4 Fireplace Designs to Ring in the Cool Fall Weather With

Strong opinions about residential architecture abound, but we’ve yet to meet anyone that doesn’t enjoy the warmth and ambience provided by good fireplace design. On days when the mercury plummets below zero and the snow falls sideways, there are few better greetings than the staccato crackling of a roaring fire – or, alternatively, the stolid presence of a well-fed cast iron stove or the quiet, mellow burn of a gas fireplace. With a welcoming home in mind, below you’ll find a handful of our favourite hearths to help inspire your own.

Feeling Blue

There’s no reason why good fireplace design should be up against a wall. Designers Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster situated their cottage’s socle in the middle of the open-concept space, where it serves as a partition, seating and daybed. The teal-glazed bricks absorb and retain heat given off by the Stûv stove, too, slowly releasing latent heat well after the fire’s been put out. See the build here.

Middle Ground

Is a fireplace-adjacent bathtub conventional? No, but who wants to stick to convention, anyway? This third-floor suite, designed by Areacode‘s Darcie Watson, incorporates a fireplace into a marble-clad partition whose sheer height accentuates the unique geometry of the space while also concealing a support column. See the space here.

Less is More

Previously part of a light-starved Edwardian, this fireplace, part of a colourful build by Asquith Architecture and Julie Reinhardt Design, stands out for its comparatively minimalist presence and clean lines. Not without personality, though, the plum purple treatment matches accents in the home’s original stained glass windows. Plus, it fits right into its bright, multi-hued palette. See the home here.

First Impression

If a fireplace is going to be one of the first things you see, it behooves you to make it memorable. Case in point, this elegant treatment by Nicholas Hamilton Holmes. Recalling his Black Arts collection, which is expressed through a “tubular” design language, this treatment likewise sees painstakingly turned ebonized oak crafted into a classic form that nevertheless feels unique. See the treatment here.