stone surround

Stone is an incredibly popular finish for your fireplace surround.  While it may often evoke a "cabin feeling," there are many different types of stone which can complement the design of any home.  I've broken the types down into four different categories and highlighted some of my favorite fireplaces in each.

Stacked Whole-Stone:
This style is the traditional "rustic cabin" style, for it looks as if you collected stones from outside and simply stacked them around your fireplace.  The random nature of the stone pattern gives the fireplace a beautiful texture that helps to bring a little piece of the outdoors inside.

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Stacked Cut Stone:

This style is a combination of the previous style and the next style that will be mentioned.  Cutting the stones into larger rectangles maintains the overall feeling of the whole stone, but makes the stacking process look more structured and less organic.  

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Stacked Stone Strips:

Cutting the stone down into smaller linear strips gives the fireplace a much more contemporary feeling when compared to using whole stones.  These stones emphasize the horizontal, and many times are left unadorned without a mantle.   

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Polished Stone:

Instead of stacking rough cut stone around your fireplace, another approach commonly used is installing polished stone.  Whether installed in tiles or full sheets, the clean lines created by the glossy stone creates a luxurious and contemporary effect.  Popular stones to use for this type of application are marble or granite, but there are other stones that could be utilized. 

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I hope you have all found some inspiration for your own fireplace, and I will see you all back tomorrow!