Inspiration photo

Exterior brick

I agree with you. The tile is gorgeous (and I normally don't like tile fireplace surrounds), and the brick is more classic. I would do the brick, for the exact reason you stated. Use the tile somewhere else. Beautiful home.

Thank you so much, cas81611!

Also, forgot to mention that it will be a real wood burning fireplace.

Bricks, you can't go wrong with brick. You won't grow tired of it and very classic/traditional.

I agree with the others...brick.

Thank you so much, everyone!

Actually, I'd go with the marble tile, but not in a herringbone pattern. Although I love it, herringbone is pretty trendy right now. I'd try a more classic marble design. The look is lovely.

Something like this, maybe...thoughts?

Thanks, Lizzie! I also love the look of the herringbone, but it is very trendy and I'm afraid it will go out of style. I also love the look of the marble with the white trim.

Here is a link about what Maria Killam has to say about fireplace surrounds. She calls most brick/stone fireplace surrounds "bossy", meaning they have so much personality that it will always dictate the rest of the room's decorating.

How to choose the color for a fireplace surround.

Relate fireplace surround to kitchen.

Pretty house!

I agree with nanj and Maria Killam. A red brick fireplace is going to be the boss in the room. Red brick looks great outside, but can be challenging to match inside. I would want to go with the marble or something less bossy than red brick. I agree the herringbone could be a bit trendy for the classic long term look.

Thank you so much, nanj and ontariomom. I never would have thought of that idea of the brick being the "boss". I'm so glad I posted on here!

I want to keep the room light and airy. I love the colors gray and white. I have dark leather couches that I will be using in the room that I hope to be able to lighten up with accent pillows, etc. So I guess I would want the fireplace surround to be something light in color? Love all of the thoughts, please keep them coming!

Brick doesn't have to be red. There are some wonderful softer shades of brick that will work very well with gray and white.

Thank you, cpartist. Do you have any suggestions of certain brands or colors of brick? I know when we were choosing one for the exterior of our house it was very overwhelming. I couldn't believe there were so many choices.

Herringbone is a classic pattern so if you like it use it. If you're afraid of something going out of style try to make it blend in with other elements like similar shades of color. At some point you have to stop worrying about trendiness and do it.

Very true, Iowacommute!

I adore marble, and my surround is marble...but I wouldn't use it with a wood burning fireplace. Wayyyy too messy for white marble. I would use maybe a softer colored brick or slate. Here is mine...we had originally intended for the FP to be wood burning with a gas starter, but when I saw the marble I decided gas logs were the way to go! Our outside fireplace (wood burning) is white brick and it is impossible to keep pristine.

I do love that herringbone tile, though! Personally I would use it and do gas, but I've always been a form over function gal! ;) Here is my marble...my trim looks similar to your 1st inspiration pic. (This was taken right after we moved in...room was not complete! Looks very different now!)

Our's is a tray ceiling and we don't have it extended up to it, but I've attached a few pics of ours. We have dark floors and used Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams, which isn't far off from Aggreeable Gray. Sorry the lighting is bad. They look stretched out, click on the picture and they look normal.

I agree that anything that's trendy right now -- like herringbone and marble -- is going to look dated in time, and your fireplace isn't something that's easy to change. Go classic with your fireplace and bring in trends in your draperies and throw pillows.

I vote for either brick or stone for your fireplace. Remember you can paint brick white, which would make it "quieter" ... or you can go with a tan or brown brick instead of a more common red. I think the nicest picture on this thread is Kelli's picture of the neutral-colored stone and the arched fire box; that's not a look that's going to go out of style (think about how we all like Cotswold cottages). I'm planning something much like that stone for my new house.

I don't think red brick is always "bossy", though that is a great descriptor. I have red brick on my large fireplace (and red brick outside my house too) ... but then, I'm definitely a "red person" ... and in the room I have burgundy with a bit of green Waverly drapes, barely-khaki green carpet, and two brown leather sofas. Rather than fighting with anything else I chose, rather than making me choose certain things, my red brick plays right into my wheelhouse. I can see that if I had wanted a blue or purple living room, the red would've been a real negative.

My style is very similar to yours and we are going with a white stone fireplace, something like this:

natural stone fireplace with tv · More Info

I've some photos of historic homes that had the brick inside the fireplace box laid out in a fireplace box in herringbone. Most people don't get creative with the way brick is laid out on brick fireplace but people can get quite creative with how they would lay out brick on a brick fireplace. Just Google historic brick fireplace and you'll see some brick fireplaces that blow your mind regarding what people can do with brick.

I do really like the photo you posted but I would get some samples and experiment with what happens when you get soot and smoke on them if you plan to have an open wood burning fireplace. It would stink to spend a lot of money on such lovely tile only to find that it eventually gets permanently discolored.

