I thought the fireplace deserved it’s own post, aside from the living room reveal. There was SO much that went into designing and building it, and I didn’t want to leave out any details. Click through for a look into the process, and to hear about my trip down to Georgia to select that stunning North American marble!
This post is going to back up and take a little trip down memory lane. Last September (yes, almost a year ago!!), I was invited to tour the Polycor Georgia Marble quarry (shown above). As I started planning the living room and the fireplace, I knew I wanted marble but not your typical European carrara. Don’t get me wrong… I love the way it looks, so smooth, soft, and subtle- but it’s everywhere. I wanted a slab that would stand out/ make a statement, show beautiful veining, and most importantly- I wanted to source materials in the space locally. Made (or quarried) right here in America.
It was a pretty amazing experience to venture into the quarry and look at the marble that comes out of it firsthand. The wheels in my brain were turning and I started saving fireplace ideas right away- literally at the quarry. Hence the image of me looking distracted on my cell phone behind Brad Hannon (of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle Magazine) below.
I also ventured into the slab yard to take a peek at the color variation. I knew I wanted a medium to dark toned marble. I learned SO much about marble and natural North American stone during my time at the quarry.
I’m not kidding when I say the stone that comes out of this quarry is insanely beautiful. As we’re planning our kitchen, I also picked a Polycor product, but it’s not marble. Can you guess what type of stone I might use?
I landed on this beautiful slab in Solar Grey for the fireplace, and once it arrived in Utah, I was eager to get it installed.
After Emmett had finished framing out the fireplace, we began searching for a fabricator. It didn’t take me long to find to Shahn’s Instagram, and I immediately knew Ellis Stone was the right company for the job. He produces amazing spaces with stone, and is one of the coolest contractors I’ve ever met. If you’re local and in need of something like this, I would highly recommend.
First Shahn created a template for my marble. It took him all of 20 minutes. He’s super fast.
Prior to installing the hearth, Shahn made the final cuts and adjustments in my yard and bought it in for install.
Seeing the hearth installation probably got me the most excited. It was really crazy to watch something come full circle- to see the stone I picked out of the quarry in Georgia installed in my home.
Next, Shahn and his crew repeated the process and installed the surround. That’s what really sealed the deal for me. Seeing the entire slab set in it’s permanent place. My rendering went from just a vision on my computer screen to reality.
Shahn even added some amazing elements that weren’t even in my original rendering. I love the way he wrapped the marble around the edge of the built-ins. It’s these little details that totally tailor and transformed the space.
I made the dogs model for scale, so you could get a sense for the size of the fireplace and thickness of the marble (3cm).
Things always have to get worse before they get better when it comes to renovating… it’s all part of the process, and 100% worth the wait. I wanted you guys to be able to see the planning and hard work that goes into a project of this nature. This time around, I’m super thankful I got to witness the process from start to finish- starting with the material selection straight from the quarry.
In terms of caring for marble, my friend Erin just installed beautiful marble countertops, and shared a great guide on caring for them.
Questions about the marble or fabrication process? I’m happy to help! You know I always like hearing your feedback. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the custom fireplace project below!
*Special thanks to Polycor and Ellis Stone for their help with this project! All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow us to create unique content while featuring products we truly use and enjoy!
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Steph M.
August 31, 2017 at 4:10 pmI’m sitting here staring at my fireplace wanting to now put this stone on ours…ha! My husband says no though since it’s wood burning…boo! Question about the logs…where did you get those? I need some nice decorative ones!
Sarah
August 31, 2017 at 4:15 pmOur fireplace is also wood burning and functional! The logs are real (aspen wood).. they’re from right here in Utah! xox
Amy Lynn
August 31, 2017 at 5:54 pmThat’s so great! What an awesome experience to get to pick it out of the quarry yourself! I’m not the biggest fan of marble, but you’re fireplace is beautiful. Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes of this one, it’s very cool :)
Sarah
August 31, 2017 at 5:55 pmThank you so much!! It was definitely one of the coolest design experiences. For the kitchen, I think we’re going to use a black stone… so that should be interesting. xox
Alima
September 1, 2017 at 1:53 pmReally cool! Going to stone yards is one of my favorite things! We also have a lot of marble quarries in my area (Alabama) and I find the whole process of fabricating really interesting too. I’d like to learn even more so reading your process was really neat!
Sarah
September 1, 2017 at 3:51 pmIt really is fun! One of my favorite things about kitchen design… I’m looking forward to choosing a countertop for our reno. xox
Paulette Sanders
October 10, 2018 at 12:54 pmWhat color is the green you used around your fireplace?
Sarah
October 11, 2018 at 8:01 amOlive Grove by Sherwin-Williams
Brittany Marsh
July 4, 2020 at 9:13 amWhat is the color you used for your fireplace!! I’ve been searching and searching for the perfect green for my bedroom and I love the color you used! it looks amazing! please let me know :)
Sarah
July 6, 2020 at 6:32 pmThank you, Brittany! It is Olive Grove by Sherwin-Williams :)