertain the idea of a gorgeous round mirror on the fireplace. I see your point about the cool gray flooring contrasting with the warmth of the fireplace stone. Maybe Somerset's Maple Tumbleweed would be a better fit? We had it in a previous home, and quite liked it. I'm ready for a dramatic paint color on the fireplace wall; one that would tie in with the wood banister of the loft and the wood stairway you can see in the background. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this.

I'm not seeing the Maple Greystone working in your room, but it might just be my monitor. Maybe the hickory spice would match the darker bricks, or the maple natural would match the lighter ones? Either could lend towards a more contemporary look. Hard to say what would work best using web pics...make sure whatever you pick works well with your warmer fireplace tones.

Thank you for asking, Lizziesma! The current floor is a laminate floor and it was installed over an uneven subfloor. We'd like to go with solid or engineered hardwood. We will be replacing all the flooring in the home. I was considering the gray because of the many deep gray stones that were used here and there on the fireplace. I thought maybe a combination of gray flooring and a medium-dark gray wall would give the room an entirely different, more contemporary look. But that is why I posted this discussion asking for advice. I am a teacher, not a designer, and I appreciate others' ideas.

I think that your fireplace is beautiful and deserves a beautiful floor. As others have mentioned I would not do any floor that is gray. Hopefully that trend is heat it's end. I would recommend a light ( natural) colored hardwood that is classic and can be used easily throughout your home.

Thanks for seeing the potential and for your advice, CDR Design, LLC! As I stated in my reply to Lizziesma, we are replacing all flooring in the home due to the state of the current laminate floor. I thought this would be a good time to change the color scheme of the entire area, but the overall warm tone of the fireplace seems to be dictating that I stay with warmer colors for flooring and wall color. Hmmm...

Wow, Beth H.; your photos and advice have given me a lot to think about. Thank you! I love the large beam shown in several of the pics and I also love the fireplace sans mantle. The limestone hearth idea is a good one, too.

Yes, stick with a warm colored floor - not the grey. I wouldn't add builtins which I think will look too heavy next to the stairs. Instead, mount your TV to the wall on the left of the fireplace, and use a long narrow console underneath. I think the wall color flows nicely with the other areas nearby. If you want a dramatic wall color maybe you can use it in a different room that is more enclosed - a dining room or powder room?

Grapefruit1_ar: I am so appreciative of your input. Suffice it to say that I have nixed the gray flooring before I have even received the sample in the mail. Will limit my focus to warm colors!

Well, Calidesign, my husband LOVED your suggestion to mount the TV to the left of the fireplace! I had him convinced that the only TV we needed should stay in the loft area upstairs! I am going to make a sample paint poster of Benjamin Moore's Manchester Tan, as suggested by Open House Home Staging and Redesign, LLC, and see how that looks with the fireplace and a warm-toned wood flooring. Thank you for the ideas!

I'm so glad you've decided against gray flooring, which was a fleeting trend which is now thankfully over. Gray everywhere is also a dead trend, and I hope you find softer and lighter colors so that you have a livable room which will still look good 5-10 years from now. Good luck!

some flooring suggestions Carrie.

if you like a gray tone, then you could do a fumed, red oak, with a 5% Smoke by Rubio monocoat.

select grade, white oak, natural. (herringbone pattern shown)

stain on site oak flooring:

Fossilized strand Bamboo. CaliBamboo. This is over 3X stronger than any of your other flooring. don't get this confused w/the regular type of bamboo flooring.

French white Oak wide plank. (comes in different stain tones. this one is more of an ashy brown with a touch of gray)

I did this on my bathroom ceiling and love it (found leftovers on craigslist and got a great deal on 230Sq Ft)

they have some very nice porcelain tile that looks like wood

Lipari 6x36

noon-honey chevron

part II to my comment- TV placement.

If you want to mount it on the wall to the left, here are some ideas. (If hub is handy, he could easily make these. look into Ikea hacks too)

you would have to modify some of these to fit your space so just use them as a guide.

on something like this, you could do the bottom cabinet, and leave room between the shelves for the tv

I would rearrange the room like this. I don't think the TV in the corner works for the room. I would place it on the wall and move the chairs to the window area.

Wait....... you said tv would not be in the room and that is previous owner's decor. Is it previous owner's furniture also?

In order to make flooring decisions. would need photos of the entire room and other areas of the house. Kitchen is especially important. Thanks.

I’m worried about your flooring ideas too. It’s such a beautiful warm room - introducing gray seems ill-advised.

BeverlyFLADeziner: Your ideas for furniture arrangement make a lot of sense and I think getting one or two swivel or "see-through" (loosely woven) chairs to position in front of the windows would be perfect! I also appreciate the pictures of the TV with the long, narrow console below. My room is really beginning to take shape in my mind. Thank you!

Beth H: You gave me a lot to think about with your thoughts on flooring and TV placement. Including the visuals really helps! I see where you are going with those warm colors on the floor. It looks like you especially favor wood with quite a bit of differentiation in coloring. I love how you were able to place the chevron pattern next to the photo of my fireplace. Believe me, my I can't even remember why I was considering a gray floor! I am so glad I started this discussion on Houzz; otherwise, I'm quite certain I would NOT have been happy with the route I was planning to take!

carrie, I wouldn't say I favor a floor with a lot of variation. You don't want anything too busy looking. all depends what else is going in the room. The fireplace stone is only a small portion, so I wouldn't worry about it too much (as far as busy-looking goes)

Was trying to show you all the diff options available so that you could decide what you like best.

as for paint color, were you leaning towards more of an off-white? or something darker?

Beth, I was considering a darker paint at first, to end up with a "New Look." Currently, the paint color is a creamy off-white, and I really want to change it up. I've noticed, however, that a large percentage of the photos I've saved to my Ideabooks over the past few months have featured white walls. Our 3.5" trim will be Sherwin Williams Extra White.

I think you're right to reconsider the darker paint. Wait until you have all your furniture placed, and if you still want to change things up, try a different accent color through pillows or artwork. Sorry, I didn't see that you were planning to lose the TV in the room! It would be best without a TV, but putting it on the left of the fireplace will also work - it just didn't work with the previous owners placing it in front of the windows.

"TV will NOT be in room" Is this statement still correct? Thanks.

Would love to help if you could kindly post more photos, especially of the kitchen.

Personally, the stacked stone doesn’t bother me as much as the window coverings do. They are so dated that these would be the first thing I would replace.