SFGate

Sunterra Custom Homes The stone wall is not the problem it's beautifull.. The red tile needs to go when you add the new floors and also remove the the shelves and fake post the rock will look amazing. Maybe painting the room can help the rock wall blend in better. I would keep the rock and change things around it if you want to save so dollars.

groveraxle Totally agree with Sunterra. I suspect just getting rid of the wood and the red tile will make the fireplace look amazing. I think I would leave off the mantle and leave an uninterrupted stone facade.

zindor I actually like the stone. (Is it real?) However, I'd remove those two odd shelves above the mantel. Then, you could paint the brown wood with a more neutral color that works better with the stone. If it's not too expensive, you could change out the tile on the hearth, as the color seems to be fighting with the stone. How much room is to the left of the window? A built-in bookshelf could balance the heaviness of the fireplace side of the room, but could cost more than you want to spend. I wish you luck with this, as I just completed my own fireplace remodel in 2012. There was a nine foot wall of ugly brick from floor to ceiling. The fireplace opening was off set and a brick hearth that extended two feet into the floor for the full 9 foot width. Your current fireplace is much prettier than my old one! My new one is gorgeous, though, so I wish you as much success.

onthefence I think once the wood floors are in that will make a world of difference as well.

Kevin Wild - IBB Designer I think taking all of the wood off would give this a very updated look. No mantle!
I think it's great you want to update the floors, that's also going to have a great look.

Nick Passavanti I agree that the stone is not the issue but the odd shelves and the red tile really take away from what a great focal point this fireplace could be.

pattydream Those shelves are really hideous but they are embedded in the rock so well that our entire family could hang from them. I'm not quite sure how to get them out without destroying some of the rock.

pattydream And the red tile is being replaced with a travertine-like tile that is much nicer with the rock.

caitiekay It think the stone is a little large in scale for the space. Can you put tile over? I've attached a photo from Solus Decor. You could do something like this with large tile. Also photoshop'd the image. I"m not suggesting these colors. It was just a quick tweak to visualize without the stone.

pattydream Thanks, catiekay. It does look much better photoshopped (so do I - ha ha!). I think tiling over it would be more expensive than drywalling over it.

Wendy Hummingbird Designs Hello, you mentioned putting TV above .... If it is a wood burning fireplace not a good idea

caitiekay Hi pattydream, drywalling over shouldn't be expensive at all, especially if you don't remove the post or mantle. You could do ityourself for the cost of a couple of sheets of sheetrock, screws and topping compound. Were you given a price to do it? Tile will be more expensive, but depending on the tile it shouldn't be too costly either. If you were given a price that's expensive, get another quote or two.

Lkristine Well, this is photoshopped too, but it's your room. And granted, it's amateur photoshopped, but gives an idea anyway. P.S.- I look great photoshopped as somebody else! LOL

Interiors International, Inc. You have some great ideas to work with in the above posts. They are particularly right when the say it really won't be that expensive.

njcook53 I love the sandstone, it is so beautiful! If you could remove the shelves with the bottom brackets, and paint or stain the other pieces of wood (horizontal & vertical) a light color to compliment (my sandstone has a lot of silver in it - might be a thought) it would lighten up the room. (I am using the picture above my post as an example).

Gail Elwyn Love the stone, take out all the wood shelves and post, if you can't paint them a light color. your new floors and replacing the red tile will look great!

Fiorano Tile Showrooms Keep the stone walls. Lose the wood shelves. New 12x24 Medium toned Porcelain Floor Tile- beige or deeper stone look, bring up up vertically on the red tile, then get Absolute Black Granite slabs horizontally on that ledge and overhang a 1/2" to create a ledge. (Fiorano Tile Showrooms)

pattydream Catiekay, the price I was given to drywall over it was about $2,000 but that included removing the shelves, the posts, and some of the stone to flatten the wall, then taking it all the way to the other wall so everything was even. By the time I add a mantle, surround, etc,, to get what I want, it was a $3000 wall.

pattydream Njcook, your pic wasn't posted.

zindor Are the little shelves embedded in the stone, too? Or just the big column and mantel? If you could get rid of the little shelves, I think you'd see a big change, even if you have to use a serious tool to cut them out of the stone. For the remaining wood of the larger pieces, perhaps you could match the stone from your fireplace and reface the brown wood with it. Then, you'd have a cool stone mantel, but it would be a sleeker look.

caitiekay Pattydream, I think that isn't a bad price for all of that work. You may want to start with just removing the shelves and painting walls, post and existing mantel. You may like the stone better. Then you could see if you want to spend the money to drywall over it or not. If you think you could live with the post and existing mantel, it would save you some money. You could paint them and the wall the same lighter, neutral color and they would tend to be less pronounced.
I do think the red tile needs to go. It really clashes with the stone. What are you thinking for that extended hearth?