Fireplace Update 3 - Decisions

We've made progress with the tape and texture process to fix the sides where they meet with the walls on either side of the fireplace. There were fairly large gaps that needed to be covered and Kevin wanted to take the time to let each coat dry properly so they don't crack and cause problems when we paint.  It takes a while, but is looking good and is about ready for our next steps.

As we prepare we have some decisions to make.  I had some ideas for the style I wanted for tile, or stone, mantel types and whether I wanted drywall above the mantel or stone.  So here are a few ideas I liked.

I liked this look with the darker tile and the white mantel

Considered a lighter tile along with light mantel

I like this stone with the substantial mantel and corbels

Then as we made progress it became clear that because of the angle of the fireplace and that in order to fit the firebox in this space and give the proper clearances it couldn't be perfectly centered and still work.  It's a bit lopsided with a wall space of 14 inches on the left side (as you face the fireplace) and 10 inches on the right.  With this uneven spacing, to try and put a mantel with side pieces up would look funny, and really show that it wasn't centered.  I decided I didn't want tile, and found a look I liked in a product called Airstone.  We've also decided to just take the mantel across the entire wall space here and to have drywall above the mantel.

This is the style of Airstone that we chose

This is a photo that someone posted of it on their fireplace and we feel that this color and look will work well for our space and decorating needs.  We plan to use the stone around the firebox ,under the mantel like they have here.  Our mantel will be a thicker one such as this and we'll have drywall above the mantel space.  

I still need to find hearth stone to cover the old ugly bricks and purchase the wood for the fireplace mantel and we'll be ready to move on to the next and last phase of our fireplace transformation.

We're getting there.  A few more steps and our fireplace will be done, and then it's on to the next projects that have been inspired by this one as we work to transform this old house into our personalized space.