How about a fabric/drapery panel in a bold/geometric print? An Instyle magazine article on Kerry Washington's eco-friendly home came to mind. check it out, it was featured on Re-Nest!

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/green-style/color-overhaul-by-green-designer-danny-seo-086282

I think you need to go floor-to-ceiling with a different material -- there was a house tour a few weeks back where a door was covered by plywood then inexpensive bamboo shades were used almost like wallpaper. Then after creating a "new wall", center a piece of artwork on that surface.

I don't think you should limit yourself to 1 or 2 screws for support -- the plaster can always be patched, and whatever you choose to do shoudl be well-anchored and look well-integrated.

I would build a simple wood frame deep enough to encapsulate the fireplace and attach it to the wall with some L-brackets. Put some nice luan plywood on the front, and add a little decorative molding to the top. Paint the whole thing the color of the wall. It will look like an architectural detail, not a hidden fireplace.

You could just buy a huge canvas, paint it however you'd like it to be (bold, graphic, etc), and then lean it up against the wall behind the couch, pulling the couch out from the wall a bit so you can see the canvas behind it. Or you could build a shallow box/shelf (i.e., fitting over the fireplace and maybe 4-6 inches out from the wall), paint it/wallpaper it, and then treat it like a mantle and lean/hang a canvas on top or put some tall vases or whatever you'd like.

buy some inexpensive shoji screens or 3 panell screens....

Here's the house tour I was referring to:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-mike-new-york-091392

I agree with Stephvixen (I know, really helpful that we're suggesting the one thing you said you didn't want!). But if you hang the fabric panels quite flat (and from a ceiling-mounted "hospital" track, which are inexpensive), the effect will be more art, less curtain - and there are so many gorgeous fabric panels out there, startying with Marimekko. Good luck!

I had exactly the same problem and felt terribly guilty every time I mentioned it to someone, who would always respond, "You have a fireplace and you're HIDING it" like I was a crazy lunatic (not that they had seen the fireplace, or anything...). Here's what I did, and I would recommend it: Get a reasonable width of some fabulous wallpaper (I needed four feet wide, ten feet high, because the apartment had eleven foot ceilings) and frame it. Then lean it against the wall like a huge picture. Everyone would come into the apartment and ask about the "great art," which always made me (and my friend, who had designed the wallpaper) very happy. The whole project cost about $100, including the wallpaper at full price (no discounts for friends, unfortunately!) but using a coupon for framing at Michael's. You don't need to put anything in the wall, and who knows what the "great art" can be in your next apartment—for us, it became a fabulous headboard behind a platform bed.

The fireplace mercifully doesn't project very far into the room. What about a very simplistic frame for the lower wall - maybe made of 1" X 1" wood, covered with thin plywood or even foam board or canvas/fabric? It could easily be screwed to the edges of the walls, and removed when you leave. You could put a ledge on the top and display your artwork. Faurchitecture. :) Here's my imaginary solution:

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/ledge.jpg

here's a very lazy solution - move sofa away from fireplace wall, and place one very (or two) large framed poster(s) or painting(s) resting on the floor..against the fireplace. there's no painting/carpentry involved and when you move apartments, your investment isn't wasted. And besides, I've been to downtown lofts where people actually rest paintings on the floor on purpose..

(just realised abialek did something similar)

I love the ideas of a giant canvas or framed wallpaper --very cool and no screws! I also like the box/mantle idea by degaussing. Of course I also dream of Marimekko fabric so that sounds fabulous, too.

I would also suggest adding a tall plant or series of plants on a narrow sofa table behind your couch. Kind of like creating a living wall.

I wouldn't feel bad about hiding the fireplace. It's your home, you don't use it, and it's not particularly beautiful.

I second the suggestion to get some large Marimekko (or interesting, bold fabric) and either stretch and staple it onto stretcher bars (found in any art supply store) or this poster hanger kit. Either option should be light enough to not require heavy-duty attachments to the wall.

Someone said shoji screen. I'd go with that since the fireplace is pretty flush. You could easily back light it by placing tiny holiday lights on the floor behind the screen. Could be pretty cool effect.

I've order screens before from, Orientalfurniture.com

They have a variety of heights. If you can find one that just covers the fireplace, you could hang a piece of art or put a ledge above it as well for depth.

Good Luck!

one or two folding screens should do the trick

a friend of mine did this and she purchased a large mirror from pier 1 that shielded the opening. it actually looks really nice.

I once lived in an apartment with a beautiful FAKE fireplace. I asked the property manager why they would waste precious wall and floor space, money, and time installing FAKE fireplaces. She had no answer ...

I hid mine with a folding screen. It was a modest $100 investment and I have continued to use the screen for the past six years in other locations.

nice alphabet wall in the background, btw!

I just love your collection of A's...

I'm with the people who say use some sort of curtain. If you wish you could get a MAC display panel, it sounds like you're looking for drama, and you would definitely get that with a bold curtain.

If you are looking for something like a giant advertising picture, it may be a job for the Rasterbator.

You can pick your image, blow it up as large as you want, and maybe affix the pieces to huge sheets of plywood? Or frame as suggested with the wallpaper.

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

Frame out the fireplace. Cover the frame with a fabric that will complement the sofa in some way. I think a deeper brown would be nice. Put a sofa table behind the sofa and put plants or artwork on it. I think it would make the sofa a great focal point without taking away from the rest of the room.

