Cannot help on insert but check out floor and dacor for stone. I use them a lot bc they have great prices. We redid ours for next to nothing using travertine. Of course, there are many more choices than that.

Oh dear. I really really like it. lol. Why don't you just paint the wall behind it?

oakleyok, we want to convert to an electric insert because we can't use it as wood burning. For one, I am allergic to smoke and for another we live in an urban area where burning wood is banned most of the winter anyway for air quality reasons. We can't run gas to the fireplace as we are on slab in a condo and gas is at the other end of our unit - would be extremely expensive and full of hassle. So electric is where we're headed.

The mesh curtains are rusted and stuck, and the tile is chipped and cracked - it may looks better in the photos than in person! I think this will look run down with a brand new insert in place.

Simply painting the wall is an option, but I am not sure what color would look better than what we have. I like blues, but that would definitely bring out the orange in the tile much more!

So the electric insert part of the makeover is a must, and I need some help choosing a look!

This post was edited by tinan on Mon, Nov 3, 14 at 12:48

No one has ideas? :(

Painting the wall, removing the raised hearth, and replacing the tile are quick and easy fixes. I would start there :)

I have no idea what type of tile or stone would look good - slate? Granite? I'd like a clean and classic look that blends with the home and won't look too trendy.

Everyone has mentioned painting the wall I guess the red is not popular - any visions of what would look better? Our floor is chestnut color and rug is off white.

Removing the raised hearth may be quick... but no flooring underneath so we'd need to tile or use stone there.

No sure you have room for something like this, but I love the look and if you painted your wall the same color as the rest of the room, it would really stand out. Even if you do not have the room for the entire mantle you could do something similar. You could use large color coordinated tiles for the threshold.

Here is a mock up of all stone. You could do this or use the stone with a mantel or a mantel and no stone above it. Just an image for inspiration on color and texture.

Cleft face black slate :)

aktillery that fireplace is pretty, thanks for the mockup! That would be a lot of stone, and perhaps a difficult install in the corner to get it flush up with the walls - I'm guessing that would be on the very expensive side, but thank you for the idea because I did ask for all options!

Errant, I really like that slate, it would look great with the accent wall color either same as the rest of the room or maybe a grey-blue. Would that be a flooring tile most likely? That's how I pictured doing the hearth - remove the raised thing (which I'm assuming is just plywood with tile over) and putting tile directly on the concrete slab, perhaps raised a little compared to the floating vinyl plank.

For the insert itself I have the option of "traditional" with fake logs, or "contemporary" which has a glass bed. The latter tends to look like a gas insert when well done. I think that might be a better look than the fake logs which look pretty realistic when on but less so when the fireplace is off.

The slate I used when I redid my fireplace was called Black Pearl, and I was able to find it locally in several sizes. I used 24x24" tiles, and some needed to be cut down (easy with a wet saw).

You can also order the pieces cut to size, from several places, but it ends up being more expensive. I'll link one below :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cut-to-Order FP Surrounds

Really like the slate --- a sleeker look and also less likely to collect dust in all those stone crevices. i think it would look great with a more modern glass bed.

I was thinking about a stone-faced look, something like this, but only part-way up to the mantle.

[Contemporary Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by St. John's Photographers Becki Peckham

Great ideas, everyone! I'm going to check the local tile and stone store for the cleft black slate, the pre-cut seems like a decent price too.

I think I like the glass bed (contemporary) better when the flames are off, it's not trying to look like something real so much it just looks like a gas insert... at least from the videos and pics I have seen. It's so hard to judge online without seeing in person!

We used stacked slate ledge rock and an antique beam for a mantle when we remodeled our fireplace.