Empty Fireplace

[yangste]

We have a fireplace which we do not use and it is just an empty grate. Does anyone have any ideas what I could put in to make it look nice and not just an empty grate. Please do not say dried flowers because our dog would eat them. I did wonder about logs but I would welcome suggestions. I am useless at making our home look nice.

candles?
nice plant like a fern?

Logs can look great depending on the fireplace.

Or a big grouping of candles.

Lay the fire as though you're going to light it - bunches of kindling tied up look good.

I'm not keen on dried flowers in a grate - they usually just look dusty or waiting roomish.

A friend of mine put a massive glass vase in her fireplace and filled it with pebbles and some fairy lights. Looked really nice!

I've got Gel tins, which you can light and they look like a real fire but no fumes or smoke, you can get them in kits and disguise the tins with logs or pebbles.

Gel Fire Places

What about a selection of big, round, grey (or room- toning) boulders, perhaps with a quartz seam through them to add interest? Scrub the grate and even re-black it if necessary.

Mine's full of wine bottles!

Fir cones?

Thank you all for the suggestions. The gel tins look very interesting in particular.