We want to get rid of this fireplace in our lounge as part of a redecoration project. We had the gas switched off last year so it no longer works. The house is now heated electrically with a heatpump and we don’t necessarily need any additional heat in there though I haven’t ruled out a wall mounted electric fake fire thing (dh not keen).
do we
a. Take it all out (fire, hearth and the fireplace itself) and replace with some sort of smaller fake fireplace as a focal point (ideas welcome!) - when you walk into the lounge this is right in front of you. Get a new sofa to go on the left of it.
or
b. Ditch the whole thing entirely, fill it all in and get a fancy L shaped sofa to cover the space (which is impossible currently due to dimensions). We are keen on a corner sofa generally and this is the only way it works due to the door being right in the middle of the wall opposite the fireplace. So you’d walk in to see half a sofa not a fireplace if that matters?
dh strongly favours b. I may be a bit old fashioned but I think a fireplace is needed as a focal point for a lounge. If it makes a difference the house is modern.
either way we will be redecorating and re-flooring. If it makes a difference we mostly live in the open plan kitchen/diner and the lounge is now exclusively a TV room.
kids in there a lot- adults only really at weekends and Christmas.