Would you get rid of this fireplace or keep it?

[Kmj2018]

So we are in the process of renovating our house and are about to plaster/skim the walls so need to decide if we want to keep or get rid of this fireplace . My husband doesn’t mind it and wants to keep it but I want to get rid of it. I think it’s quite ugly but it is real marble.

This is exactly right.

You can paint marble if that would be a compromise.

At first I thought you should keep it but actually compared with smaller iron fireplaces (which I love) it's actually very dated and ugly. Get rid.

The easy answer is that if you don't like it and wouldn't have bought it yourselves then it should go otherwise you will always regret it
If possible try to remove it as carefully as possible as undamaged it may have a small re-sale value which will help with the renovation costs.

Personally I like a stone fireplace (much prefer it to the modern trend of a giant TV screen dominating the room) and have just ordered a Corinthian stone one for our living room. That said, ours is less "fussy" than yours and much as I love a fireplace, if one like yours existed I would also have it removed / replaced.

I love fireplaces so would never plaster over it but can you replace it with something more to your taste?

Paint it to match the wall behind. It will not be so in your face then. It's a big job to fill and plaster the wall otherwise.

Get rid it's bland and horrible. We don't have a fireplace anymore after our renovation and my in laws can't understand the concept of no fireplace lol 😆

@season2 to be honest we don’t really have the budget to put another one in and would never use it. I would love a beautiful log burner but those are so expensive. I think the cheapest option is to get rid of it and plaster it up

Get rid. If you never use it and are unlikely to ever want to use it then lose it. Board the fireplace up and put something there that you actually like to look at instead. We will be doing the same with our marble monstrosity when it comes to doing the living room. Just because it’s not a hideous eyesore doesn’t mean you have to put up with it when you’re spending ££££££ on the rest.

If it is a working fireplace then I would not be thinking of ripping it out before the coming winter. You may be very glad of it if the gas runs out.

keep!

Option is to keep the fireplace itself. Rip the mantlepiece would be a handy middle ground. You can put in a different surround in later. Or put in a nice cast iron type fireplace thing.

the real killer with the room is more the mantelpiece. Also it’s one round of dust generation. If you backtrack later, it would be a pita to cover the room etc

if you don’t plan to use the fireplace for a while, you can get some chimney balloon type thing to block the vent. The surveyor told us to do something like that with our other fireplace which was strangely converted to gas but took a whole week to warm up the room. We also disconnected that one during our build.

I’d replace it. I think you’d regret not taking this opportunity do something more to your taste.

I like it. A lot. It's solid and comforting somehow.

It's very neutral I quite like it but it's not my house!

It’s dull, get rid, the room won’t look refreshed otherwise, if you are going to skim and have new carpet, the room won’t look that different with the same fireplace. Good luck, I would imagine my DH would say the same, just because it’s the easy option 🤣

If you are suggesting to close up the fire box too, you need to make sure that it is done properly with an vent and chimney cap and v swept clean before hand

Hmm I quite like it. However it would be a lot better without the hearth and probably without the middle bit.

I think I would get it removed carefully- you will find it is made of lots of separate bits - and then play around with the bits to see if there is any combo you like. For example just the main surround could look nice.

I would suggest selling it but suspect you’ll struggle. Worth a try though?

Definitely get rid. It's horrible.

I like it but the carpet dates it,if it were wood it would look lovely.

A mirror above it would also help as your eye would go to that not just the fireplace.

I'm a fireplace fan, but it reminds me of the style of something you might find in a Funeral Directors. That bland marble.

Id rip it out, but keep the "fireplace" as another poster said, as you might be grateful of it one day. Fireplaces don't have to be fancy. My bedroom fireplaces (Victorian house) have no surrounds, just the fireplace, which was very common in houses in the old days, and looks good as it is.

You can tell by the dimensions of the chimney breast that it’s not going to be a huge room.

Id get rid op, as someone else has said, keeping will just make the room look not quite right. You’ll regret it.

@SilentHedges omg yes it does look like a funeral director might have one in his office 😂

@Aposterhasnoname its a medium size room but feels bigger as it’s open plan. I’m definitely going for the more modern look throughout the house so think it definitely needs to be taken out. I just need to convince hubby to get rid of it.