Paint the room dark and make it a feature.

From my perspective, the grey wood-look ?) floors and the grey walls are the ”problem”. Not the existing stone. And if you really want the trash trifecta - then paint or whitewash the stone.

I’m confused about its location. Is it really right as you walk in the door, as it seems in pic #2 ? That seems hard to deal with.

And you have a window from the cramped entry into the living room ? And glass barn doors to a sunroom? If you haven’t purchased ThI yet, I would give it a pass.

None of the painted/whitewashed examples are an improvement.

Maybe reface/replace the rustic stone with smooth marble or similar…..

Along these lines…

The gray floors are for sure not helping but I will wait for some more info from the OP

Depends on your budget, furnishings, taste, time/effort and if open to replacing the hearth (given its location, I’d remove). Your best bet is to get quotes/discuss options. Some ideas:

Limewash/lighten mantle.

Shiplap/cover hearth/new mantle.

Remove hearth and mantle, prep stone and add large tiles.

Do you like the flooring? Do you intensely dislike the rock? Changing natural rock to match vinyl seems backward. But if you hate the rock, changing it would be best. There's no point in being stuck with some previous owner's choice for your new condo.

I don’t like the flooring at all. I provided pictures of the entry way and the kitchen. The door beside of the fireplace leads to a bathroom

Entry way

Is this a house you own or one you're considering to buy?

In your last pictures just above the flooring doesn't look as grey as the previous pictures.

Huge YUCK to the floors. Sorry, but they're awful and are what is wrong with the space.

Considering how large the room is, I don't think the fireplace is bad at all and don't advise changing it. How you decorate the mantel will matter (no TV). Think of objects with interesting colors and shapes, rather than the typical framed artwork.

What to do about the floor!?! Short of changing it, huge rugs maybe. Wonder if the floor could be painted...anything to get rid of it.

a long dark wood media console to balance out the wall. You can probably find a great one at a thrift store... a 1970's style? or make one like this bench with live edge lumber.

I would at least paint the fireplace wall a dark rich neutral color like a Taupe, if you're not up to color drenching the whole room. The kitchen looks great, paint the walls dark blue too and use brass fixtures.

A rich color medallion border print area rug and a sectional facing the fireplace and TV, Build the room around back of sectional with a sofa table to divide the space with a dining table, a desk/office/reading area on the opposite wall.

I would get a price on totally removing it. Besides the ugliness, it is in a very bad location in your room.

Ideas to augment fireplace and draw the eyes elsewhere.

--Add a wide, horizontal art work on top for the time being.

Check out society6.com for art work that comes in all sizes and subjects. (This example isn't from there.)

This is from society6.com

--Lyn Nielson's idea of a wood console to the right is the way to go to balance out the fireplace. Get a very wide one if you plan to put a TV on that wall.

The Gales · More Info

--Get a large rug and runners in grays, golds, tans to pull things together. Usually recommended is a highly patterned rug, but in this case with stones so prominent, a more subtle pattern would work better.

Safavieh Vintage Collection, VTG121 Rug, Stone, 4'x5'7" · More Info

Zayn Modern Beige Blue Brown Wool Abstract Ombre Pattern Rug - 7'10" x 9'10" · More Info

Personally, I'd pay to have it ripped out. There are ways to make it look better, sort of, but the fact is that thing is huge and ugly and dominates the room. I'd have no patience for it. What if you don't like the makeover? Then you've wasted that money and still have that thing. Pay extra over what refinishing it would take and have a place that works for you.

I would wait on the fireplace. Put all your furnishings in place accessorize, then pick a paint color for the walls and paint. After all that is done, decide what you want to do with the fireplace. You may do nothing.

Yes. I agree with @njmomma ^^.

Put your furnishings and accessories in, and then decide.

From my perspective, the stone is the only thing in the place that has any life and real character.

Even if you are keeping the grey wood-look flooring and grey walls, the existing stone could potentially still work with all of it; and it could be very helpful, providing an organic element to the space.

I did a few visuals with AI . General ideas.

ETA: the rugs could be a bit bigger. These are just rough views.

