What should I do with ugly fireplace?

[FoxSticks]

We can't afford to replace it sadly. It's art deco style in a victorian house. Originally the tiles were cream but they've been painted an ugly colour grey, complete with drip marks all over it. Would you strip it back and repaint and if so what colour? Or would you just live with it until you could afford to replace it? I like the cllour on the left to decorate the room but it doesn't really go with the grey.

I wonder what's underneath. I think the first thing I'd do is strip the paint and see what the tiles are like. If they're horrible repaint it in a colour you like. The current colour actually looks OK in the photo. Black or off white are probably the simplest choices.

Thanks Burnished, they are cream underneath but we think they have been damaged by soot etc from the fire which was why they were painted in the first place. It does look better in the picture, in real life it's darker and with lots of drips! Maybe we could just paint it a lighter grey? It's such a shame the original fireplace was taken out. The originals are all still in the bedrooms.

Would any of the bedroom ones suite the living room? Maybe you could have one moved.

Personally, I would turn it into more of a feature. I'd paint it white, and maybe make a fake stack of logs in it, probably paint them white too. If I could fine a shelf that matched the wood round the hearth, I'd fit that in close over the top and put picture frames / bowl / vase on top.

Bit like the picture.

How about having a fake MDF frontage made for it which would fit around the existing fireplace? You can buy the MDF at B&Q and have it cut to size then just get someone to build it for you. Certainly wouldn't cost a bomb and you could decorate it at will.

You could tile over it? Have you seen tile sheets that go on top of existing tiles?