Ok, so here is my fireplace - I hate it! I need suggestions b/c my husband (who will be doing the work) wants to keep the old stone but give it a fresh look. We both do not like the color of the stone (it has a pink tone to it), but we are unsure what painting it will look like. I am not a huge fan of the painted fireplace look, but the color is just not our taste. The room will be a nice cheery yellow (soft and bright).

Our original idea was to tile over the stone, but that idea may not work since the stone is quite dimensional. We are going to beef up the mantel and paint it white. We would like to put white beams going down the mantel but are unsure how to bolt them in securely (we don't want to extend them to the wall b/c the fireplace is quite large as is, and it would be a bonus to cover some of the unloved stone). We are also ordering a piece of granite for the hearth, and thinking something dark would look good, but again - suggestions on this color would help. We are putting in new black doors as well.

What should we do? Is there a way to make this fireplace a show stopper while keeping the originality of the stone work? Or should we tear the whole thing out and build a basic new one w/ tile, mantel, etc.? Help!