Built in fire – your design inspiration please!

[chelseamorning]

We're just in the process of having a multi-fuel fire installed. We're aiming to have a 'hole-in-the-wall' design rather than having it hearth-mounted ? sort of like this.

DP is concerned that it'll look like a built-in cooker! We don't want a traditional hearth, surround and mantel. He's suggested a modern raised hearth or perhaps a shelf above but I'm not sure. Don't want it to look completely naff.

So, if you have something similar, I'd be very interested in your design.

We have a stove very similar to that - no shelf just mounted in a cream chimney breast. Rest of the room (it's a hallway) is quite empty (well its meant to be, normally full of kids junk) & no one has commented it looks like an oven.

You have to have a "hearth" of sorts to act as a barrier between the fire and the rest of the room as a protective measure against falling embers etc. The floor tiles in your linked picture provide that. I assume you arent carpeting right up to it?

I think if you accessorize the area with fire type material, like logs etc, then it is obviously a fire and not an oven!

I have to say I am rather unconvinced by this style - it is rather 'of it's time' and I would worry that it was a rather expensive fashion statement that would date.

Also, I find that our stove works well because the whole thing heats up and radiates heat into the room. In fact, we are in the process of re-fitting ours slightly 'out' onto the hearth rather than in the recess so as to minimise the heat lost up the chimney (along with chimney insulation). By boxing it in, surely you lose the benefit of the heat generated around the other sides?

We don't have any kind of mantel or surround around our 'traditional' stove and I suppose it fits with us living in a Victorian property but also looks really simple which I like.

Our chimney breast was adorned with a lovely electric heated and formica surround, we ripped this out, opened up the old fireplace and inserted a plain slade hearth. Chimney breast was replastered and modern plaster edges mean the opening looks clean/sharp. I know it's not quite what you're after but just a thought!

Thanks so much for all the replies.

We don't have a chimney breast, just a flat wall. Tbh, we're not totally convinced with the concept either. So much so that we went into the shop recently and have now ordered a hearth and mantel etc to surround a hearth-mounted stove. We don't have the room for a non-recessed version unfortunately.