What fireplace for this 1970s lounge?

[dibly]

We moved into this 1970s house last year and so far all the focus has been on getting the upstairs in a fit state, but we’re now keen to start on the lounge. Ignoring the dated anaglypta and current fireplace, it’s a room with loads of light (picture windows front and back, a large window to the right of the fireplace, and a glass door leading to the conservatory. We love mid century modern style.

Budget is now pretty tight, but the current fire is fugly and doesn’t work, and I feel the cold.

Any ideas please? Think log burner is probably too £££, but we’d consider if we can’t think of anything else which might work (previous houses have been older so easier to decide).

Also any suggestions for how we could update or replace the ledge alongside the fire? Carpet and wooden floor underneath don’t extend underneath it, so costs are again a factor.

Thanks in advance.

Bumping in hope of comments or inspiration..

Has your tv shrunk ? 🤣

You must be quite young. Bless.

I would go for a log burner, or a good quality fake.

I grew up in a house with a ledge like that. Does it have storage underneath? Find somewhere else to put the telly, then make a cushion to fit the whole ledge. Then a couple of smaller cushions against the wall. You'll be fighting for space to sit there, I guarantee it!

Is there a radiator behind the tv? It's a bit of a pain because if it wasn't there then built in seating would be so nice. If you have another radiator in the room, maybe this one could go?

We have a similar era house and installed a log burner. It's lovely but gets v hot and overheats the room really. Plus the surround we got is too traditional. I'd lean into the era, possibly paint the built in thing white with brightly coloured cushions with a new good fake electric fire that looks more retro and less Victorian.

We'd a similar ledge which hid the plumbing and a stove with an open fire with a back boiler so the seating/ledge was always warm to sit on. I'd be putting a stove in he room, depending on where you are you can choose a wood stove or multifuel.

It looks like it needs some sort of chimney breast. It looks odd just being against a flat wall. It looks unbalanced.

i would be tempted to save up and rip that old ledge out and completely redo the room rather than throwing just what you can afford right now and doing a half job that isn’t going to look right.

I wouldn't have a fire - old fashioned to me

Great ideas thanks! T? Does look tiny I know 😂.

DH wants to go ultra modern with an electric fire, I’m leaning towards a wood burner, but need to check out costs and whether it’d work with the external chimney. But the room does look unbalanced (fire in in the middle but the window on the right doesn’t do anything for me).

I might paint the ledge until we decide what to do with it all.

Thanks again.

I love an open fire, but having moved where we'd have to do work to get one, despite having two good big chimneys, we decided we couldn't justify it- on environmental grounds, and because I suspect they may soon get banned anyway in urban locations. I loved the one in our old (more rural) house, but we honestly didn't light it much.
Currently I'm looking at electric ones- the dimplex optimyst ones, which look the most convincing of the ones I have seen.