Hi All,
We moved into a 1960’s bungalow. It has a chimney in the living room, which works. We initially planned on getting a wood burner in. However, after some thinking I’m now wondering whether I should remove the chimney breast etc all together so that I have more space in the living room. We have put money aside for both options.
It isn’t the best layout currently to allow for sofa placement but something I can work around if needed by getting a small sofa and just armchairs. It’s also the darkest darkest space, so my initial thought was the chimney would keep it “cozy”. At the same time a neat even room where you can place your furniture wherever you want would also be really nice. The chimney (though it looks nicely placed in the middle of the room) is not central. The spaces to the sides are 150cm & 190cm. Interestingly despite the big variation it still appears symmetric, though that will change after decorating because I want the same decor/cabinets fit to each side so the asymmetry will probably stand out.
Given that it isn’t a cottage or period property I don’t think removing the chimney will devalue the house. What are your opinions? We’re planning to make it all open plan in 2-3 years time, in which case the chimney would not be central at all anymore.