Day 141: Fireplace Style!

Day 141 of 365 Days of a Happy Home!

If there is a fireplace in a room, it shouts out to be the focal point.  We like to make sure the style is in keeping with the surroundings, including architecture and furnishings, so it doesn't look out of place.  Below are a few fireplaces we have had the opportunity to design...which one(s) suit your Happy Home?

This fireplace is surrounded by Vermont green slate, indigenous to the area the house was built. Believe it or not, this is in a brand new home, but the mantle detail suggests it has been in existence for at least 100 years. Neutral walls and trim never go out of style.

The fireplace is the antithesis of the one above. This is over 100 years old and in an antique farmhouse. The owner wanted to keep the simplicity of the original simple mantle and paneled wall. This allowed us to bring pattern into the room with drapery panels and the spool chair fabric. We added simple brass sconces to frame the artwork and bring light into the space at night.

Another antique fireplace! If those bricks could speak! We did make some repairs and replaced the hearth and surround with Danby Marble, indigenous to this area of Vermont. Walls are painted Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal and add to the coziness of the room.

We were fortunate to work with a local craftsman, Dan Mosheim to design the black walnut paneling in this room. It creates a warm surround for the room and a nice backdrop for the brick fireplace. We continued the brick to the fireplace surround and hearth (sorry you can't see it) so we didn't detract from the beauty of the wood.

Here is a more modern take on a fireplace with lots of natural elements. Although the trim is painted, we have kept the mantle natural. The black walnut really is beautiful. Although the ceiling is birch, we were able to stain it to be very close to the color of the black walnut. The slate tile surround adds to the modern feel.

This was an interesting project. The original house was built in the 1820's with a center chimney with 3 fireplaces to heat the house. The house was dismantled in the 1980's and moved to its current location. The chimney could not be moved, but was recreated in the same manner. This is the main fireplace where cooking would have happened. There is an iron bracket that holds a large iron kettle for cooking food. There was a bread oven on the left side that the owners added a small wood stove to. The brick hearth and surround work nicely with the original beams and painted wood paneling.

What do you do when you want a fireplace but don't have a wall to put it on? Choose a gas insert either "vent-less" or a "direct vent". This client had only a TV on this large wall, but wanted a fireplace and a more cozy feel. We designed the built in bookcases to perfectly frame the TV and house a direct vent gas fireplace unit. The builder found the old beams to make the mantle. We are happy with how this turned out and so is the client!