10 Brilliant Ways to Transform a Chimney Breast Into Something Amazing

*This is a collaborative post on how to transform a chimney breast

Many people that live in houses will undoubtedly have some walls that have chimney breasts. There is usually one in the living room, and in many homes, there can be one or two upstairs in bedrooms. These are perfect places to add in custom items like custom cabinets in Dallas, or where ever you’re based. 

The thing about chimney breasts is they pose potential design or storage problems for householders. If you’re experiencing a similar conundrum, there are many ways you can transform a chimney breast into something amazing!

Take a look at the following ideas for some inspiration on what you can do with the chimney breasts in your home; some of them might seem surprising but could make perfect sense for your needs:

Fit a Log Burning Stove in your Chimney Breast

Is there just an empty void inside your chimney breast? Perhaps a previous owner had a cheap and cheerful gas fireplace fitted, but the 80s look doesn’t suit your living room? In either case, you should consider having a log burner fitted.

Log burners are a pleasant sight and functional during the colder months of the year. What’s more, you could also remove the room’s central heating radiator to make more space for furniture.

Another advantage of having a log burner installed in your living room is that it adds value to your house; perfect if you’re planning to sell up and move elsewhere in the future.

Partially Exposed Brickwork

If you’ve already got a log burner inside one of your chimney breasts, you might be wondering what ways could work to enhance the surrounding area’s appearance. One example is by experimenting with partially exposed brickwork.

You could have the exposed look inside the chimney breast only, or you could extend the look to the main section and have a feature wall of sorts. When you expose brickwork, remember to have it “sealed” so that the bricks and mortar don’t get damaged.

Install a Cooker Into a Kitchen Chimney Breast

Do you have a chimney breast in your kitchen? If so, and you’re not really using the space for anything, you should consider converting it into a useable area for a cooker. Some kitchen chimney breasts are suitable for wide aga-style cookers.

It’s a brilliant way to maximise your kitchen space and allows you to have more space for countertops or even to have a breakfast bar installed if you don’t have a dedicated dining room. You can also have a discrete extractor fan fitted inside the chimney breast.

Create a Feature Wall of the Chimney Breast

If the wall above your fireplace looks a little bare, have you thought about turning it into a feature wall? The good news is you’ve got numerous options at your disposal to turn that blank canvas into something exciting.

For example, you could hang up a large photo or illustration in tasteful picture framing so that anyone who enters the room can enjoy looking at your photographic or artistic masterpiece.

You could even put up some patterned wallpaper to make the chimney breast stand out from adjacent walls.

Add Some Custom Bookshelves

If your concern is more to do with the empty space on either side of your chimney breast, you could consider one practical solution: create some custom bookshelves. Alcoves are excellent places for bookshelves as they fulfil a storage problem and are out of the way.

You could pay a carpenter to come and create some custom bookshelves for you. However, if you’re a keen DIYer, you could attempt the work yourself. Just ensure that you’ve got a spirit level and you use good quality timber and fixings when you build the bookshelves!

Create a Discrete TV Storage Area in your Chimney Breast

Does your living room have a chimney breast with nothing inside of it? Perhaps the previous occupants of your home boarded it up, but it’s large enough to do “something” with it? One idea that might work for your living room is to create a discrete TV storage area.

Your chimney breast should be wide enough to house a widescreen TV. With some clever configuration, you could even place your DVD player and cable/satellite TV box inside of the chimney breast.

Build a Hi-Fi Storage Solution

Many householders often want to have a hi-fi and speakers in their living rooms but find there isn’t a suitable place to store their hi-fi separates. An unused chimney breast that doesn’t contain a fireplace is the perfect answer to solving such a problem!

If you’re a fan of vinyl records, you could even use the alcoves adjacent to your chimney breast as a place to store your record collection. It’s an unusual yet exciting way to store your hi-fi setup, but it’s also a brilliant one for keeping the equipment safe and out of the way.

Build a Custom Aquarium in your Chimney Breast

Some homes have chimney breasts, and the owners don’t plan on fitting a fireplace or log burning stove. If that sounds like you, but you want to do something with your chimney breast, have you considered converting it into a custom aquarium?

You can create a brilliant aquarium complete with LED backdrop lighting. Plus, it’s suitable for storing items like external pumps, fish food, and other aquarium-related accessories. A chimney breast aquarium is undoubtedly an exciting way to make a feature wall!

Gaming Nook

Let’s face it: when you’ve got a family in tow, it’s hard to find a quiet, private place in your home where you can enjoy some time playing your favourite console or computer games. That’s especially true if other family members use the living room TV for such purposes!

If your chimney breast offers a deep enough recess, you could turn it into a small gaming nook. Plus, it’s something any competent DIYer can do themselves.

Rustic Seating Area

One final idea to consider is a rustic seating area. It’s an excellent idea if you’re creating a rustic decor theme for your room and you’d like to create extra seating space, especially for children.

As you can imagine, it’s a simple transformation, and you can even create a bench seat out of wood that slots into your chimney breast’s brickwork.