My home is undoubtedly rustic in appearance, then the previous owner really wanted to go with a country vibe, then a section of the vibe was a working fireplace. Technically our wife and I could chop wood and burn it in the fireplace. That would serve as a furnace for the residing room, dining room and family room; I tried it 1 time just to see. The people I was with and I don’t exactly live in the woods, then sourcing wood was a big pain in the butt. I also didn’t realize how abruptly fire burns it. I thought I had wood for the entire month and it lasted maybe a day for us. Also, smoke, ash and soot are prominent with fires. Even having a grate keep the fire in didn’t really stop all that gunk. The odor was horrendous too, our whole home odored appreciate a campfire. The several of us hated it and agreed both of us were more traditional heating system people. Ever since then both of us have been trying to do something with the fireplace. I cleaned out the whole section to make it look new. The front of the fireplace used to be a cracked tile. I took a marble herringbone and spruced up the front of it. I added a wood frame around the fireplace so that it can serve as a shelf and mantle to hold stuff. The fireplace now looks cute and quaint. Occasionally our wife will put seasonal decorations in the fireplace and it looks really good. It is kind of discouraging to have a functional heating system and not use it though.