Project summary
This Our Work job was for a home in Warrington.
The before photo shows a plain, empty wall with no fireplace in place. The finished photos show a complete stove set up, built around a PureVision BPV5 multi fuel stove.
The customer wanted something that would feel right in the room, look solid, and be ready for winter. The final result is a rustic brick chamber with a slate hearth and slate chamber slips, finished with a dark oak cast beam.
Throughout this post we only describe what is visible in the photos. Any installation work is carried out by an independent engineer.
The room before
The starting point was simple. An empty wall.
That matters because it shapes every decision that comes after it. When there is no existing fireplace opening, no old surround, and nothing to work around, you can choose the proportions and the materials purely for the room.
It also makes the change feel more dramatic in real life. A blank wall tends to stay blank. A stove set within a proper chamber turns that same wall into a part of the room you use and notice every day.
What went in
The finished fireplace is made up of four main elements that work together.
First is the stove itself. A PureVision BPV5 multi fuel stove.
Second is the chamber. Rustic brick, laid to create a deep, traditional looking recess.
Third is the slate. A slate hearth on the floor, plus slate chamber slips to give the chamber a clean edge and a practical finish where the brick meets the opening.
Finally there is the beam. A dark oak cast beam that frames the chamber and gives the whole fireplace a strong top line.
None of these parts is complicated on its own. The difference comes from how they are sized and balanced, and from the way the materials sit together.
The stove: PureVision BPV5
The PureVision BPV5 is the centre of the finished look, so it is worth starting there.
In the photos, the stove sits neatly within the brick chamber with enough space around it for the brickwork to feel intentional. It does not look squeezed in, and it does not look lost in a huge opening either.
A stove like this tends to suit customers who want a clear, traditional stove shape without lots of extra fuss around it. The job here keeps that same approach. It lets the stove be the main feature, with the brick, slate, and beam supporting it rather than competing with it.
If you are choosing a stove first, this kind of layout is a good reminder to think about what you want the eye to go to. In this Warrington room, it is obvious. Your attention goes straight to the stove door and the fire view.
Rustic brick chamber
The brick chamber is what gives this fireplace its character.
Rustic brick brings texture. You can see the variation across the faces of the bricks, and you can see the detail in the mortar joints. It looks like a fireplace that belongs in an older style home, but it can also work well in a modern room because it adds warmth without needing lots of ornament.
The chamber creates a proper recess around the stove, which helps the finished wall feel like a fireplace wall rather than a stove placed against plaster.
In the wide after photo, the brickwork fills the space well and gives the stove a clear backdrop. It makes the stove look anchored.
Slate hearth and slate chamber slips
Slate is a practical material in a fireplace for a simple reason. It copes well with real use.
Here, the hearth is slate and it sets the base of the whole installation. It also gives a clear contrast with the brick chamber and with the dark stove.
The slate chamber slips are just as important visually, even though they are smaller pieces. They create a neat edge around the chamber opening. That edge does two jobs.
One job is visual. The slips give you a clean border so the brickwork sits inside a clear frame.
The other job is practical. The slips provide a hard wearing finish where hands and cleaning cloths tend to go, and where a softer wall finish can mark over time.
When you put slate and brick together, you get a mix of clean lines and texture. The slate keeps the overall look tidy, while the brick keeps it from feeling too sharp.
Dark oak cast beam
The dark oak cast beam finishes the top of the fireplace opening.
A beam is not just decoration. It changes how the whole fireplace reads in the room. Without a beam, an opening can look unfinished. With a beam, you get a strong horizontal line that tells your eye where the fireplace starts and ends.
In this Warrington project, the dark oak colour works well with the dark stove. It ties the upper part of the fireplace to the centre, and it gives a sense of weight above the brick chamber.
What the finished fireplace is like to live with
A finished fireplace like this does not just change what the wall looks like. It changes how you use the room.
You now have a clear centre to the space. The stove sits in a recess, so it looks built into the room rather than added later. The brick chamber gives depth, which helps the fireplace feel substantial even when the stove is not lit.
The slate hearth also makes the area in front of the stove feel defined. It becomes a place you treat as a hearth area, rather than just another patch of floor.
And when winter comes around, the whole set up feels ready for real evenings in. That was the point of the project.
Notes for anyone planning a similar stove fireplace
If you are looking at these photos and thinking about doing something similar in your own home, the details that matter are not just the stove model. They are the proportions and the material choices.
Start with the wall you have.
If your starting point is an empty wall like this Warrington job, you have a chance to design the fireplace as a whole. If you are replacing an old open fire or an older surround, you will have different constraints. Either way, it helps to decide early whether you want the look of a recess and chamber, or a stove that sits more openly.
Think about texture.
Brick is not a flat background. It has movement in it. That can be exactly what a room needs, especially if the rest of the finishes are smooth. But it also means you should look at the brick in real lighting if you can, because texture reads differently depending on how bright the room is.
Choose a hearth material that suits the look you want.
Slate works well here because it is dark, it has natural variation, and it looks right next to brick. A lighter hearth can give a very different feel. The important part is that the hearth and the stove sit comfortably together rather than fighting each other.
Do not forget the top line.
A beam makes a bigger difference than many people expect. It frames the chamber and gives the fireplace an intentional finish. The dark oak cast beam in this project keeps the look grounded and traditional.
Let your independent engineer guide the technical side.
Any stove installation has safety requirements and site specific considerations. Those details depend on the property and on the full installation plan. A trusted independent engineer is the right person to advise on what is needed in your room.
Why this combination works
There are plenty of ways to build a stove fireplace. This one works because the choices all point in the same direction.
The PureVision BPV5 has a clear, confident shape. The brick chamber adds warmth and texture behind it. The slate keeps the edges neat and gives the base a practical finish. The dark oak cast beam adds a strong top frame.
Nothing is trying too hard. It is just a solid, traditional stove fireplace, built with materials that look like they belong together.
Before and after in one sentence
Before: an empty wall.
After: a PureVision BPV5 multi fuel stove set in a rustic brick chamber with a slate hearth and slate chamber slips, finished with a dark oak cast beam, ready for winter.
Related reading
If you are still deciding what style of stove you want, these pages are a good starting point.
If you are planning your own stove project
If you are in Warrington and you would like help choosing the right stove and the right overall look for your room, Heatwave Fireplaces can talk you through the options.
Bring a few photos of the space and any rough measurements you have. It makes the first conversation much easier.
If you already have an engineer in mind, that is fine too. The important thing is getting the stove choice and the finished fireplace design right for the room.
Visit us in Warrington
Heatwave Fireplaces, Osnath Works, Lythgoes Lane, Warrington, WA2 7XE. Call 01925 230045 or use the contact page to plan your visit.