The fireplace has moved far beyond its original warming function to become the dramatic focal point of a room.
As fireplaces have become commonplace in many new home developments, buyers are taking their expectations of luxury a notch higher.
It’s not enough to simply have a basic fireplace in the family room. In many cases, the look — or variety of looks — can spell drama throughout the house.
In a rustic family room setting, chunky stones add a strong presence as they frame a floor-to-ceiling fireplace. In a living room, crisp white marble squares create a more elegant tone. In a master bathroom, a simple wall fireplace adds ambience above the tub area.
Fireplaces also are multiplying throughout the house, popping up in previously unthinkable spots. The kitchen countertop? Why not? The master bedroom? Of course!
“Because the products have advanced so much, you can put fireplaces anywhere,” said Deidra Darsa, public relations manager for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association in Arlington, Va.
In recent years, direct vent fireplaces – which burn gas and vent out a wall instead of requiring a chimney — have become popular. Because there is no chimney to work around, they can be added almost anywhere.
If you’re looking for ways to add a little drama in a room, plus enjoy the ambience of a warm crackling fire, there are plenty of ways to do it.
Angela and Brian Norris focused on coordinating their fireplace designs with other architectural elements, both on the inside and outside of their home. The family room of the home in the Fox Mill subdivision in St. Charles has a stone fireplace that coordinates with the stone used on the outside of the house.
They then added a dramatic mantel to define the space.
“We had a custom mantel with deep, dark walnut and thick molded edges put in,” Angela Norris said.
The same level of detail is seen in the master bedroom, which has a fireplace flanked by pillars that match other trim in the room.
“It’s trimmed out in white with grooves on it,” she said.
The emotional draw of a fireplace, coupled with advances in technology, have prompted manufacturers to design a wide array of options to market to homeowners. Among the more unique designs is a portrait fireplace that uses a picture-frame look to enclose the flaming logs.
These types of fireplaces are compact and easily can fit in the corner of a kitchen or above a bubbling tub.
“I’ve seen them over a hot tub and in the kitchen,” Darsa said. “I love the idea that when it’s not on, it looks like a picture on the wall.”
Many of these fireplaces have an arched section above the fire logs that might include fan shaped detailing or intricate carved metal. Some picture-frame fireplaces are more contemporary in style and are well suited for younger home buyers, Darsa said: “There’s one that’s a rectangle and along the bottom is a strip of fire.”
There also are many fireplace inserts designed to fit inside small openings.
“We sell a small insert you’re able to put in places you wouldn’t have thought of years ago,” said Jim Hussong, president of Kozy Heat, a fireplace distributor in Lakefield, Minn. “You can put it in a bathroom or even put it on the kitchen countertop in a corner.”
When building a new home — particularly a custom or semi-custom home — the opportunities are almost endless. Among the considerations are the design of the fireplace, the overall construction of the house, and the budget.
At the high end of the pricing structure is the masonry fireplace, the traditional brick fireplace with a foundation and chimney that has adorned homes since the 1800s.
Masonry fireplaces add a rich sense of tradition to a home. Many people are drawn to that nostalgic sense of home and hearth, plus the crackling sound of logs burning. This is best achieved with a wood burning fireplace, although many gas log sets now give off realistic flames and sounds.
The debate between wood and gas burning fireplaces often pits traditionalists against those who want an easier way to start a fire and manage the logs.
“Many people like burning real wood in their fireplaces,” said Brian Bart, general manager with Tom Bart Construction, which is building homes in the western suburbs. “They like the style and the smell of the wood.”
The Norris’, who also like the ambience of a wood burning fireplace, chose wood for their fireplace in the family room. While they have a gas fireplace in the bedroom, they prefer the nostalgic scent of burning wood in their main living area.
“We lived in Colorado for quite some time, so we love the crackling of the wood,” Angela Norris said.
The main two drawbacks with a masonry fireplace are the cost and inflexibility of the installation. Masonry fireplaces, which can burn wood or gas, can cost $15,000 or more to build. Because it requires a foundation and chimney, it is considered a permanent structure and cannot be moved once the floor plan is finalized.
Many home buyers are realizing, however, that the tall masonry fireplace can be tapped for multiple uses. The key element is the planning, and maximizing the benefits of this one significant structure.
One can put a masonry fireplace in the family room and tie into the bottom of it in the basement, where it will serve a second family room or a media center, for example. As the chimney goes through the second floor, why not add a fireplace in the master bedroom, conveniently positioned above the family room?
Once placement issues have been solved, there are other options available to expand the ambience and heat source, to even more rooms throughout the house.
“People are trying to find ways to put additional fireplaces while using the same firebox,” said Jennifar Evans, design coordination manager for Edward R. James Homes. “You can even have a two sides or a three sides fireplace by only using one firebox.”
That two- or three-sided design might be used in a kitchen and breakfast room area, so that it is exposed to a highly visible and heavily trafficked area. This is particularly dramatic in a townhouse with an open floor plan, as it allows people to see the fireplace from multiple locations.
Two-sided fireplaces also help divide rooms and create interesting focal points in each area, said Dan O’Malley, a partner with BSB Design, which is based in Des Moines, Iowa, but does architectural design work for many Chicago area builders: “Anytime you can have a dual sided fireplace it brings character to both sides of the room.”
This design is particularly effective in a master bedroom and bathroom. Because the rooms are naturally adjacent to each other, it is easy to add into a floor plan.
When adding a fireplace in the bedroom, however, many people turn away from a masonry design because of the cost and logistics. The solution is to buy a direct vent fireplace that vents out a wall.
There are many direct vent fireplaces priced from $1,500. Add in a decorative surround and mantel and the price can climb to $3,000 to $7,000 or more.
When debating where to add a fireplace, consider the room layout and the way the fireplace orients to the door opening. That might require a little balancing to ensure the fireplace makes a grand statement without taking over the most usable wall space.
“Anytime you put a fireplace in you’re creating a focal point that will affect how you decorate the room and place furniture,” said Frank Johnson, an architect and vice president of Smykal Associates, which is building homes in the south and west suburbs. “There’s not much point in putting one on the only full wall you have, because it will limit furniture placement.”
If you already have furniture, measure it to determine how much wall space is needed. If you plan to buy it later, shop around to get an idea of sizing. Most builders will have some flexibility in where they can put a fireplace, but it helps to know the furniture sizes ahead of time.
After all the strategic decisions are made, it’s time for the fun.
Do you want sleek marble or stone around the fireplace opening or a more muted ceramic tile? Should the mantel be a simple oak design or a thick piece of knotty pine that conjures images of a log cabin in Montana?
Many homeowners are finding they can change the whole look of the fireplace and the room design by changing the surround, Hussong said: “You can go from rustic to modern.”
As fireplace design continues to evolve, some are cautioning buyers to make sure the fireplace is part of the overall home design. While it is nice to create a strong statement with a fireplace, it also should blend with the rest of the decor.
“The fireplace should be a focal point, but not its own focal point,” Evans said. “It should be part of the style you’re trying to convey for the home.”
