Chimney Breast Ideas - no fire place

Ben1989

Hi all,

Looking for inspiration to spruce up our boring chimney breast in the dining room. Note: the chimney breast has been knocked out from above and supported etc and I want to leave it with no fire place

When I search on google and Pinterest 99% of ideas are with fire places. I’m not internal design eyed at all.

liberty_lily

Personally I'd want a fireplace as the focal point of my room (even if not an actual working fire, then just as a mantle shelf to display favourite pieces and with a large mirror or artwork over), but if I was going to do away with it I'd remove the whole breast - otherwise I'm afraid I can't see the point.

If you must keep the chimney breast with no fireplace or fire, I did see some wallpaper that has logs (circular cuts) as a pattern which could look good just applied to the breast wall.

If you google 'log wallpaper' it brings up a few options 😉

FreeBear

If you don't mind making a bit of mess, knock out the builder's opening (the space where a fireplace would have been), plaster, and install some shelves. The space would make for some valuable storage.

If, on the other hand, you just want to limit yourself to a bit of light decorating, paint the breast a bright red to contrast with the grey.

-taff

If it's supported above, knock it out there too. Kind of bit pointless to have a chimney breast with no opening in it. If the wall were flat you have more options for furniture placement or somesuch. Otherwise, I'd do as suggested above and knock the hole back into it for storage. If you leave it as it is you'll have to put some new skirting on too. Looks weird without.

greensalad

I have seen a lot of mantles with no fireplaces, and actually don't think they look half bad. A little odd, but also a nod to what was there without the function. E.g:

Bendy_House

I'm with the others, Ben. Blanked-off fireplaces like that just look odd to my eye - it just shouts "Where's the fireplace?!".

Opened up, you'll be spoilt for choice - I just have a large vase of dried flowers in our kitchen FP ( which used to be a dining room FP, but I flushed it on that side, and opened it on the kitchen side purely as a feature.

Why are a you against an open FP, with or without a surround? 

Ben1989

Yeah I don't want anything major (i.e. knocking it out) and dust just due to disruption around winter and christmas time.

Just want to spruce up what we currently have. Those surrounds are a good idea even though there are no fireplaces. Maybe some of those stick on tiles you can buy for the inside.

Bendy_House

Since you have a breast, then it really wants a fireplace of some sort, phony or no, flush or recessed. Imo. Totally understand you want to avoid disruption at this time of year, tho'.

No fireplace, no Santa. 

Racky_Roo

what about something like this, surround and then a thin slice of log glued to the back of the wall