Its a nice looking space

My parents have similar in their 1960s house. Hang large art on it, they did.

I would put the stone there too and add a nice mantle.

I am wondering what it would look like if you painted the surrounding wall the same color as the concrete as well as the triangular part above?

Yes, see what you mean.........
If it blended together it just might disappear......and the art might stand on it's own.

I was also thinking of painting the slate......don't care for the dark gray color.

The slate is beautiful.I would live with it before making any major changes

Any chance you could do built in shelves, in a stale color or black in that space to the right of the fireplace up to the triangular section. If you can't have the space heater moved to another wall, then it would have to allow for the heater along the base board, and could house your TV, some glass door cabinets for your components and some shelves above. This may help to give balance to this wall. You could then do a large mirror or piece of art on the concrete space above the fireplace. The slate bricks look nice. I would leave them for now and see if you get used to it once your furniture and accessories go on.

Paint the whole shebang white.

Remove the rock hearth and add a slate or granite ( solid, no design ) one. The two materials aren't compatible . Think it will look nice afterwards. Why is the beige section not covered.

Thank you all for your thoughts.......it is helpful to toss the ideas around.
To Judiwithani.......the guy who rehabbed the house thought it looked artsy, I guess. I agree that he slate and big stone compete with each other.

To rosecottagehome.......your suggestion is definitely food for thought!

To pitbulls.......I am definitely thinking of painting it! The dark gray is rather goth looking to me.

I appreciate the discussion.......than you all.

Thank you all.......

To vjs.....I also think a mantel would help! It needs something to warm it up!

re do it with stackstone or something exciting and hang TV on wall to the right.

I agree with Trish. Paint the whole thing a warm white, and if you want it more modern looking, get rid of the bottom ledge or at least the patterned part. It looks like a wood burning FP, would you consider changing it to a more modern in-line one like in the lower right picture above? A large piece of art work would be quite stunning to bring in whatever color you're using for accent.

I'd paint the plaster section a complimentary color in the red range and then hang a grouping of black and white framed pieces of art.

I am loving all these ideas!!

Since the house is 45 years old there are a lot of things that necessitate replacing...ie the boiler, hot water heater..etc. would like to see if I can make it better by paint or minimally altering it for a while. Maybe later a major overhaul.

I appreciate the houzz pictures! I could see it would look much more modern to redo that way. I am starting to see how it could work. I like the idea of painting it AND also getting rid of the big stone hearth.....maybe replacing with quartz? Then maybe painting the square a complimentary color OR the same color of the walls I hope to change.

Does that sound like it may work?

Of course that includes hanging art OR a large mirror in the square stone to the right.......

Here is a crude sample of art with a mantel for you. I was thinking maybe staining the hearth a deep rich charcoal color would look good.

The black mantle looks good, can you paint out the white ledge too and post it?

I agree with some of the earlier comments. It looks too choppy and dissimilar and I think you need to aim for some cohesion. Paint the rest of that wall the same color as one of the mid-tones in the granite, including the beige space. Add your entertainment cabinets on the wall space besides the fireplace. It's a great spot for them and the weight of it will balance out the slate. Sorry, but the artsy circular stone has to go. sorry. (It seems like just the thing I would have done and then thought, damn. ;) The other fixes are pretty cost effective but this one is worth saving for- Replace it with a piece of polished quartz in a solid color...just a plain rectangle. Shiny but simple. If you're doing shelves, line the bottom one up with the level of the mantle. And wait to pick your art until the shelving is in so you know exactly what weight/size of a piece you need in the formerly beige spot. It's going to be really nice- then you can move on to some other design craziness.

This is just modified with Microsoft Paint so it's very crude...but here it is. The grout would actually be visible on the hearth which I would leave.

Black is always a handsome touch. Now the blue doesn't look so over powering.

Wow!!! Wow!!! I see exactly what you mean!!! How did you do that!!

I am finally beginning to see some promise!
Should the slate be painted???

Are you going to paint the rest of the room a different color or keep it as is? Can you show us some of the rest of the room? What style are you going for? What colors were you thinking of? What color is your upholstered furniture? I had a picture in mind, of painting the slate black also, but only the outer edges would show as a frame for your large artwork. I like things that balance, even if they're A-symmetrical. This would give you 3 blue areas, and 3 black areas with the punch of color over the fire place.

You have been given some good ideas & I think your fireplace will look great. Before you paint the slate try matching the grout to the slate & not the bricks.

Well - I sort of figured out how to use the Paint part of Windows!! Lets see if I can get my edited version of your fireplace up here.

I think I missed a step!!

Thanks so much for all of your ideas concerning my fireplace. I am attaching a few more pictures for a better feel of the room. Excuse the mess, we just moved in. My couch is not here yet, but I hope it helps.

Here are some more

One more

Maybe your contractor had a vision after all! I think it looks very handsome.

Hi Deborah. I've worked with fireplace walls like this many times. Fortunately the mid-Century Modern style lends itself well to a contemporary fix. Here is my recommendation: 1. place a floating mantel centered on the fireplace but extending both left and right into the adjacent wall spaces; 2. on the right side, float some additional shelves out of the same mantel material below the mantel height, then art above the mantel height; 3. on the left side place a tall vase with some architectural twigs/floral -- the completed arrangement must be taller than the installed height of the tv; 4. TV mount in the middle area above the mantel

I would start with painting the grey part and the wall to the right the same color. It is too hodgepodge-y right now, with three different colors and the TV stand being a bit higher than the lower part of the slate.

