A fireplace, mantel or hearth can be a focal point of beauty in your home. Of course, a fire surround plays a practical role too, but with so much choice of both style and design, we’d be missing a trick if we didn’t capitalise on using the fireplace within a design. We’re taking this opportunity to showcase some fabulous fireplaces that we have worked on with our clients and share design ideas.
Many houses have had open fires in the past, but they need to be brought up to date. In this project we used the existing fire- and chimney- space to install a wood burner. The black finish works wonderfully with the dark feature wall, exposed brick of the chimney breast and gold touches throughout the room. The hidden joy of this fireplace is that it’s double sided, and you can enjoy the look and warmth from both rooms. This is a real statement piece whether the fire is roaring or not.
Wood burners are versatile, and you don’t need to be restricted to using them in an existing fireplace or niche. We suggested a vertical wood burner for this project to maximise the space available between the window and the wall. The black of the burner matches the window frame behind it. The display of the logs against the wall and in the wicker basket frames the whole thing. It’s the perfect place to enjoy both sitting in front of a warm fire and gazing out across the garden.
There is nothing better than a cosy area to relax beside a fire. This is just what we created in a client’s home. The fire itself is installed into the wall between two rooms, on one side is the living room and on the other a snug. In the snug, carefully placed chairs are ready to relax in and enjoy the warmth. We’ve picked out greys in the table, planters and cushions to keep the spaces cohesive.
Creating a feature wall around your fire is a brilliant idea! In this example the space has been maximised by installing shelves and storage around the mantel, and a wall mounted TV above the fireplace, which is available from Supreme Fireplaces.
Fire accessories, including storage baskets and tools play a significant role in interior design. Needed for their functionality, they also add to the overall aesthetics and ambiance as they are often designed to offer decorative.
We love rattan baskets and storage, and the Rattan Log Basket from Cox and Cox is a great addition. It looks fantastic and the inclusion of wheels means it is handy and practical too. Fireside tools add to the look too; the Tall Brass Fireside Set, also from Cox and Cox is an impressive set. Again, there is plenty of choice with a variety of finishes and sizes; there is something to frame every fireplace beautifully.
Why not get creative by displaying logs? If you have a real fire you can store the logs cleverly to form a display. But don’t worry, even without a fire you can still use natural logs to enhance your home. The Log Basket supply natural decorative logs, and this is a great example of how you could use them in your home:
Remember to follow us on Facebook for more interior design information and ideas.