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I’ve run out of ideas here. We’re redoing the kitchen and dining (entire garden floor) in a sort of vintage style with white shaker style cabinets, open shelving, soapstone counters, subway tile backsplash, farmhouse sink. There is a bathroom in the back with white subway tile walls and black and white hex tile floor. The beams are lightly (about 1/2 “) exposed and the floor will be a rich terracotta colored porcelain tile. There is a chimney in the dining area (the entire floor is open floor plan) which is lined and I plan to install a cast iron wood burning stove in front of it.
I cannot decide how to finish that chimney. Right now it has cement board (Durock) on it with metal studs behind.
I went through thinking about brick veneer (the original chimney brick was in really bad shape and could not be exposed, but maybe I should have had ‘new’ brick laid, anyways too late now; also see www.brickit.com), white subway tile with cobalt blue accents and borders and some blue handpainted tile accents (sort of a Delft style chimney, see pic) but thought that might be too kitchen-ey for the dining area, terracotta colored tile, soapstone tiles, slate tiles, flat slate slabs, etc. and cannot come up with any decisions. I do not like granite, but could deal with marble, however the stove might discolor it. And modern is not really my aesthetic.
Anyone dealt with the same problem? Any pics?