i'm the boyfriend....i'd also love suggestions about the space to the right of the fireplace - currently ineffective shelving - what are ideas that would make this space more useful?

Anyone? Hello? :)

I actually like the fireplace as it is with the exception of the tile. I really like the exposed flue. The space to the right looks like a decent place for a TV, but if that's not the plan, then you could use floating shelves on the wall, or art that takes up about 2/3 the width from the flue to the corner.

Browse asymmetrical fireplaces on houzz for ideas: https://www.houzz.com/photos/asymmetrical-fireplace-phbr0lbl-bl~l_8755

Here's one:

Black built in / buffet to the right of the fireplace. Slate for hearth, soapstone for top of buffet and fireplace. Then can use stacked stone to face the fireplace. The only thing I'm not sure on is what to do with the left side of the fireplace with the vase on it. Maybe cut out and use for wood storage? Want the width of the fireplace facing to be symmetric.

HI -- Looks like a great place . I think you should go for a total change rather than trying to do a patch fix up ,that your probably not going to like anyway . I say strip it all down so there is just the firebox left. Hearth is gone too -- it's really too big anyway . If you cannot patch the hardwood flooring then a large format granite slab or tile could be installed . Are you up for taking all that built in tile base out ? If so then the firebox can be centered and then rebuild the surrounding area so you have a full flat wall and then cover with a stacked stone floor to ceiling and wall to wall. This will be more modern and current . Then you could just keep the accent art piece to one big item ,... it could be a painting or a metal sculpture . I think I would even just keep it bare and just let the stone be the star . This will give the room the drama it needs .

Is the fireplace strictly gas or does it burn wood as well? If wood, then the shelf area is nice for kindling and logs. Depending on your budget, I would recommend you clad over the existing brick with a more contemporary tile. You could tile the entire wall to the ceiling. Depending on your furnishing, you might consider painting the stove pipe, in a heat resistant paint, a color that compliments the wall rather than contrasts with it. As with previous posters, the asymmetrical layouts have merit. Determine what your storage and display needs are.

Thank you everyone for posting. It is very helpful to have the feedback! We have a lot of projects to tackle on this place but we are trying not to spend too much as he doesn't think he will be there for more than five years.

@groveraxle, thank you, we will likely have to keep the assymmetry, so I appreciate that idea link as well as the picture. I will check out the ones in the link for ideas on how to work with the lack of symmetry.

@dclostboy, I agree that the fireplace facing should be symmetric. We are definitely leaning towards stacked stone. I very much like the idea of a slate hearth.

@lefty47, i agree that the hearth seems too big, especially for the size of the room. I think we are going to be able to reduce the hearth because we have found the same flooring to match the rest of the floors. We do want to take out the built up tile base. I like the idea of stacked stone floor to ceiling, but since the ceiling is 20 feet in there, I don't think that the boyfriend will go for that. We will likely build it up somewhat and take it up the wall a tad but then the pipe will show. I discussed centering the firebox, but with the chimney having to be moved too, it will be too great of an expense. He is likely only going to be in this place for five years or so and doesn't want to overspend.

@elpelicano, last night, we discussed not having the built up hearth run the whole length of the wall, and my exact comment was that if we did that, then it would be a great place to have a reading nook with a nice comfy chair! :)

@A Kitchen That Works LLC, the fireplace is wood burning only. I have a very cool container to hold logs, but we did discuss keeping one of the side openings for stacked wood. We live in sunny Florida though, so the fireplace won't get as much use as we would like. I do like the idea of going all the way to the ceiling, but I think the boyfriend might not want to go all the way up.

At this point, I think we are thinking of keeping the firebox where it is, using stacked stone and making sure it is even on both sides and going up a few more feet, adding a mantle of sorts and then leaving the pipe exposed. I'm going to suggest maybe wrapping the pipe in brushed stainless sheeting or something to give it an industrial feel. The black pipe feels too heavy in there to me? We may do a built-in cabinet on one side of the fireplace, or if we reduce the hearth to just a foot or so on either side of he fireplace, then we might be able to do a freestanding piece of furniture in the nook that is created instead?

I'd think of the black as an accent....just stands out too much now by not blending with wall and tile colors.

Make are you leave enough hearth depth to catch flying embers. Also the hearth can dbl as a "seat" when entertaining a crowd.

We will definitely leave a good bit of hearth, we just don't think it needs to be quite as large and wide as it is. :) Thanks!

A few renderings:

LOVE that outdoor fireplace. Going to have to dream of that one for the NEXT house in five years. :)

Thanks for the article on the flue, too!

Personally I don't think the fireplace is that bad....try changing the wall color to a dark gray blue---you may find you like it when the right color is behind it.

I like kcar's color choice above:

Too funny! We just looked at that same type of blue color yesterday! Perfect!

