Overview
This Glenview home featured a typical builder-grade fireplace with basic white wood surrounds, flat drywall, and minimalist black granite tile that failed to create visual interest in the living space. The homeowners wanted to transform this underwhelming element into a dramatic focal point that would add character and warmth to their home while showing their appreciation for natural materials.
The Challenge
The existing fireplace lacked architectural presence and texture, with its plain white surround and flat surfaces providing no visual interest or dimension. The builder's cost-cutting approach had left the homeowners with a functional but uninspiring centerpiece that made no design statement in their otherwise lovely home.
The Process
Our stone experts at HX Home Solutions transformed this basic builder-grade fireplace into a stunning architectural feature:
- Stone Veneer Application: Installed North Star Wisconsin Prairie Style stone in a dry-stack technique from floor to ceiling, creating dramatic vertical presence with a combination of fieldstone and ledgestone.
- Custom Mantel: Replaced the thin white shelf with our Liberty Lodge mantel in rich Alder wood.
- Hearth Enhancement: Upgraded the minimal black granite with custom coordinating hearthstones.
The Outcome
In this renovation, we transformed a forgettable builder-grade element into a stunning architectural feature that now serves as the true centerpiece of the room. The floor-to-ceiling natural stone creates vertical drama, while the rich wood mantel and coordinating hearth establish a cohesive design that elevates the home's interior character and warmth.
