Disgusting old fireplace needs ripping out but what do I put in its place?!

[pARGHssTheTwiglets]

Revolting old 70s fireplace has to go - it is beyond disgusting. But what on earth do we do with the hole in the wall that is left?! It's a warm room so we don't need heating in there, just something that looks nice. I suppose by far the cheapest option is just to block up the hole but fireplaces look lovely,even if we don't need one. I really love the look of woodburning stoves but they seem very expensive (what with the chimney-lining to be done) so maybe that's a waste of money when we don't need the heat.

Sorry Twigs, I've been out all day so missed your thread, I will PM or FB what I have done with ours but weirdly this morning I was visiting a client and they had their wood burner stove on and I thought about putting one in, it was sooo Christmassy. I have done loads of stoves and never considered it for myself before but am seriously considering it now because my heating bills need a second mortgage.

Conversation moved on a bit since my post (damn work getting in the way of Mumsnet again!) Mine was already done when I moved in, but it's basically a big square hole plastered and painted same colour as walls, although with a mantlepiece etc. there and tiles on the floor (I get baffled by all the technical terms for things to do with fireplaces!). TBH it's not what I would have chosen myself, but it looks okay!

Twiggy - Your last picture looks quite like the fireplace which we installed in Chateau Maud (although we don't have the lovely parquet floor). We have slate for both the bit inside the fireplace and the sticky-out bit - they are two separate pieces but the join doesn't show. To me, it looks odd to have two different materials, but chacun a son gout.

As you say, if you think you might ever want to burn something more than a candle, you will need the sticky-out bit. Another reason not to have sandstone is that you would have to spend forever cleaning off the sooty smudges - slate is more robust and more forgiving.

sticky out bit = hearth (I'm good at the technical terms me )

Yeah, but isn't the bit at the bottom of the chimney, inside the fireplace, also the hearth? Sticky out bit has the advantage of being unambiguous!

Indeed it is Maud but the bit in the chimney is called the back hearth.

::making notes here::

iarebaboon you can get limestone or slate to use for hearths from corfe stone. I'm about to hire an angle grinder to cut some for a hearth myself cos installing woodburner.
Hearth has to project 300mm in front of the fire/woodburner.

Parghs If you house is 1970's then it won't need the chimney lining (the most expenive bit) for a woodburner. Houses built after 1968 have to have constructed flues to comply with building regs. You can get cheapish stove (£350 ish) that work well...... but if you've decided gainst cos of the hassle you probably don't care. Just thought I'd point it out though for future ref.