I like to decorate in steps....sometimes this can save money by doing so. Things that were on a throw pile sometimes get reused or a picture in my head ends up happening with half the stuff I originally thought I needed. Trying to look at it all & make decisions can be overwhelming, pick a starting point & build from there. With this space I'd start with the wall behind the fireplace---you may end up liking tile better, if not move on to stacked limestone you like. Then I believe I would find a nice light color paint (tone pulled from fireplace choice) to do all the other walls with. (cream if you stay with tile, dove gray if you go with limestone).

kcar66....I think he is going with the stacked stone. It is called Veneerstone and the color he likes is called Calima. It is lighter cream, with some cooler grays in it and just a tad of warmth which should go with the oak floors, I think. He is definitely leaning towards a blue color like you displayed above. We are trying to steer cleer of any stone with pink or red in it and go with cooler tones in the stone. I will try to post a picture below of the one I think he may go with...

groveraxle, thanks for the most recent mock-up. that's very much the direction we are leaning. He plans to use the stacked stone and maybe make the fireplace a tad wider on each side and a bit higher on top, but leaving most of the pipe exposed. He wants to get rid of the shelving on either side and shorten the hearth so that it is only a foot or so wider than the firebox. The wood floors will be carried all the way back to the wall to the right of the fireplace to create a reading nook, which will be accomplished by reducing the width of the hearth. The partial wall to the left of the fireplace in the pic (the one with the rectangular cut-out in it) will also be coming down so there will be a bit more flow from the dining room to the living room. We think we will then carry the blue on the fireplace wall into the dining room on that rear wall as well. What do you think?

ok i have to chime in, please get rid of that notch to the left of the firepace and bring the top level all the way over on that side. otherwise i like lots of the suggestions for materials and colors.

dbellisario...that notch will not be there when the fireplace is redone. The face of the fireplace will be symmetrical on both sides with the new stone. I agree that the notch has to go! :)

Yes, groveraxle, but I think he plans to just have the stone as a two foot or so surround on each side, so it would not continue along the wall where you have the chair. (I LOVE your mock-ups by the way! Very helpful! Do you use photoshop elements? I might need to purchase that program to help me visualize...or I can just have you do it FOR me!? LOL! :)

As you are looking at the pic, to the left of the fireplace, that partial wall will likely come all the way out, so you will be able to enjoy the fireplace from the dining room, albeit just from the side. :)

groveraxle, I really do like the stone all the way across, though. Hmmm...maybe I can talk him into it. :)

Yes, charliebeth, it's Photoshop Elements. It's a nifty little program that doesn't have as steep a learning curve as Photoshop. Not as steep a price, either.

One thing to think about: taking out that wall will cause floor issues, as will taking out the hearth. Make sure you can match the wood before you commit.

He plans to knock out a few walls to open it up a bit and we were discussing the issue with matching the floors. Fortunately, we found a box of the flooring in the attic and it is still readily available online and in stores. It is an engineered wood flooring and we will just have to be careful to ensure the wood color is the same. Am I being overly optimistic (or naive) that if we get the same brand, type and color, that they will match?

The Stackstone is a good idea. Why not have it cover the chimney and add a mantel that does the whole wall .

I like the idea of covering the pipe, but I think he wants to leave it exposed. I agree a mantel of some sort is needed. Maybe a nice hunky piece of barnwood?

The barnwood piece would be beautiful ! Just keep in mind your the color of your wood floors .

For inspiration images, take a look at our "Fireplace" board on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/bryghtcom/fireplaces/

bryght.com....thanks for the link. Those fireplaces are amazing!

close grover. I was thinking the top would still drop down on the right side a bit. I like the asymmetry of that.

so i think the decision is....that we will use the stacked stone charliebeth indicated, and as shown in groveraxle's rendering, use the gray-blue paint for the wall, eliminate the tiled right side of the mantle/hearth altogether and extend the hw floor to that space, take out the partial wall on the left and also eliminate the odd little tiled section on the left. the fp will then be symmetric with respect to the chimney (but not with respect to the wall), the colors will much more effectively complement each other (including that of the stone/floor), the ridiculous tile will ALL be gone, the area will be much cleaner and more spacious, and i can concentrate (with charliebeth's guidance!) on the other work that needs to be done, which is likely another entry!

More like this?

Yes, groveraxle! You are amazing!!!!!!!!

THAT'S IT!!!!!!

...

Stacked stone transforms small areas easily. I recently did the same (see pictures). A clever and very modern idea is to use the area to the right to "stack" firewood. Cannot tell if this unit is has or wood fired.

groveraxle and others...these two pics are the latest of the fireplace renovation. One is before the stone was installed so you can see the scale of the room...and the other was taken yesterday as the stone installers were just finishing up. We decided to go up a tad with the stone to cover more of the pipe. We love the blue wall color and the Australian Cypress floors are going in this week as well. Thanks for all of the advice. I will post more pics as we finish. Looking for a piece of black granite for the hearth, which will likely be inset into the wooden floors as we need more floor space there.

Also, we did remove that partial wall to the left of the fireplace and have added in some support trusses which will be left exposed, but wrapped in cypress. Loving the way it is coming along, albeit slowly. :) We gave up on trying to match the existing hardwood and pulled it up and instead opted for engineered Australian Cypress on the floors. We are going to try to reuse the old wood floors we pulled up by installing them upstairs after we rip out the carpeting up there. That's a project for down the road, but we are very hopeful that we can save some money by reusing some of our materials.