We have a working wood fireplace which is surrounded by handpainted ceramic tiles with birds on them (came with the house). They are sweet, but not particularly my taste, and do not go with the room at all. The other thing that bugs me is the shiny brass doors. Everything else in the room is kind of Ralph-Lauren like, with lots of earth tones and wood. I want to make the fireplace more rustic and earthy, but without a huge hassle or expense. My designer recommended removing the brass doors, using a fireplace screen instead, and covering the tiles with granite (which I think is too shiny) or other ceramic tile, and leaving the mantle alone. My DH is afraid of drafts unless we have tight fitting fireplace doors. I don't know if that is a valid concern or not. I also want to get your opinion about what type of tile to use, (or if you think the birdies are just too precious to cover up). Any ideas would be welcome.

Shown below are some tile suggestions from my designer, just to show a few examples which I don't love, and the bottom pic shows a lovely Honey Onyx tile on the left (I would use just large tiles, not the mosaic), and a random tumbled stone pattern on the right. I love the idea of a stone fireplace/hearth, but do you think it will look funny with the white mantle? (I'm not opposed to painting it, but do not want to rip it out.) And then there is the question of what to put on the floor in front of the fireplace. More small tiles, or a large slab of something?