The hearth is really bulky. What does the room look like? It’s hard to suggest anything without seeing the entire room. Do you want to keep that mantle? Or would you remove it for a different look?

Did you do this or was it there. I agree 2 choices either all the same marble or rip it oout and start all over but before anything can be suggested we need to see the whole space . Is this a wood fireplace or gas None of those tile work BTW. Ilike a simple large format porcelain tile myself but I need to see the space.

There is one good thing about a raised hearth: when you are really cold it is nice to sit on or prop your cold feet on to get warm. Other than that, maybe it should go. Would the beautiful marble have to be destroyed to remove? It would be nice to use elsewhere

We started with this and a contractor/interior designer team talked me into the raised hearth which I didn’t want. I gave it because I was happy to just have someone show up to do the work.

We tore out a brick fireplace from the original owner. I wanted stone flat all the way to the top of the ceiling but was talked out of it and I just basically gave in. Now I have something I don’t like at all. Super disappointing. I have no use for the marble either.

Also the fireplace is gas

Can you just do the stone to the top and lower the hearth(diff tile of course).

Live with it for awhile. You may get used to it. It doesn’t look bad to me.

I empathize with you about "just happy someone showed up to do the work."

The before is so much better.

What's wrong with a raised hearth? I had a raised hearth in my old home. It was nice not to bend down to tend the fire. In my current home the fireplaces at on the floor.

Love the fan.

You could have just painted and been OK. Too bad really.

You need a vision for the wall, not just the FP.

Thanks for your comments - this is depressing for sure but I appreciate your feedback so much

Beverly, I think I have that exact picture saved in my fireplace board on Pinterest! It’s just been I finished for almost 2 years and it’s crazy difficult to have get a decent contractor to show up and want to do the work.

I stopped by the tile place where I bought the stone tile. She has another suggestion. What do you think of this as a pretty inexpensive solution but not my dream fireplace? Get rid of the marble hearth altogether, take the stone tile all the way to the floor and then have a granite slab on the floor as a lowered hearth? We found a leathered dark gray granite that is pretty inexpensive. She said if they can save the marble we can maybe use it for shelves or something like that?

OK, lesson learned. Have to have a plan. Decide on your vision.

I think that is viable, but are you sure you don't want to go all the way up with the split face veneer?

I would love to go all the way to the top but the quote we got was $7k more just for the labor so we decided just to live with it up to the mantle level. We’ve spent a ton of money in the last year and a half remodeling other rooms, so it was a compromise. If we go with the dark leathered gray lowered hearth do you think we should repaint the mantle or just leave it white? Originally it matched the floor but we tried it white to see if we would like the whole look better...

We have similar stacked stone and hearthstone! Not done yet but the bottom is done so thought I’d share. I love the leathered dark grey granite with the split stone (ours is silver travertine). Hope this helps visualize.

I like this plan and I like the white mantel. Home remodeling/new construction is a war, you win some battles and you lose some. It is a war of attrition. And it costs a lot. But in the end you will be glad you fought it. Bittersweet

donnatrus, beautiful! I love it - thanks for sharing

I like the split stone. The polished marble is all wrong starting with being too formal for the rustic stone.

I also like your idea to remove the raised hearth and continue the stone down to the floor. But I don't love the granite w/ that stone. I think you need to find a light colored granite that will blend with the stone.

The dark granite slap I looked at actually has lots of light gray in it, but the sample does not show that. What do you think about just doing the Stone down to the floor and having no hearth at all?

I like the thought of this and we actually had an architect do a few drawings for us. One was similar to this one but her measurements were wrong when we actually met with contractors. To save some money, all we want to do right now is fix the fireplace issue then in a couple years work on the whole wall. I love the shelves to the right of the fireplace and also what you’ve done on the left. What material is that on the left?

I must be in the minority. I don't think the combo looks bad at all.

The easiest fix is to remove the marble from the space between the floor and the top of the hearth and do the same tile.

like these two have done:

looks a bit more cohesive that way.

Here's a visual for you w/wood mantel that matches the flooring

(I'd also change out your fire blocks (inside the firebox) or paint them w/a high heat spray, in a matte black. just doing that simple contrast would look great against the white/gray). see what I mean on this picture: firebox is all black and offers a nice contrast w/the white and gray

If you want a new hearth, then do a solid white or gray or leathered solid black. (but a lighter color might work better)

I photoshopped the leathered black granite from donna's onto your hearth:

I like your current marble better. If you had darker floors, darker hearth, and more black in your room, then I'd pick this darker hearth.

another option,,,

remove the marble from below and do something like this. you'll visually remove most of the material you don't like. you could also do a 3-sided mantel. (and notice how they did a nice built-in for the tv off to the side. I think you need something like that to balance it)

Same thing here, although they've painted it dark gray.

this one is very similar to yours. I also like how they've finished it above the mantel. to me yours looks like it needs something on the top half.

same stone like you have with more of a mantel. it's a small hearth, but this veined limestone is also a nice option

again, high hearth, same stone below the top of the hearth, and mill work above the mantel

I think just by doing the same stone on the bottom half it will make all the difference and prob be the cheaper option. I like the marble for the top of the hearth.

