1000. to me is a lot of $$$$ to try to match. And decorating has moved away from matchy to coordinate. You have a LOT of options in lieu of quartz.

Those are likely just cabinet tops not counters. Typically this look does not use stone, just the same wood color or paint as the cabinets.

Also if you want lighting (lamp) or electrical (sound bar) you will need a grommet to access the outlet, assuming it's in the cabinet, which would be kind of a pain to do with stone.

Not a great pic of ours but the tops are just painted wood.

To me, it would not be worth it to pay that much extra and imo the wood would fit the overall look better.

No quartz. Wood.

Wood

Ya'll are awesome - thank you so much for your input - and you almost always save me $$$!

As long as the top is just used for display and the stuff is rarely used/moved, then a painted wood top will work fine.

I have a built-in desk area done in white cabinets. To save money I told the cabinet maker to just do a thick wood top painted white to match the cabinets. It looks nice, but the paint on the edges is not durable and I have lots of chips after 3 years. I probably should have had glass custom cut to cover the desktop. At some point in the near future I will probably need to replace the white painted top with real stone or quartz.

IMO ledgerstone was never a good idea inside and now really dated. What do you have that is so special it needs display ? There is nothing for me that says poor design like a bunch of stuff bought to fill shelves .IMO save all the hassle and get 2 awesome pieces of art above those cabinets and the caninets should not have a counter at all just the cabinet wood BTW those shelves are too high I bet to reach the top for even dusting .

I also wound not do this for the cost. Make sure your fireplace is wider than your TV. It looks far better when the thing on the bottom is wider than what’s on top. Learned this the hard way.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting interesting comments, thank you! If not ledger stone, then what is a more modern way to accent the fireplace section of this wall? I do like the idea of floor-to-ceiling treatment with the "floating" mantle. I think shiplap may lean too farmhouse and may not stand the test of time either. Perhaps something as simple as a shade of paint darker or lighter? I am open to new ideas, especially one that might save me more money!

Here is what I am starting with - we just shoved in our old bookcases on either side when we first moved in. I would love more suggestions for this wall. I plan to get rid of the brick hearth - then build out to bring the fireplace forward so the cabinets look more built-in. Floor will be LVP. Fireplace still TBD but likely shorter and wider - but will be tough to be wider than my giant TV.

Speaking of which, the TV is The Frame tv, so it is also art! In general the shelves house books, mementos and attractive storage bins. But I have fun with them over the holidays.

Halloween (ignore the table with the half-finished puzzle!)

Christmas: Left side obscured by tree - but if you squint you can see I display a collection of Clothique Santas I have on both shelves in honor of my Mom who had an *extensive* collection.

Using art vs. adding several shelves might be a good idea - unless you have special items to display on the shelves (not the best photo to show this - but it's what I had to post). Closed cabinets on both sides of your fireplace will provide hidden storage (which is better for most people vs. open storage).