Painting the mantle in a lighter warmer tone (pick one of the stones) might help, too. Right now that is the first thing I see. The fireplace itself doesn't bother me so much. You have received some great advice here. Move in, go slow. Enjoy the process.

One of the least expensive things you could do is paint the wall that the fireplace is on, creating an accent wall; I would pick a rich earth tone… as suggested. With the right rugs and furniture you might be able to get this to work. I would do that before painting the fireplace.

I think pulling blue from kitchen would work well and keep calm colors. Long console in pretty wood with interest details. Darker blue sofa facing fireplace wall with complimentary large art over console or picture/TV if you want TV on that wall. A square wood coffee to repeat wood console will warm up the space and taller faux tree in far corner to add more warmth. Add rug and then reassess. Here’s mock up. I couldn’t find a side view sofa to place facing fireplace wall but this gives you “concept”. I would put my money on these elements first, then decide on reworking fireplace and or painting. Especially if you are renting.

To help you visualize keeping fireplace as is and adding design elements changes everything. Probably will depend on budget.

If both the fireplace and floors are staying, use Flo’s ideas. And buy A LOT of area rugs.

To me it looks like someone painted and put in flooring with total disregard for the fireplace! None if it goes at all . Some richer colors would help. The stone is over done as well as the mantle. The stone is on the side walls as well which makes it look even bigger and the mantle looks really deep which adds to that. If you can remove the side walls, mantle and top of the hearth it would look smaller and maybe not so cumbersome.

Not sure if it can be modified on that manner.

What is this wall opening doing there? It faces the bathroom? So many design problems here, including the misplaced barn doors at the back. If you don’t already own it, I would walk away.

First question - how long do you think you will live here?

The reason I ask is that if you are planning on being here for a long time or planning on being here for just a few years changes the amount of money you want to spend on renovations.

At this point I would get moved in and settled. You may also want to consider giving us actual dimensions if the fireplace and the room. In some pictures the fireplace looks huge, in others, still bulky, but doesn't look so massive - this is probably due to the angles of the pictures.

Second thing you need to do is decide if you like having a fireplace or is it useless. I lived in San Diego and never used the fireplace in my house. Live in Pennsylvania now and use the fireplace from fall through spring.

Third thing you need to find out are the rules and regulations the condo association has on renovating the fireplace.

Next, I would also go to open houses of any of the condo units that are for sale, look at pictures of units in the development that have sold and see what other owners have done to modernize or alter their fireplaces.

Once you have some visuals of things you like you can start pricing out the options and make a sound financial decision and get a look you really like.

Just came across this room with a fireplace in stone similar to your but with some decor in the room...

Maybe post a rough floorplan of that room. My main concern, as noted in my Confusion , is what are the options for furniture arrangement in this room—seating conversation areas, TV viewing ( unless no TV) - and how it works with the fireplace. Some of the inspo pics show much more typical fireplace locations and furniture centered on that. So they might be useful for color/paint decor, but may be totally useless for how you can actually use your room.
So if you do own the home, I agree with just live there awhile, placing furniture, what walks or areas to you “ look” at, where are putting a TV , or where forced to put it. I’d have no idea just from your photos as to what to downplay/ highlight, what hops you have to jump through to arrange the room. Or your color palette preferences ( warm/ cool) and decor style. Both your aspirations, if could choose anything, and how you’d adapt to what’s there if you need to.
—

I would do a white wash to lighten up the stone without losing all the character. Maybe remove the mantle or have a simpler one in white or a lighter brown.

Sorry, I don't mean to be rude but IMHO there is no saving that fireplace. It's horrible. The location is bad, it's over sized and.....it's ugly. Painting or lime washing won't save it.

I think you should update to sonething more modern in a condo.

@Debbie Washburn has hit the nail on the head - the condo has been painted out and floored following the grey design trend but that doesn’t work with the fireplace. If painting and re flooring is to big an exercise for the budget at the moment, furnishing so the fireplace is not the focus of the room, I think it will make a warming feature rather than en eyesore.

Gurl, paint that thang!

Everything white including the mantle and focus on art above and maybe one sculpture/accessory. Then ignore it and focus on the rest of the room.

