I lived with a stunning but nonworking fireplace for years. It was utterly useless except as a decorative feature, but I loved its mantel and its scrollwork and its existence. Much like”The Dude” in The Big Lebowski famously stated,”It really tied the room together”
It also introduced an interesting design challenge. Decorating the mantel was simple, but what exactly to do with the actual fireplace part? I alternately stuffed it with books and candles, and covered it with a screen-candelabra combo. But first I painted the entire thing classic white. Here are more ideas of what to do with a nonworking fireplace, a space which can really be an advantage.
Marcus Gleysteen Architects
Fill it with wabi-sabi decorative logs. They hint in coziness, aren’t too formal and need no more games.
Reynaldo Gonzalez Design
Birch, aspen and chewing gum all have lovely white bark. A symmetrical stack of clips is a style component and a nod toward coziness.
Etsy
Felt logs – $27
These felt logs are a true no-mess alternative. They also have a particular handmade design cachet. Plus, they’re just kind of humorous.
gardendeva.com
Tree of Life Fireplace Screen – $295
A decorative spark screen could be all you require.
Home & Harmony
Cover it up and then paint it with chalkboard paint. There’s something quite Parisian looking relating to this. Plus it can change with your mood, bearing everything from love notes to to-do lists.
Lauren Liess Interiors
A custom-cut mirror adds measurement and design cred.
Jeanette Lunde
Candles create a sense of warmth and light without the pesky smoke.
Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc..
This flat stack of boards is equally”design-y” and plausible. It echoes the flat lines in the rest of the room, and it’s a smart nod to traditional fire stacks.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Paint it with an accent color and use it like a nook.
A vertical stack of books is linear and design savvy. You can also pile books in willy-nilly to get a more diverse, natural look. But no publication burning allowed.
A screen serves as a bit of art and also covers the cavernous black hole of an empty fireplace.
Artisan Custom Interiors
You are able to fill a fireplace with knickknacks. Here they used cubes, but there’s not any reason this couldn’t be a screen spot for all sorts of collections. A vintage typewriter lived in ours for some time.
Melissa Lenox Design
And you can always simply block off the fireplace with wood or sheetrock, maintaining the mantel as a focal point and design component.
More:
Make Your Fireplace the Focal Point
Mantel Mania: Sprucing the Space Above Your Fireplace