Basement fireplace progress!

Hello all! Thankfully I am on the mend and feeling so much better -- thank you for the well wishes! We've had a little bit of progress on the basement fireplace and I'm excited to show you how it looks. My plan all along was to have a more modern look to the fireplace down here. We were thrilled to get that started a couple weeks ago when we had that area drywalled for the electric fireplace: 

You can see more about that change and the flooring (that I LOVE) here. Having that wall done already made a big difference!

I started thinking though...which is dangerous...and was wondering if I wanted such a modern look down here. We had always planned to add a wood mantel but I started thinking it would be nice to add a hearth too. The shape of that bay window is a perfect spot for it. 

The fireplace has sat open on that bench for years so when we put it back in front of the wall it kind of felt right -- like there should be a break right there. I searched online and found stone fireplaces with and without hearths and we decided we definitely wanted the more traditional look of a hearth. 

We had the mantel and hearth added and now my fun begins! I wanted the mantel to look like one large piece of wood so it is mitered together:  

I've started filling holes but that's it at this point. I'm considering distressing it just a bit -- just to make it not so perfect. What do you think? Distressing usually stresses me out.

This filler is supposed to be the bomb: 

I haven't found a stainable filler I love so I'll let you know how this turns out. 

I showed you the stone I found before but here's some better pics: 

We LOVE it! (I'll be installing trim around the fireplace before I tile so it won't go right up to the box.) I love the varying colors and that it has so much texture to it. All of the other (affordable) stacked stone I've found comes in rectangular pieces so it doesn't feel as natural to me when installed. 

I like that these interlock: 

It just feels very organic and think it will work great! And NO grouting -- whoohoo! 

I've only purchased a couple boxes so far -- this tile is cheaper than many I've found but will still be an investment! I'll order a larger quantity when the budget allows. 

Here's the name of this stuff at Lowe's if you are interested in checking it out: 

I plan to start at least the hearth this week! I got ready-made mortar which is the BOMB. I have mixed that before and will gladly pay more for ready-made stuff.

First I need to finish filling the holes and then stain the mantel and hearth top:

Oh my, I am SO EXCITED to see this come together! The changes on this small wall have completely changed the feel of the whole basement. We are giddy. 

I need to get this done before the holidays so we can set up the tree next to it. I can't wait to decorate that mantel with some rustic Christmas touches too: 

My one last thing to figure out -- I know eventually I want to add crown molding to the basement -- I'm trying to decide if I should just go ahead and install that first and butt the crown up against it or install it over the top. The tile is so thick I think I'd rather install it over the top but I'll have to do some experimenting. 

I like to share the progress of big projects because as many of you know, around here they don't happen overnight. Or over a month. ;) I share in between updates on Instagram so if you are on IG be sure to check that out! 

If any of you have used this tile or something similar and have any tips I'd love to hear them!