Get (faux) stoned

The showhome of our new house, features gorgeous fireplace surround.

Covered in stone detailing, from floor to ceiling, it is really a show piece of the living room. ( Although, I hate the chintzy, dinky little mantel they have.....) Unfortunately, to save some costs, and give us a bit more flexibility in decorating the space, we opted to go without.

(p.s. we had our fireplace moved to a different wall without windows)

We did talk about the option of doing the faux-stone panels, down the line, when we can afford it.... if we still want it.

While I think it's beautiful, I wonder if it's just a "trendy" option and if it will still be in style in a couple years. Mind you, it can look really classic, such as in this Home Depot ad.

Since I have nothing better to do with my time, I decided to look into some of our options.

(Sand Drystack Panel)

The lightest one I liked, this one would still give some textural interest, but not be too "in-your-face".

(Quarry Gray Drystack Panel)

This mid-range color is my favorite of the three. It provides a good range of color variations, and still keeps a lot of our accent colors.

(Riviera Stacked Stone Panel )

I also kind of like this darker version, and would really have to see a sample of it in the space, to determine whether or not, the stone would suck the light out of the space.

My one concern is how we would dress the "wall" above the mantel once the stone is applied. I think it would be too much if we added artwork atop the stone. Essentially, we'd just have to go with a mirror, or just some gorgeous accessories atop a huge, chunky, dramatic mantel.

However, price-wise, it definetly seems reasonable, at less than $10.00/sq. ft. I am looking forward to trying this out!!

(All stone samples from Faux Panels . com )