What to do with this fireplace area?

[QuiteAtALoss]

I had an old gas fire removed in the dining room, and this is what's left.

Not sure what to do with it - block it up? Make it a feature? I need ideas! What would you do?

I guess it depends on your budget. If the chimney is no longer required then you could remove it, which would give you more space... but you need to sort out the roof and the room above and repair/replace flooring.

Oh I wouldn't want to go that far. Just - should I open it up a bit more, or block it off? 🤔

I think rooms need a focal point so would always want a fireplace of some sort.

Open it up a bit more and put in a Victorian fireplace with a damper plate - so it's still closed off but it'll look pretty. That is if you have the space and it suits the rest of the house.

Also you could have a white rather than a black fireplace depending on the room if you don't want it to be 'too much'?

Personally, I would block it up (less shit to dust!). If you want a feature think about how you will use the room and the space any option would take up. You could paint or wallpaper; that wall would be perfect for a large, low-ish hung picture.

if your table & chairs are as close as that, I'd block it up & make it a plain wall. there is not enough space for a proper fireplace feature.

If the room is going to be a living room with a sofa etc, then you can make a feature of it somehow. I've even seen versions where you hang the TV on the wall exactly where the fire goes and have it play a 'fireplace' video on repeat when you want a warm glow. :-)

You might want to put some kind of vent in it, to ventilate the room and the flue- ask a builder.

What age is the house? If it’s old then it’s quite likely there’s a bigger fireplace behind it. If you strip it back you could install a vintage surround as a PP has suggested, and restore it to how it would originally have looked.

Depends onthe rest of the room really. Do you need that wall? I decided against fireplace in my dining room as the positioning of doors and windows in there means we can only have furniture in certain places. So a fire place would just mean we were even more limited and it would be hidden most of the time.

Plus it’s a really messy dusty job ! And you would have a fuck off great draught.

As it's behind the dining chair and table, install plywood over and paint it the same colour as wall. Good point above about ventilation.

By "feature" do you mean something like clearing the hole and sticking fake battery operated candles in there or something? If so I wouldn't bother- the table is completely in the way so you won't get the benefit of it and, as someone else says, it's just more to dust. There just isn't the space to reinstate a fireplace either.

Personally I would save my pennies, block it up with some painted plywood (with holes drilled in for ventilation) and save to get the whole chimney breast taken out in the next few years.

If you're going to continue to use the table and chairs there, I'd just get it panelled over and skimmed with plaster. There really isn't room for anything that projects out further. As per regulations, you'll need to put a vent in the opening, you can't just block it.

Agree with PP that some artwork would look great on there. I would look at putting shelves in that alcove too, with maybe a double door cupboard at the bottom. Storage space is premium!

Fireplace surround! Chimney breasts with the fireplace removed and blocked off just look sad. You can get “bedroom”-sized ones that take up less space if the table and chairs can’t be shuffled over any further.

The space looks tight so I'd just plaster it up. Put some nice art on the wall - that will be feature enough.

It reminded me of this.

somersetfireplacerestoration.co.uk/fireplace-restoration/somerset/

All interesting ideas, thanks!

If it is warm enough in there I think I would block it off as there isn’t much room. Otherwise I would tidy up the fireplace and put an Everhot small stove in it. They are electric , come in a range of colours and you can cook in them. The top needs ventilation. Have a look at the Everhot discussion page( Facebook) and lots of people have posted photos.