Imagine it’s a cold, winter night. You’re relaxing on the couch in front of a warm, inviting fire, all nice and comfy.
Don’t you immediately feel a little more relaxed and at ease?
Nothing beats the cozy, reassuring ambience of a fireplace. At the same time, a fireplace can be a stunning design centerpiece. Let’s look at some fireplace design ideas that go into building the perfect fireplace today, and how styles have evolved over the years.
The Heart of Your Home
A fireplace creates a focal point. Not just for the gathering room, but for your entire home.
Nearly all of our floor plans include a fireplace. It’s usually the very first thing you notice about a home when you walk in the front door. Your eyes are naturally drawn straight to it.
As a center of attention, you want the design of your fireplace to stand out. But you also want to make sure it complements and connects with the rest of the house.
One design principle we follow is to bring what’s outside inside. So for a home with an Arts and Crafts elevation, stone veneer makes sense for the fireplace face — matching the stone on the home’s exterior.
A Modern Prairie elevation, meanwhile, might feature tile to give the fireplace a bold, contemporary feel. We can explore glossy versus matte finishes, neutral or contrasting colors, unexpected patterns such as herringbone, or large-format (24” x 24”) tiles to create a fresh, one-of-a-kind look.
Redefining Fireplace Design
A traditional wood-burning fireplace includes a hearth, surround, and mantel. Each part serves an essential function — protecting the wall and floor from heat or stray sparks, along with guiding smoke up the chimney.
A gas or electric fireplace, meanwhile, opens almost limitless possibilities.
More homeowners are going without a hearth or a mantel altogether. You can then accentuate the clean, minimalist style with a wider-than-usual fireplace face (up to 8 feet across in some cases), a sleek, rectangular firebox, and a flush-mounted TV monitor above it.
Simplifying the overall design puts greater emphasis on the materials used. Whether you decide on tile or stone, you’ll have a wide range of colors, patterns, and textures to choose from, all excellent modern fireplace design ideas for creating a stylish and functional focal point.
Fireplace Functionality
The benefits of a gas or electric fireplace don’t stop with added design flexibility.
For all the appeal of a crackling, wood fire, it’s not exactly convenient. Building a fire and getting it going takes time, even if you have the wood all gathered and ready to go. A gas or electric fireplace, on the other hand, couldn’t be simpler. You can turn it on or off in an instant, whenever you want.
As a homeowner, you’ll also appreciate the energy savings compared to a wood-burning fireplace. Our gas fireplaces feature modern, direct-vent technology — key to meeting the highest standards for energy efficiency.
Gather Round
Have we sparked your curiosity and creativity? Our design team can help you explore countless fireplace design ideas to match your vision from traditional stone to sleek, contemporary finishes. Let’s talk about your ideas for designing and building the perfect fireplace in your new home.
Want even more inspiration? Check out our blog, “Three Thoughts on Fireplaces” for additional tips on choosing the right fireplace style, exploring current trends, and styling your fireplace to perfection.