I guess they got all the help they needed . It seems lately there are many disappearing OPs after we all take time to help a thankyou would be nice

I like the fireplace as it is as a feature. Its the gray walls and floor that’s the problem. That is a color trend that doesnt work with the fireplace. I like Lyn Nielsen’s suggestion of a darker cozy room although its a bit dark for me. Paint the walls a warmer tone that works with the fureplace. Use some rugs over the floor to take away from the gray., like ombre one by Take out that short wall. I cant figure out its purpose. That photo by lisedv is nice. it uses white walls. So are the ones by Freedomplace1. using several warm tones. Paint and rugs are easy.

Unless you just want to have a fireplace, I would suggest removing it altogether.

Furnish your room, try out traffic patterns and weigh the safety of the location.

With experience, you might find it is safer to rework the firebox to be on the diagonal across the corner.

Alternatively, you may want to take down the wall which appears to be in front of an entrance door.

I would worry about people forced to walk directly in front of the fireplace with packages and flammable material and clothing ... and even the possibility of a trip and fall.

The gray floors are easier to change than the fireplace. My eye goes to the right side above the mantle in the picture. You need to find some balance. Is there a way to put some wood and build out that side with some faux stone covering. You also need to paint/furnish and otherwise decorate the wall/room. It is not the worst room in the world. Also, if that 1/2 wall isn't loadbearing, then get rid of that. It doesn't help with the balance at all.

In brown tones, it clashes with the grey tones. Grey & black should never be used inside a home. And the plastic fake wood floor is ugly. Use real wood - which would blend nicely with the fireplace, or real plastic VCT in warm tones. Wood recommended. Paint the walls a warm beige or off-white to blend with the fireplace. The fireplace would look nice if the ugly parts around it changed up.

If you white wash the rocks, be sure to use warm ones like beige rather than grey, as grey is on its way out (THANKFULLY), as people have come to their senses and know grey is horrible inside a home. Think about the next owner year from now not having to deal with a grey stone fireplace. Best to leave it like it is and change up the ugly that some crazy person put in before you. The plastic floors need to go anyway, and paint is cheap - for the walls.

And of course paint the black on the mantel - ugh - what idiot did that! Strip the paint and make it natural wood. And the black surround in the fire part - not sure - may need to leave it.

Remove door facing passthru wall & add small wall next to fireplace will give you options.

It is the rest of the room that is the problem, not the fireplace!

Has anyone walked in nature, actually looked at a forest floor and see the mix of colours from greys, greens, browns, oranges, rusts etc. I get tired of reading comments about not mixing gray and brown, or using dark tones or any colour at all, let's embrace white only. Years ago an interior designer said "there are lots of different trees in the forest", this is when it was considered a no no to mix woods. I see gray n the stones as well as browns/beiges although predominantly brown. I would change up the mantle but live with it until you really decide what you want. The disappearance of original posters may be the number of negative and opinionated posts mixed in with posts actually giving good advice. I commend the pros who post here for people needing answers, sometimes differing suggestions, but helpful. I enjoy reading the comments, but some comments need to be kinder. Cheers everyone from someone whose home needs some work, but we are not rich and our furniture is comfortable, affordable and mixes of gray and brown, and our inexpensive area rug has the same and ties them together, just like mother nature does.

@Lynne My mother always told us to look to nature to see if we could wear colors together. I often share photos of dilute calico cats, tri colored dogs or other animals that have warm and cool colors in their coats.

I don't disagree with your assessment that warm and cool can be mixed and we are seeing more wood elements being used to soften what would be overly gray or overly white rooms.

The thing is that I am seeing a stretch of white beach and a pile of boulders from the rocky mountain dropped in the middle. The colors and the textures are so bold and really do feel out of place and I am not sure that adding more rocky mountain elements into the space will make it feel more at home on the beach.

My sister passed away a year ago and as much as I loved her antique sideboard and would have loved to own it, it wasn't a good fit for my MCM home. It was a beautiful piece, but the scale was wrong, the style was wrong and the color was wrong.

Agree…comments could be more thoughtful often, on Houzz. Suggestions are great, but the negative opinions are not.