If you really hate it, you will probably always hate it... however, that could also free you to experiment and try lime wash. Worst case, it is even worse and you demolish it as you've wanted all along or you have a happy accident and you love how it revives the space. I say have fun lime washing. Also, i like Beverly's suggestion about the mantle. Good luck!

I agree with Beverly about both the height of the mantel and the piece above it. Being black and rectangular, it too much matches the fireplace itself. Those issues aside, I quite like the fireplace, so feel free to ignore my advice, which would be to lower the mantel and consider plastering the wall above it. How practical that is might depend how the stone meets the walls on the side of the fireplace.

Lower the mantel and hang nice art above it. It certainly isn’t the worst fireplace to deal with.
Once your things are in the room and the rug is replaced, your colors may help the fireplace to fade into the background.

I don’t think that fireplace can ever fade into the background. From photos it looks like the stone is a facade? If so can you build a sleek facade around it?

I wouldn't call it ugly. And, btw, your room looks very nice! You've done an excellent job selecting furnishings and accessories. The placement of elements is very nice also. One technique you could employ to lessen the impact of the stone fireplace is to apply a German smear. It is essentially taking grout that would be used to hold the stone in place and together and applying it to the surface of the stone. Here is an example.

Thanks for the suggestion! The German smear is very interesting! Note that the house is one we just purchased so we can't take credit for any of the furnishings and accessories which are definitely not our style!

I also don’t think it’s ugly , i do think it could be improved upon. Lower the mantle, drywall above the mantle & limewash or German Smear if you still don’t like the stone i did the very same thing on a floor to ceiling ugly brick fireplace at my last home. whata difference it made, at way less than $12k.. Actually, after looking at your pics some more, I kind of like it IF the mantle was lowered.

Definitely consider the German smear but if you hate the bulkiness you’ll always hate it. Any chance of another quote? I agree the price is heart-stopping. But if you can wait and try the smear, you may save a lot of money in the long run. Or put off the expense for now. Congratulations on the house.

https://www.mamamakesitbetter.com/post/updating-fireplaces

I have done several real rock fireplaces both whitewash and paint and both look great and would REALLY lighten up the space! Check out my blog info and pics

These are great suggestions! We are seriously considering trying a German smear though still lean towards demoing the fireplace, replacing with drywall and a simple black fireplace with plenty of space above for a phenomenal piece of art. The kitchen and living room already have lots of detail so something clean and simple could be a nice balance.

We agree, the mantle looks too high and might work better if lowered and stained a darker color.

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