Thank you so much, everyone! I'm leaning towards the brick...but not "red, red" brick because of function. Since its going to be used frequently I'm afraid of ruining the tile with ashes and soot. But is brick still in style? Why do I keep seeing people painting over their brick to cover it up? Thanks

I think it's because there are so many badly designed builder grade brick fireplaces done with cheap brick with chintzy mantles. A well designed brick fireplace with the right mantle can stand the test of time.

I think many people paint over their brick when the brick is in an obvious colour as opposed to a neutral colour. So many tans, are a bit pinky beige and that clashes with other beiges (Maria Killam writes a great deal about this topic on her blog if you are interested in the trouble with tans/pinky beige) . Brown is not light and airy as you requested (and brown trend is over anyway). I think a brick in a few shades of grey might be nice (not a uniform grey). That should hide the soot better than white tile. I agree with the poster above that marble is not a good combo with a wood burning fireplace. So, I have changed my mind on voting for marble (which is gorgeous for a gas fireplace). Brick does seem to go well with a wood burning fireplace.

Do you like the new grey trend in decorating. Grey brick should be available.

Carol

Thank you, tcufrog and Carol! Yes, Carol I love the white and gray colors. I'll have to look around for a grayish colored brick. Callie, beautiful fireplace...thank you for the picture! Do you remember the name of the stone that you used? I'm all over the place with what I would like, ha. I need to get my act together. At this point I'm thinking the marble tile is out because of function.

tcufrog, look at this fireplace

@kelli9579

I love it. It has classic lines but the herringbone adds interest and the slightly whitewashed look keeps it from looking dated. The built-in to the left makes it look more finished and upscale than what you'd see in a tract home.

Do you think I could do herringbone just around the fireplace door? Instead of going all the way up to the ceiling with it?

Trying to pinch pennies, lol.

But is brick still in style? Why do I keep seeing people painting over their brick to cover it up? Thanks

No, brick isn't a style or a trend -- it's a standard, a classic. Right now tile fireplaces are trendy, but trends pass. White everywhere is also a trend, and it's a trend that doesn't necessarily mesh well with red-red brick.

Thank you, Mrs. Pete That's what I think I should go with, "a classic".

This is a sample that we are doing for our fireplace. The photo makes the lighter grey look more purple than it is in real life (I see no purple in real life). It is actually stone. I also love the grey trend. I liked it 20 years ago, when everyone was doing brown and beige, so I know I will not tire of grey even when a different neutral comes back in style.

A simpler grey brick would also be wonderful. I believe in our area, grey brick tends to be a concrete brick as opposed to a clay brick.

Carol

Carol, I love that stone! Thanks for sharing! Do you know the brand and/or name of that stone? Thanks!

I think using brick in a herringbone pattern around your firebox would be lovely! You don't have a lot of room on each side of the firebox so get the very smallest size of brick you can find so enough of the pattern shows.

Love that idea! Thank you, nini804!

Not sure about the availability in your area as we are in Canada. The picture of the stone I posted above was a combination of two colours. It is made by Brampton Brick. The images below shows a close up with the name of the two colours (vivace charcoal being one, and vivace cortona being the lighter grey one). You can see in the close up that purple undertones are not present (not sure why the combo picture has them). I put in a few more photos I had of the stone (some showing the couch, chair and curtain fabrics). However, for your application, I still like the idea of grey brick too, You will have to see what kinds of grey brick you can get in your area.

Carol

Very pretty, Carol! Thank you so much for taking the time to share! I have a lot of great choices to pick from now, thank you everyone!

I'll be the voice of dissent here. After living many years in a house with a classic red brick fireplace, both the brick and the grout showed obvious staining from soot that could not be removed (trust me, I tried). For me the only finish building material I would now use around a fireplace is something easy to maintain, like polished granite tiles with minimal grout lines.

But kudzu9, granite around a fireplace is so not trendy! (said tongue in cheek)

And the reason I said it tongue in cheek is because as stated over and over, DO WHAT YOU LOVE! If you love brick in a herringbone pattern, do that. If you love granite tile, do that. If you want river washed stones, do that.

The only thing that you should not do is doing something because it's trendy.

Here's what I finally decided on. Still needs some trim pieces, but here's the idea.

That looks great, kelli! I gather that is tile you used for the surround? Is it marble or porcelain? What did you use for the hearth? Are you going to finish the box of the hearth in trim?

Carol

Thank you so much, Carol! I was down to the wire and had to make a decision fast. My builder wanted to get started on it and I had waited too long to order "special order" tile. I actually found one at lowes that I liked but was a little nervous about what the end result would look like. We used a piece of blue stone for the hearth. And yes, the box will be finished with trim as well as a couple of trim pieces added to the sides...to outline the tile. Here's the tile from Lowes.