Cultured Stone Fireplace Designs

River Rock

• River rock stone is generally large and bulbous, with no hard edges. River rock Cultured Stone fireplaces come in a range of colors, from red to gold to gray. These stones come in a variety of sizes, making the arrangement undefinable. There are no straight rows of rocks; the rocks are placed seemingly haphazardly so they form the shape of the fireplace. This type of design fits best in rustic settings -- the type of room where you might put a fish over the mantel above some old leather-bound books.

Limestone

• Limestone veneer is an orderly, carved stone that comes in only a few shades of gray and yellow. This type of veneer is shaped into blocks that can easily stack on one another. There is enough variance in size that the stones won't form rows but will still maintain a rows-and-columns appearance. Because of its tidy appearance and limited color choices, this type of veneer is best placed in a formal visiting room or living room.

Old Country Fieldstone

• This veneer, sometimes called Country Rubble, appears to be a hodgepodge of collected stones. This look has a "dug it out of the backyard" quality that is both informal and charming. These stones, like the river rock, are arranged in a disorderly fashion that seems to have little rhyme or reason. This veneer comes in a variety of colors from reds to grays to shades of brown.

Southern Ledgestone

• Southern Ledgestone veneer features stones that are not quite rectangular but still sculpted to form a more-or-less rectangular-type shape. This has a much less cluttered and random appearance than Old Country Fieldstone, but is more disorderly than the rigid and formal limestone. This rockface comes in shades of gray only, making it a better fit for rooms decorated in cool colors like blue, gray and green.