This Pinterest Challenge was created by Morgan over at Pepper Design Blog a couple years ago as a winter project. After having issues with the gas fireplace, they shut off the gas and she designed a way to cover up the old charred opening. A variation of this could be used in conventional fireplaces as well to insulate in the off season, or create some out-of-site storage in an unused fireplace.
They measured the fireplace opening, cut out a piece of plywood that fit it, then attached various pieces of eucalyptus wood cut at about 3″ lengths. They are attached to the plywood with wood glue and a nail gun. The added depth of the logs allows the panel to stand on it’s own in the opening, or it could be attached temporarily in a number of ways.