I have a cheap, ugly fireplace in my apartment living room. I hung a tapestry on the wall, covered the opening of the fireplace with some black poster board, and then put my "entertainment center" in front of the poster board.

I think it would be easiest to secure a large piece of fabric to the ceiling, straightened by a piece of wood at the top and another at the bottom.

I think a large frame wrapped in fabric would work too. Put it on the floor leaning against the wall and secure the top to the wall.

headboard

a great big mirror with a fantastic frame.
just set it on the floor behind the couch.

Folding screen/s is probably the easiest way to go. Plus, they can travel with you to the next place. www.pearlrivermart.com has some inexpensive options.

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions, keep em coming! I love this site.

I still need to think about curtains, I am a bit against this because the entire wall to the side of the sofa is floor to ceiling windows with large curtains.

i actually love your idea of the cosmetic display. why not borrow a very high-res camera from a friend or even actual film (i dream of polaroid...), take a photo in a mac store or sephora, and then have it blown up very large? the graininess of a real film photo would be beautiful.

there are a number of sites that do affordable (about $100, $175 for a huge print), large printing from image files. check them out and then follow the rest of the suggestions for framing and leaning on the wall!

I would do one of 2 things:

1. Curtain the whole wall, floor to ceiling, side to side in some sort of opaque drape that would cover the fireplace, or

2. Get a huge mirror/piece of art (wide enough to cover the width of the fireplace) that could sit on the floor behind the sofa and lean against the wall.

i think a mirror would be a great way to go, leaned against the floor. would really open the place up, too, and not lend to a heavy feeling, since you have more curtains/drapes on the other wall.

be sure to post "after" pics!

I think screens as someone pointed out. You can use them again in another place. Y

You could get them at a flea market see them all the time. Or go to a salvage yard and get two shutter doors, bolt together and paint to a color of your choice.

The Moroccan style screens are always more interesting when painted or distressed and but a back light behind the sofa to uplight the screens at night for drama.

These screens behind this bed are beautiful-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/3279550312/in/set-72157618924915372/

Also, another idea I saw this solution on a design blog, framed wall covering without wall covering the wall-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/3843261046/in/set-72157622103111178/

I actually think the brick makes a nice architectural element and contrasts nicely with the other colors in the room. Maybe it would be interesting to maybe make the brick a feature while disguising the fact that its a fireplace. You could make another frame (with the same type of wood framing around the fireplace) the width of the brick that would extend from the top of the fireplace to the ceiling. You could put a shelf at the bottom to make the horizontal line make sense and you could fill it with the afore mentioned canvas. This would kind of extend the brick upwards without actually laying more brick and create an interesting architectural element behind the sofa. Add some lighting it might look pretty cool. Not sure if it could hang with only a few screws though, but I'm sure something could be figured out.

I must know, where is the couch from? I love it!

I've been to MAC a thousand times, but I don't understand what you mean about using an in-store display behind your couch. Do you have a picture/link you can post?

Paint the bricks white and stop hiding the fireplace.

Check out the third picture here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/tables-dining-occasional/lux-living-room-upholstered-coffee-tables-093597?image_id=668065
the one with the yellow wallpaper behind the white couch. I think something like that will work.

BTW love the letter's display.

yes, screens or just hang a beautiful piece of fabric from ceiling all the way to the floor that's the width of your fireplace? can definately go bold, like a bright pink print or something, given that the rest of the room is quite neutral. good luck! can also do asymmetrical hanging of some pictures on either side of the fabric?

if you must, the folding screen is the best idea, and you can take it with you when you move.

Camouflage!

Take a photo of the fireplace and then print it out in colour at different scales and plaster it all over the rest of the wall as a trompe l'oiel. KIDDING!

what about moving the couch a little bit forward and getting a cool room divider to cover it. i saw some at world market the other day.
http://www.worldmarket.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3586869

good luck, cant wait to see the after pics!

That is an ugly fireplace. You could put a shelf over it, and then hang attractive fabric off the shelf and to the sides.

You might be able to find a large pre-stretched canvas at an art store big enough to hide the fireplace with. The canvases at Blick on Bond Street are pretty inexpensive.

Could you put a shallow bookshelf or bookshelves in front of the fireplace, then place the sofa up against that? Maybe setup the bookshelf so there are no shelves up to the height of the sofa, to give it a somewhat more built-in effect? You could then maybe place a large decorative element in the bottom of the bookshelf, like a large dried floral arrangement - something that would look good peeking out from above and beside the sofa. You could even install lights in the lowest shelf.

Drill a hole in the mortar between the bricks in the centre of the fireplace, insert a wall plug and a hook, then hang a nice painting there. The fireplace then becomes an extended frame for the picture.

It would help if the picture is roughly the same proportions as the fireplace. When you move, the hole can easily be filled.

Other cheap ideas: a simple panel covered with gold leaf, an enlarged photograph (I'm thinking B&W) mounted on lightweight foamboard, a page of text blown up and mounted on similar.

Thanks everyone for all suggestions, this is my current project and I hope to be done with it soon. Will do a followup once it's complete.

@cantabrigian1 : What I mean by MAC displays is mostly aimed towards the window displays. The stores (especially the one on Spring Street in SOHO) cover the entire windows with huge highly saturates graphic images promoting the current collection.

@thestephanie : It's the Andre sofa from Room and Board. I love it.