Thanks Beth for taking the time to show me those options. I like the idea of using the same stone below the hearth. Lots to think about and figure out.

Would you do the stone on the sides as well? Currently it’s just on the front. I was thinking if we went higher we’d need to do all three sides which of course would be a lot more expensive

Here’s how it looked when we bought the house in 2014

At least 3 of those posted examples are worse than yours.......be careful.

I think the problem is the raised hearth. I like raised hearths -- in the right places -- but yours is boxy and out of proportion. Some of the small above raised hearths are more proportional to their fireplaces.

Hey Beth, I specifically asked our contractor about painting the gas firebox matte black because I thought it would look cleaner and he basically freaked out and acted like I was trying to burn my house down and said it absolutely couldn’t be done...

I added two more photos to my upper comment. one shows a darker hearth, and the other shows how it would look if you painted the inside of the firebox a matte black

just doing the stone below the hearth shouldn't be that much. it will much cheaper than getting a new hearth top redone.

I don't think you have to wrap the sides. here's what it would look like

so here's one similar to yours w/the sides left alone. Do you like the millwork above the mantel? I know you have your tv off to the left, but what's going on above it or off to the right of the FP

I think what you really need to complete the look is to take care of the sides of the fireplace. right now it's just bare because it doesn't 'connect' with anything. does that make sense?

for instance, see how the shelving and cabinets all work w/the fireplace?

I like your wood console, but you need something else around it to connect it w/the FP.

I love the looks of this one. If you did a semi built-in for the tv off to the left, then maybe you could use your console elsewhere (to the right?) with just some art above it, or something else.

Those are beautiful. We did think of getting rid of the console and building something out along both sides. Problem is that I love that console and really don’t have another place to use it. We were thinking we would do the fireplace now then within a couple years build out the whole wall. We talked about putting the tv above the fireplace but I don’t love that idea. I do like the mill work you’ve shown.

Basically we wanted to start with one piece with the rest in mind for the not too distant future.

you can paint the fire brick inside the box but it must be super high heat paint. i'm surprised your guy doesn't know this.

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My husband and I are considering purchasing a home with a fireplace wall very similar to what you started out with. I am wondering why the house we are looking at has no hearth at all. I would have assumed it would be some sort of code violation to just have hardwood floors butting up against it. But, anyway, I have been looking at lots of photos thinking of what to do with a fireplace like yours and had decided if we purchase the house I would use either a split stone or possibly even zellige Cle tiles and take it up the whole wall. I also couldn't decide about wrapping the sides since I would be adding built ins on either side. I would plan on hiring a designer, so figure she/he could help with those details.

Be careful, a designer helped me with my design and helped pick out the materials. It didn’t pan out for me so far....My gas fireplace doesn’t have to have a hearth, per the manufacturer’s instructions and per the city building code so you have to be careful!

Beth, it’s funny because I argued a bit with the contractor because I had seen this exact paint.

You can save this! The mantel is nice. I would take the stone and wrap the bottom of the hearth with it where there is now marble and leave the top of the hearth marble. Then I would do shelves in white to match mantle down one side and do either white cabinet built ins on the left and place you TV on those or do one large floating ledge in white. You can place a couple ottomans under it for extra seating when needed. Excuse the very rough rendition but just to give you an idea.

Beth H, you are always so helpful!

Thanks very much - I like this idea a lot

pink,,,you and I recommended the exact ideas! lol

Angela, I like your dog art above the FP.

@Beth H. :why does that not surprise me? It really is the easiest and most cost effective fix until they are able to redo the entire thing like they want. IMO.

The marble and split face stone don't look so bad together; at least they're a color match. I would probably leave it as is except to wrap the stone around the sides and wrap the mantel, too.

It looks silly with the stone only on the front.

Wow, so wonderful and helpful!

I’d be a bit afraid of a fireplace guy who doesn’t know you can safely paint the inside. Beth has given you a lot of good ideas. If you have the whole wall planned out (even if you’re not doing all of it now) the answer to what to do now becomes easier. Take the long look and so one piece at a time. Beth, you’re a treasure to those of us who don’t have either the vision, resources or photos to help others along with their design dilemmas.

The tile is really pretty.

Thanks I guess it’s the marble or at least the marble sides that need to go

How did it end up?