Renovation ideas - fireplace, stove for heating?

I'm renovating a room that will be a main room. It has this corner brick and old natural gas heater/stove, that I need ideas for. I consider the whole corner ugly. I'm trying to decide if I should remove the stove, or get something else like a fireplace.

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The stove vents to the chimney already, so are there fireplaces which are easy to attach up the same way? I have some interest in wood burning stoves, or something more versatile / efficient / environmentally friendly. Multi-fuel stoves sound best, but I know little about them. They are also expensive, and I need the cost to be reasonable. Seems smart to save money over electric heaters.

The vent is a little ugly, it's silver. I would assume there's all kinds of options for covering up the vent portion.

A fireplace might work better in a different location, instead of fitting one here in the corner. If I decide to skip the fireplace or stove, I am thinking of covering the brick somehow.

Anything I choose should be relatively pet safe.

Also, if I remove the stove, I would put drywall instead of the paneling. The rest of the room is drywall. The paneling is only in the corner behind the stove. If I put a fireplace or stove, perhaps I can still have drywall there.

The carpet is being replaced with wood laminate.

If it's not modern looking, it should look quaint in an old-fashioned way.

Thanks.

Here is a link to some images for ideas. There are plenty of chic vintage designs that incorporate natural gas stoves. I suggest not getting rid of it, but designing around it so that its surroundings are more modern. The stove itself adds the vintage touch - and in that case, the rusty old metal will look great, rather than shabby. Or add a coat of paint to the stove to bring it up-to-date a bit.

Check out some ideas:
natural stove vintage design - Google Search

Have you found a design to use?