The whole back wall and everything on it should be one color. IT's chopped up by having all those squares of color, including the wood piece of furniture. IT's making the room look smaller and more cramped. I'd paint out everything in a soft white or soft gray or soft beige color. The different textures (the wood cabinet, the stone, the wall) will all add interest and you will be able to add color by hanging a square piece of art over the fireplace opening, and staging the bookshelves etc. It's a lovely room with a nice high ceiling, take advantage of that and don't close it in.

Paint above the fireplace the same color as the rest of the back wall. Lose the console, especially the piece of wood at the back. Hang the TV on the wall with a single floating shelf beneath for components. I wouldn't even paint the slate. Hang a lovely piece of art like this Monet.

These are some exciting ideas! I love the floating shelves idea and also mounting the t.v. To the right of the fireplace. I will use the console in the basement family room. I do think replacing the hearth for quartz would add to the more modern look.

My question is should the mantle and shelves be a warm, medium wood color like my other tables? Black seems a little harsh?

Thank you!!

In my humble opinion, blue and brown do not go together. I know there's those that would disagree, but to me they just sit there and look at each other without really getting along. You have black in the rug, or so dark a blue it looks black so maybe instead of black, go a deep navy on the mantle and ledge.

It would be beautiful to paint the slate ivoire or Navajo white from Sherwin Williams then wipe it down with a dark stain to highlight the grooves in the slate.

I like that funny farm! Just to be clear....the color of the skate is a dark gray....the pictures look blue....but it is not blue.

You have so many beautiful warm tones and the black/blue wall is very harsh and distracting. I have 55 buildings I decorate and just want to help you. Your house talks to you and this looks to modern for the space. Good luck!

You could leave the slate. Get a reclaimed beam or piece of wood and put it across the width of the entire wall and make it a beautiful mantle. This gives you something to decorate for holidays and saves you a lot of work! Keep the mantle the same color as your wood floor and it pulls everything together!

I am with you..........I thought the first time I saw it that I would have to paint it! I like warm tones....and it needs softening....paint would do that. The floating shelves would help the eye from seeing so much slate. Thank you and everyone for their feed back. Sometimes you just we'd to banter it around to find a solution.
I am so appreciative to joy hozzz for having such a wonder venue to express all opinions .

Sincere thanks,

Deborah

BTW..if you want to darken the hearth, instead of paint, I'd do a dark stain so it still looks like a natural stone.

I like the new vision. A mantle would add a nice balance; search Houzz for some creative mantle or shelf shape ideas for that space. A perfect grey color to complement the slate would be lovely. I love my slate hearth seat. It will probably catch a lot of heat from the fireplace so consider what you will be displaying above it. Good luck

The stone work looks off balance. Seems to heavy on the left side. Perhaps the left side of the fireplace could be painted the same color as the wall. A white mantel would look nice and soften the appearance. Perhaps a white mantel or shelf across the entire stoned area would balance it. The photo with the larger art work looks quite nice.

This would have been lovely just in a symmetrical square around the firebox, without going up the wall on the left. Painting it is going to help visually, so if you can't afford to rip out the stone, re-drywall and just leave the stone as a nice fireplace you should paint it, and add some chunky shelves on top of the stone and load it up with books, or something, and then put in a large square or round piece of art over the fireplace, centered vertically and horizontally

You know, the stone is so nice.....if you could get some more and fill in the drywall hole, and then hang some shelves on the left side, it would look really fab.

I was thinking if you could find a nice silver toned metal leafy art piece that is tall you could place it on the large dark slate area on the left and then above the television put black or slate colored shelves and perhaps below the television too. That would balance, lighten, at interest and wouldn't cost much and wouldn't take a lot of work. Just a thought.. Good Luck! Your furniture looks nice in the room.

How did the look get that off I am wondering. Did you want that color blue? I would do some sort of faux painting over it to incorporate a variety of colors. It is just "too blue". Go with a little orange into it, not much just dashes. Maybe a little bit of aqua as well. That is provided you are staying with the same material (stone work). Also, if you can put a cool Modern and yet Retro art feature up next to it, that would pull it in too.

Naturally, art is a personal thing but I will give you some links on one of my fave sites UrbanLoft:

http://www.urbanloftart.com/maitland-730843/jade-retro-art-print.htm
http://www.urbanloftart.com/hill-455686/retro-bikes-art-print.htm
http://www.urbanloftart.com/eva-82331/retro-floral-iv-art-print.htm
http://www.urbanloftart.com/lam-141186/rocking-retro-h-art-print.htm
http://www.urbanloftart.com/bridges-592545/retro-abstract-iii-art-print.htm
http://www.urbanloftart.com/lee-727432/retro-fusion-iii-art-print.htm


If you go with smaller art work, you can still put a few smaller shelves on the side, and add some interesting ceramic pieces. Maybe an older looking 1960's clock which I think are very cool. Have fun with it!!! Mistakes can be made into treasures. :)