I'm loving the last photo in which the fireplace was turned into a niche by them doing more than just painting the outside - they really chaned the look with that beadboard. Then interesting stuff was placed there. I like that it's not completely filled up, sometimes being completely full just looks like you're trying to hard IMO.

And I like the wine rack. Totally convenient and helpful at a party. Like a fireplace-butler.

The books are a big no-no to me. You know who loves books more than all the book lovers altogether on this site? Roaches. Roaches love cheap and old books especially. And they like hiding in your attic and walls and sneaking into the fireplace. Next January, that fireplace is going to be a target of someone's "cure", and when they move the books an army of roaches will scurry out leaving the mutilated books behind. No thank you.

Logs in a fireplace always look beautiful to me. That being said I have quite a notch of fireplace envy. I haven't had one since my childhood home (bad Canuck) and it's a must have in a future home for us.

I actually dislike having a fireplace but honestly, when I purchased in the area I now live, not one place shown to me DID NOT have a fireplace. I feel it's a huge waste of space. I haven't turned it on (gas fireplace) in the 3 years I've live here. I have candle in it and they do look pretty when lite but I would have perferred to have the extra wall space.

I agree with LyonStill. I don't like fireplaces and I think they're a waste of space as well. I've always found arranging furniture etc more difficult when you're forced into having a focal point not of your choosing. Any place I buy will either not have one or it will end up being removed.

As for what to fill yours up with - the logs look pretty but I might consider painting the ends in either all one colour or multiple colours to add a splash of interest. The paint might also help seal the logs so they don't attract any buggy friends.

I love fireplaces, but you should be careful with bringing so much wood inside at once without burning it. It's likely to be full of bugs that get into your house!

When we lived in a rental home with a fireplace, we bought a very short table lamp, removed the shade, added a 10-watt bulb and put a large white Chinese paper shade over it. The glow was very beautiful and looked nice even when the lamp wasn't on. If we'd been there permanently, we probably would have put some kind of globe lamp in there.

Our place is fairly kitschy, so we've been talking about this: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6262616832/h9DDABDA7/

If you have a fireplace you don't want to use as a fireplace, I think you should use candles on a holder like this.

I have the same issue. Too many "no burn" days anyway in my town. Too much of a risk of soot coming into our space. Too much of a fire hazard. Agree with lyonstill...I don't particularly like it, it is nice that ours is covered by so much stone though. But man oh man, does it take up huge amounts of space. I have concluded number one is the way to go, but worried about bugs.

p.s. I am a book collector and in reference to comment above...I've never found a roach in a book and I've had up to 4,000 plus. Dust yes. Roaches, no.

That last pic is not a fireplace. As to roaches & books, we moved from an apt once due to a major roach infestation from a neighbor *ick*.. Nary a nasty critter or egg found in any of my hundred(s) of books. And trust me, I combed through our belongings meticulously before introducing them to our new space. Never again.

The last photo made my heart sing- love it!!

I use my fireplace as a drinks cabinet, originally for unpacking convenience but it always gets compliments.

In the winter when I have people over I move aside the bottles to make room for my laptop (on a small box to raise it up), and I play a DVD of a roaring fire. It sounds ridiculous but it always goes down a storm, and I've lost count of the number of people who say they feel warmer when I put it on.

My household uses our fireplace as game storage. We have board games that were either given to us or found in charity shops and an old lamp that we found, with Moroccan lanterns on each side (as seen here in an old post, before I moved the board games into the fireplace: http://dorothydamage.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/maison-damage/)

Maybe there is something wrong with my fireplaces, but we basically HAVE to keep them shut to avoid our toes turning to ice in winter. A shame, because I love the idea of filling them with wood or books. I also like AngryRedHead's candle-holder. Stationeryfiend's drinks cabinet idea might just work however. Thanks for this post!

When I was a kid, our house had two fireplaces. I never remember lighting a single fire in them, and they didn't have doors that we could shut.
My parents used a big square of styrofoam wedged up inside to keep out the drafts. We lived in the lower mainland of BC, so it didn't get too cold in the winters, but it was helpful when it did dip below freezing!
I'm sure there are lots of similar removable options you could try. Possibly custom-fit ones made of something better than styrofoam, if you have a higher budget than my parents (one income, two young kids, yikes!).

I like some of the above suggestions, but I think a non-working fireplace could be better filled with plants or flowers - if it's a focal point, embrace it and make it look nice. Another idea would be to put a dog bed in it. Dogs love enclosed areas like that, and if the fireplace is flat to the floor it would be easy for a dog to get in and out (assuming there's no doors on it). That's probably what I'd do with it, if my fireplace was non-working. Since my fireplace is working, I use it but in the summer time I might fill it with wood or flowers.

http://www.dwell.com/sites/default/files/styles/slide/public/Libby_03.jpg

I have a double sided fireplace (bedroom to living room), but I can't use it because it would smoke out my house and its too small to fit gas logs in it. I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

I'm surprised that so many people don't like fireplaces. I'd rather have that as a focal point of the room rather than the TV. I have a gas one and use it whenever it gets chilly. I did notice houses with fps were more expensive when i was house hunting so even if you don't use it, it would be a bad investment decision to remove it permanently.

@ Qzie: there should be a damper in the flue. Close it and no more frozen toes. If your unsure, take a peek up the chimney with a flashlight. You should see it. Just don't attempt to build a fire with it closed or you'll find yourself with a house full of smoke.

*you're* unsure

@ moke076: what makes you think it would smoke out your house?

I saw a really good version of this in one of my books, where the homeowner used antique andirons combined with large and interesting pieces of drift wood. It looked stunning. I've also seen antlers which looked very interesting since the pointed tips naturally give a "fire" effect. Example:
http://www.mortisetenon.com/assets/images/Kristen/52213676899433433_6Gd0D6iC_c.jpg