fun fireplace

A fun thing to do with a fireplace that is no longer being used, is to fill it with wood!  Literally!
We live in an old house that had quite a lot of fireplace mantles, but they originally had oil stoves in front of them, so no fire, just the mantles.  I have covered them up, put painted panels in them, among other things.  But this is the idea I like the best.

This is also a great idea to do if you don't have a fireplace but want the look of one.... Find an old mantle at a flea market.  Put a piece of 3/8 plywood onto the back of the fireplace as a base for your wood fill.

It is then really quite simple.  Find an old tree that needs to be cut down - or get unsplit firewood from someone.  In this instance, we used a birch tree that had died on our property. 
I had my husband cut the logs into slices between 1" and 2" thick.  Make sure to cut even the smaller branches, as you use those to fill in.
With a nail gun, start in one corner and just start filling in the open space. One nail per log piece should do.  
Here are a couple shots of some freestanding mantles that I did. 

They make great decor pieces.  This larger one could also be used as a headboard.