The Fireside: Creating a Hearth Corner, Even with a Decorative Fireplace

Almost every British sitting room built before the war was arranged around one thing: the fire. The chairs faced it, the mantelpiece held the clock and the invitations, and the whole household drifted towards it the moment the evenings drew in. Plenty of us now live with fireplaces that are blocked, boarded or purely decorative, but the instinct to gather round a hearth hasn't gone anywhere. The good news is that you can create a proper fireside corner whether or not you ever strike a match in it.

I've lived with three fireplaces over the years: a sealed-up Victorian cast-iron one in a rented terrace, a 1930s tiled surround with a gas fire nobody quite trusted, and now a working woodburner. Each became the centre of the room in a different way, and here's what I've learned along the way.

First, know what you have

Before you do any styling, work out what sort of fireplace you're dealing with. It sounds obvious, but lots of people move into a house without knowing whether the chimney is open, capped, lined or shared with next door.

• Decorative – a surround and perhaps a grate, but the flue is blocked or capped and it isn't meant to be used.
• Open but unused – the chimney is technically open but hasn't been swept or inspected in years.
• Working – an open fire, a gas fire, or a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove that has been properly installed and maintained.

If you're not sure, get a qualified chimney sweep to have a look before you so much as burn a firelighter. They can tell you whether the flue is sound, whether it's blocked by debris or an old nest, and what it would take to bring it back into use. A blocked-off chimney also needs a little ventilation, usually a vent in the chimney breast and a ventilated cap at the top, so moisture doesn't build up inside and turn up later as damp patches on the wall. If you're battling damp elsewhere, our damp and condensation guide is worth a read.

Making a decorative fireplace feel alive

A fireplace that can't be lit still draws the eye, so give it something to do. The most effective trick is light in the grate. A cluster of pillar candles of different heights, standing on a metal tray or a piece of slate, gives a real flicker at floor level, which is exactly where firelight belongs. Keep them well back from anything flammable, never leave them burning when you leave the room, and bear in mind that a draught down an open flue can make candles gutter and smoke. If you'd rather not have a flame at all, a string of warm fairy lights wound through a stack of birch logs is surprisingly convincing.

Other ideas I've used over the years:

• A neat stack of split logs filling the opening, end-on, so you see all the rings.
• A big leafy plant or a pot of dried grasses in summer, swapped for candles in autumn.
• A painted back panel in a deep colour – soot black, oxblood or forest green – to give depth to a shallow opening.

A fireplace that can't be lit still draws the eye, so give it something to do.

Building the corner around it

A hearth corner is really just a conversation between a fire and a couple of chairs. Turn your seating to face the fireplace, or at least angle it that way, rather than lining everything up against the walls to face the television. If space allows, a pair of armchairs either side of the hearth is the classic arrangement for a reason: it invites you to sit down with someone and talk.

Then add the supporting cast:

• A rug in front of the hearth to define the space and warm the floor (keep it a sensible distance from a working fire, and choose wool, which is naturally slow to catch).
• A small side table for each chair, big enough for a mug and a book.
• A lamp at chair height, so the corner works in the evening even when the fire isn't lit.
• A log basket, whether it holds real fuel or just blankets and the Sunday papers.
• A footstool, because you can't toast your toes from a standing start.

The mantelpiece is where you can be a bit more personal. I like a mirror or one large picture, a pair of candlesticks and a few things that change with the seasons: conkers and a jug of beech leaves in October, greenery later on (see our ideas for Christmas and winter decor). Resist the urge to fill every inch; a mantel looks best with a bit of breathing room.

If you want a real fire

There's nothing quite like the real thing, but it comes with responsibilities. If you're thinking of reopening a fireplace or fitting a woodburner, here are the basics.

Check the rules where you live

Many towns and cities across the UK are smoke control areas, where you can only burn authorised smokeless fuels or use an approved exempt appliance. Your local council's website will tell you whether you're in one. Modern Ecodesign-compliant stoves are built to burn far more cleanly and efficiently than older models or open fires, so they're the sensible choice if you're buying new. Installation should always be done by a registered installer, who will make sure the flue is suitable and the hearth meets building regulations.

Burn the right fuel

Only burn dry, well-seasoned wood or the correct fuel for your appliance. Damp wood smokes, gives out less heat and coats the inside of the chimney with tar, which raises the risk of a chimney fire. Look for logs labelled "Ready to Burn", or season your own under cover for at least a year. Never burn painted or treated timber, packaging or household rubbish.

Sweep it, and fit an alarm

Have the chimney swept at least once a year, ideally before the first fire of autumn, and more often if you burn a lot of wood. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fuel-burning appliance, test it regularly, and keep a working smoke alarm on every floor. Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour, so the alarm is the only warning you'll get. A sturdy fireguard is essential if you have children or pets.

The fireside, whatever the fire

What makes a hearth corner work isn't really the fire, it's the habit of gathering. Some of my happiest evenings were spent in that rented terrace, in front of a fireplace that hadn't been lit in decades, with half a dozen candles in the grate, a wool blanket and a pot of tea on the hearth. It felt like the heart of the house because we treated it that way.

So turn the chairs round, light something (safely), and make it the place everyone ends up. If you need more ideas for the long evenings ahead, Harriet's piece on making your home cosy in November picks up where this one leaves off.