The only viable option to maintain the look is to seal up the flue and then you have to coat over the firebox if you don’t want the soot stained brickwork exposed.
That is probably a coal burning fireplace so it is very shallow, most I have seen are 14" or less deep. It is kind of silly to have a little nook fake real fireplace. I would have just walled it off and been glad to lose an inch on one wall if I couldn’t afford to renovate my century house.
The only viable option to maintain the look is to seal up the flue and then you have to coat over the firebox if you don’t want the soot stained brickwork exposed.
That is probably a coal burning fireplace so it is very shallow, most I have seen are 14" or less deep. It is kind of silly to have a little nook fake real fireplace. I would have just walled it off and been glad to lose an inch on one wall if I couldn’t afford to renovate my century house.