What Our Ealing Architect Did With Our Chimney Breast That Nobody Else Thought Of

Every architect we consulted wanted to remove it. The chimney breast in our rear reception room. A brick column projecting 350mm into the room taking up valuable floor space. Dead space. An obstacle. Something that belonged to the Victorian era and had no place in a modern open plan kitchen diner.

Our architect in ealing said something different. "Dont remove it. Use it."

We thought she was joking. The chimney breast was the reason the room felt cramped. Removing it was the obvious first step. Every renovation on our street had removed theirs. It was practically a rite of passage for Ealing homeowners.

She wasnt joking. And what she did with that chimney breast is now the favourite feature in our entire house.

Why Everyone Removes Chimney Breasts

Because it seems logical. The breast projects into the room. Remove it and you gain 350mm of width across the full depth of the room. On a room thats only 3.5 metres wide that 350mm feels significant.

But removing a chimney breast is not free. Structurally the breast supports the chimney stack above. Remove it on the ground floor and the first floor breast needs a gallows bracket to support it from the ceiling. Remove it on the first floor too and the stack in the loft needs support.

Cost of removing a chimney breast on one floor with appropriate structural support. About two to three thousand. On two floors. Four to five thousand.

Then theres the making good. The floor where the breast sat needs patching. The ceiling needs replastering. The walls on either side need finishing. The fireplace opening needs infilling. Another thousand or so in finishing work.

Total cost of removing a chimney breast. Three to six thousand depending on how many floors are affected. For 350mm of width.

What Keeping It Gave Us Instead

Our architect turned the chimney breast into a feature wall. But not in the way you might imagine. Not a painted accent wall. Not exposed brick behind the television.

She designed the kitchen around it.

The chimney breast sits roughly in the centre of the wall between the old kitchen and the old reception room. When the dividing wall was removed the breast remained as a projecting column in the middle of the combined space.

She placed the hob directly in front of the chimney breast. The extractor hood mounted on the breast above. The flue running up through the existing chimney. No new ductwork needed. No external vent on the rear wall. The Victorian chimney became the extractor flue for a modern kitchen.

On either side of the breast she designed floor to ceiling shelving. Open shelves that frame the cooking area like a built in dresser. Cookbooks on one side. Jars and bottles on the other. The chimney breast as the centrepiece of the kitchen rather than an obstacle in the middle of the room.

The recesses either side of the breast which are usually dead space in Victorian houses became useful alcoves. One holds the fridge perfectly. The other houses a tall larder cupboard. Both recessed into the wall so they dont protrude into the room.

What It Cost Versus What Removal Would Have Cost

Keeping the chimney breast. Zero structural cost. No gallows bracket. No floor patching. No ceiling replastering.

The extractor flue through the existing chimney. About three hundred for the liner and connection. Compared to about eight hundred for a standard external vent through the rear wall. Actually cheaper than the conventional approach.

The built in shelving framing the breast. About twelve hundred for custom joinery. A cost we would have incurred elsewhere in the kitchen regardless.

The fridge and larder in the recesses. Zero additional cost. Standard appliance housing just positioned to use the existing alcoves.

Total cost of the chimney breast approach. About fifteen hundred. Total cost of removal. Three to six thousand. Saving. Fifteen hundred to four and a half thousand depending on how many floors the breast was removed from.

Why It Works Better Than Removal

Removing the breast gives you 350mm of extra width. Keeping it gives you a kitchen with a focal point. A cooking area that feels designed rather than default. A place for the extractor that uses existing infrastructure. Storage in spaces that would otherwise be dead alcoves.

The chimney breast creates a natural zone in the kitchen. The cooking happens here. The shelving frames it. The fridge and larder sit beside it. Everything you need while cooking is within two steps of the hob.

Without the breast the kitchen would be a rectangular room with units along the walls. Functional. Standard. Forgettable. With the breast the kitchen has a centre. A heart. A visual anchor that gives the room character.

Every visitor comments on it. Not because its showy. Because it looks intentional. Like the kitchen was designed around the chimney breast rather than despite it. Which is exactly what happened.

The Lesson About Obstacles

Not every obstacle needs removing. Some obstacles are opportunities disguised as problems. The chimney breast looked like wasted space. It turned out to be the most useful structural element in the room.

Our architect saw potential where three other architects saw an obstruction. The difference was willingness to question the default approach. Everyone removes chimney breasts. But does everyone need to. Is removal always the best answer. Or is it just the most obvious one.

Six to eight months from first conversation to completion. One chimney breast kept. One kitchen designed around it. The feature that makes our house different from every other renovation on the street.