My honest thoughts are not to accept color advice from people that are seeing the colors on a computer screen.

Thanks @Mark Bischak, Architect, I know what you're saying but I'm simply looking for input. There are many people here who have much more experience with design and building than I, so I always like to see people's tastes and opinions.

Really hard to get a sense of colors in the room but if the room is without a lot of natural light, i would choose a lighter stone.

For what it's worth, I like the lighter stone.

without acurate pictures showing the real colors, who can say?

for instance, I see a warmer gray/beige cabinet color, and the bluestone in the picture looks too cool for that. you're mixing warmer tones (cabinet flooring, ) with cooler blue/gray tones of the stone.

show us actual pictures of the tile photographed near the other elements in natural daylight.

If you can't, then choose the white one

If you want darker, I'd choose a black, not a blue/gray (however, if you seal that tile, does it become darker? that may work to get more of a black tone)

Gray is on its way out so whatever is the least gray.

@Beth H. : Thanks, I've ordered samples of the stone and will take photos in decent lighting when I get them.

@everyone Here are some photos of the surrounding elements, if that helps. Walls, trim, doors & shiplap are all SW Pure White and plumbing/lighting fixtures are matte black.

Flooring:

(Dirty)

(Cleaner)

Kitchen

Nearby Powder Room

Hi All,

The stone samples have arrived and we've seen them in good lighting at the house. Anyone have additional thoughts?

On my monitor, the lighter sample better compliments your cabinets.

I still prefer the lighter stone but hard to say without knowing your style. The darker one is more modern. The lighter one has a comforting vibe.

Both seem radically different from the raw concrete. A more modern tile surround would be what would pop into mind if the concrete finish was bad. The stone choice of either color is throwing me as it seems so different. More info on the overall feel for the house?

Love the lighter stone. I think you’ll get tired of the darker in a few years.

Thank you all so much! We were leaning towards the lighter stone, and your input has helped us decide on it. I will post photos of the finished product!

It's definitely a big departure from the concrete look, and we are ok with that. It's a farmhouse set on 5 acres in rural Wisconsin. We're going for a cozy, clean, simple, muted/natural feel. Rustic wood floors & island, black fixtures, pure white walls & trim.

Here's the exterior

Everything you have chosen is warm, so I’m glad you liked the lighter stone. There are so many types of stone so make sure the one you pick has the texture you want. I’m glad the concrete didn’t work out. It would not have worked with your house as well as the creamy/lighter colors do.

Katie, beautiful house.

let me post a bunch of photos so you can see what you prefer. Some are w/the stone you've chosen, and other pics are other surround ideas.

here is the shiplap w/diff color/size stone veneer

hard to find your smaller size fireplace paired w/shiplap and larger stone. I think a smaller stone might look better, but here are options:

This is the only large stone I actually like w/this size fireplace. I like it because of the heavy mortar wash around the stone, I like like the silver/white colors, along w/a few charcoal color stones.

This seems to be a big contrast.

It might look better if the shiplap was painted dark charcoal or black?

Or have you thought about doing the entire thing like this?

not really a fan of this color or style.

meh

also meh

don't really care for this one.

I was trying to find a white stone, but found this what appears to be a limewashed rock,

or, this white quartzite. I think I like a smaller, whiter stone if you want to go this route.

here are some w/other tiles and marbl.e

I kind of like this look, but using a diff tile, maybe a mosaic marble tile

I like this option. the marble herringbone mosaic but with a diff hearth.

Or, could you have solid pieces of stone cut and fit around the box? maybe a slate or a basalt or a large format tile?

I like a dark stone like basalt or soapstone, but you could choose to do a marble of some type too. Shown here w/a dark mantle. ( I think a whiter stone would have looked better)

and if you just did a smooth coat of cement or stucco, or even a Roman plaster

Maybe some larger, patterned tile? (I'd use a solid hearth tho)

this one is kind of cool.

is this a plan or did you have someone draw up your house for you? I love the board and batten and the dark windows.

kind of reminds of this house.

(I'm sure you've looked at million modern farmhouse pics)

the flower boxes on this one really make the black/white look a bit more colorful.

Were you planning on staining the posts?

I really like a black trim along the fascia, and love a portion that's painted black, or has black stone

or what about dark garage doors?

tried to photoshop

something like this look, w/the dark trim.

I think w/the added cedar posts, maybe a wood beadboard ceiling,

It would look perfect

love these darker wood doors w/all the black and white too.

strictly black and white.

Love this landscaping w/the olive trees

@Beth H. : so many beautiful ideas, thank you very much! Our plan was drawn up by our builder, he's done a few similar farmhouse styles. This spring we'll be tackling the cedar posts, probably staining or at the very least sealing them. Building cedar window boxes is on the list as well! :)

Hi everyone, sharing some after photos in hopes that they help someone else in the future. We went with the cream city river stone and a buff colored mortar with standard, smooth joints.

Goodbye raw concrete! We do not miss this look at all; just wasn't right for our home.

This is before the mortar fully cured, so it appears dark here.

The truer mortar color is a lighter buff.