Ornate plaster fireplace -nice or naff?

[Alkemi]

So I'm about to refurb a bungalow that has 'features' in the living room such as ornate ceiling roses, architrave and an ornate plaster fireplace (image attached) that I guess was an attempt back in the seventies to give it some character. To my taste it is all pretentious/inauthentic/ naff and I want to remove it all and especially replace the gas fire with a wood burner and the fire place with a slate hearth and simple oak lintel. Thing is - is that just as pretentious? I am not sure how much longer I want to live at the property but I do know that what I have in mind will cost thousands to install. So- help please - would this kind of feature put you off buying the house (bearing in mind that I would have tidied up and de-cluttered before you came to view.. honestly..) ?

My first thought was 'naff'; however if it is 'in keeping' with the room's dimensions it may be OK, eg High ceilings, picture rails etc. If it's with a low ceiling (ie usual ceiling height from about 1960s onwards) i would say naff and change to something which fits the overall size of the room. If you're thinking of moving soon (less than 2 yrs) - don't change it - you wont get your investment back and you'll have all the hassle of the change over.

No not in keeping, very out of keeping, normal room height and plastic mock tile effect hearth. I may sell inside two years though and am very confused about what to replace to make the property saleable/ desirable.

Naff.

We had something similar in our last house and it made selling harder. Came up again and again in feedback from viewers.

Good to know that I am not just being over sensitive/fussy. Mrsjd did you also get feedback on other faux details like the architrave and ceiling rose,wall lights (if you had them) ? I want to get shot of the lot to make nice smooth wall space for hanging artwork, but this might be getting out of hand. Might be easier to pull the place down and start again... Shame I don't own the place outright.

Sorry not architrave...dado rail... Not fluent in architecture speak

We didn't have the other stuff, just a hideous fireplace.

Unfortunately we couldn't replace ours with a wood burner as it wasn't on an external wall and there was no chimney. Would have done if we could as it seemed to be what everyone wanted.

Oh ..interesting .. So it was just a decorative frame for a gas fire? I suppose at least this does have a chimney (which I am hoping is functional) and it is the size of a standard modern fireplace.. only to me, it's just very odd

It was just decorative.

It wouldn't necessarily put me off if I loved the house but I'd have to factor in the cost of ripping it out soon after moving in.

The fact that its a bungalow might mean that I'm not your target market. An elderly couple might prefer what's there at the moment. There might me too much work involved in using a wood burner. Perhaps ask a local agent about who the size and location of your property is likely to appeal to.

Thanks everyone for all your comments. It is a large 3 bed on a steep plot with a garage under. The garden is a third of an acre tree filled jungle, so I guess the target market is not elderly couples ( because of access) but more families who need a decent outside play space for older kids.