Stone Fireplaces

What is a stone fireplace surround?

A stone fireplace surround is the carved frame around a firebox opening: two legs or jambs on the sides and a header or shelf across the top. A hand-carved surround is cut from natural stone, either as a single carved frame or in a few fitted pieces, and it turns the fireplace into the main architectural feature of a living room, dining room or bedroom.

Marble mantels and surrounds

Marble mantels come in Calacatta Viola, Carrara White, Toros black marble, Emperador Light, Cappuccino Beige, Crema Marfil and Afyon White. Calacatta Viola, a white marble with bold veining, has the widest choice of designs: hand-carved mantels including one about 61 inches across, fluted mantels from about 70 inches wide down to a compact 36x40, and a modern 69x50 mantel. Carrara White comes as a fluted mantel and as a hand-carved surround with fluted columns. A Toros black marble mantel brings white veining on a deep black ground in a large hand-carved piece, and Emperador Light brings a brown marble surround with darker veins.

Warmer marbles include Cappuccino Beige in an art deco mantel and Crema Marfil in a French villa surround with sculptured motifs, while Afyon White, a white marble with soft gray veining, comes as a linear art deco mantel 60 inches wide.

Travertine and onyx surrounds

Light travertine brings a softer, warmer look to a fireplace, as a traditional hand-carved surround with a polished finish and as a modern five-piece modular surround that arrives pre-assembled. Honey Onyx stands apart for its translucency: a translucent, honey-colored onyx carved into a French villa surround at 57x52, which glows where light passes through thinner sections of the stone.

French, art deco, fluted and modern styles

French villa, art deco, fluted and modern stone mantels each suit a different interior. A French villa surround, with carved motifs and a shaped header, fits a traditional or European-inspired room. Art deco mantels use stepped, geometric lines that suit both a 1920s-inspired room and a modern open plan. Fluted mantels repeat vertical grooves across the legs, and a modern mantel keeps to clean, flat planes that let the veining carry the design.

A carved surround in the room

A carved stone surround works as the anchor of a room, so the rest of the space usually stays quieter around it. In a living room with a neutral palette, a Calacatta Viola or black marble mantel can define the color of the whole room. In a primary bedroom, a smaller piece such as the compact fluted Calacatta Viola mantel keeps the scale in proportion to the space. In a dining room, a French villa or art deco design brings a formal note that suits a long table and a chandelier. The wall around the surround is often finished in plaster, paint or a calm stone tile so the carving stays the focus.

Choosing the stone

The choice of marble, travertine or onyx sets the tone of a fireplace. White marbles such as Carrara and Afyon White keep a living room bright, Calacatta Viola adds color through its veining, and black marble gives a strong contrast against a light wall. Travertine and Crema Marfil bring warm beige tones that pair with wood floors and natural fabrics. Many of the marble mantels are polished, a finish that deepens color and catches firelight. Stone wall tile to surround the fireplace is in marble tile, and other stone furniture is in stone tables and consoles.