False lintel - what material and other questions

[BotusBuild]

This might be in the wrong forum.

 

On our build we have an opening that leads of a balcony, the one on the right below:

 

We are stone cladding, and I want to put in a "false lintel". In other words, it will look like a lintel, it might be installed like a lintel, but it will not have any load bearing work to do.

 

I am prepared to cut some notches at each side at the top of the opening and slide a false lintel into them.

 

Alternatively, I could have something that "wraps" around the top of the opening, but this would obviously take some fettling to make.

 

Two alternative materials come to mind - oak and granite (because we're in Cornwall). What other materials should be considered?

 

Does anyone know of a company that would make up the "Wrapping false lintel"? Could this be done with granite, similar to making a granite trough?

 

The opening is about 1200 by 350mm.

The stone cladding looks like this:

[Russell griffiths]

Can you get some stone of your choice and set it onto a steel angle 

I’ve just done something similar. 

[BotusBuild]

Nice stonework.

Does the steel angle sit underneath those stones?

FYI I will not be fitting a door in the opening, so the lintel or whatever i put in will be on full view

[Russell griffiths]

I fitted a steel angle bolted back through the nudura, then cut a notch out of the stone so it sits over the steel, you can only see the steel if standing directly under it and looking up, I’m going to cover it in a strip of upvc to match the windows.