Hey! Love the direction you’re going. With White Dove on the walls, try something like Edgecomb Gray or Revere Pewter for a soft contrast. If you're going for depth, layering with Chelsea Gray could be cool. Sample it in different light—makes all the difference!

Your inspiration photo shows the fireplace is the same color as the walls.

I agree with Beverly's simple mortar plaster application to add some texture and interest into a formal living room. Plaster the stones under the hearthstone but keep the hearthsone itself, again to add texture.

White Dove, or whatever you end up choosing for the walls and ceiling.

The reason we aren’t just adding mortar that is the mantle is like 7 feet off the floor. It is entirely too high to be usable. So it has to be removed which then leaves a solid line across the face of the stone. Which I don’t want.
Sounds like the color consensus is to use White Dove. Any thoughts on adding a second color for depth?

The stone face of that mantle in the second pic is beautiful. How do I go about finding that?

I would do the plaster in white dove with a dolomite marble hearth. ot the most durable, but very beautiful!

One color. That's it. The same as your walls.

Your inspo pic beautiful, as are those that others have posted. But, I hope you are not anticipating that your fireplace is going to end up looking like these. These fireplaces have very pleasing proportions and is one reason why the simplicity of them works. The rooms have very high ceilings, and the fireplaces take up about a third of the width of the room. You have a lot of variables that make your fireplaces much different.

I personally love the stone, but to each their own.

Some option to go with two colors

Bluegums, Frankston South, Victoria · More Info

Why not remove the stone veneer? It isn't hard to do if you have the right tools. Replace the dry wall if damaged, another simple and inexpensive thing to do. Now you just have your two sided fireplace and logs and you can do anything you want. As for the hearth, it looks like it was applied after the floor was put in and you don't need a hearth for gas (at least in my town).

Sorry but what prep are you planning before doing ventian plaster ? You need to fill all the gaps the point for the finish is that it looks like marble not painted stone which is what you will get . The pic posted by Beverly is IMO an ugly way to finish thta FP At best do a limewash look maybe but painted stone never looks good . Venetian plaster needs burnishing to make it look real and you cannot do that on rough stone. Yo cover all the stone with drywall then do the plaster or as mentioned you remove the stone and do drywall but no way what you are planning will look anything like your inspo pic

Where is Elvis?

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Yes, we are planning to frame and drywall before adding plaster. The removal of the stone is so messy, we’ve already done two other walls of stone removal and I can’t handle it again.

I found this for a hearthstone https://therockgardensite.com/hearth-and-cap/

The sample I saw was Cottonwood or the aspen looks nice too. They are local.

Just need to decide if I do the same/similar with the mantle or keep the mantle Venetian Plaster like my original pic.

I also found sizable remnants of Calcatta OMG that would make a beautiful hearth stone.