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By Yelena Moroz Alpert and Madeleine Luckel
For its October 1977 cover, Architectural Digest featured the carved woodwork of a fireplace in a Madrid manse.
Are you currently in search of fireplace ideas? Nothing feels more inviting and enviable than a stylish and statement-making hearth in your living room—or in any other space in the house, for that matter. After all, a good fireplace design can anchor any room, all the while offering the practical benefits that come with the cozy centerpiece. “The fireplace is another opportunity to connect the architecture of the house with the decor,” says Louisville, Kentucky, interior designer Bethany Adams. “The fireplace surround and mantle can be used to incorporate new colors, textures and patterns to your overall decorating scheme.”
With these thoughts in mind, we reached out to top interior design pros and took a dip into AD’s own archive to uncover 63 truly stunning rooms, all of which feature a beautiful place in which to build a fire. The homes of Anne Hathaway and Diane Keaton are included, as are other abodes with noteworthy fireboxes, stone fireplaces, and eye-catching modern designs any homeowner would love. Whether you take inspiration from these design concepts to recreate your own rendition or hire an interior designer to help you along the way, you certainly won’t be lacking in exciting fireplace ideas for long. Now, you just have to stay on top of cleaning these beauties.
Take a page out of Marie Flanigan’s book, The Beauty of Home: Redefining Traditional Interiors, when it comes to a new way of looking at the firebox.
“I love the use of fireballs because it adds a bit of unexpected and architectural intrigue to a fireplace,” says Marie Flanigan, principal of Marie Flanigan Interiors. “A firebox typically doesn’t allow for too much design variation, but including small changes like fireballs and a tiled herringbone pattern still makes a gorgeous statement.”
Designer Benjamin Johnston crystalizes the idea that a fireplace is as versatile as ever.
Skip firewood altogether. During the summer months, Houston-based designer Benjamin Johnston fills an unused fireplace with selenite candle holders in the living area. “You can get that warm glow without the heat,” Johnston says. “We swap these out in the fall when they are ready to light the gas fires again.”
Designer Jen Samson uncovers a diamond in the rough in a Palm Springs living room.
This copper fireplace was an incredible discovery in a 1960s home by Ira Johnson, an understudy of Famed architect William Cody. When Laguna Beach, California, designer Jen Samson first saw the fireplace in the great room of this midcentury home, it was so oxidized that it looked painted. That is, until a small sliver of copper at the edge of chimney peeked through. It took Samson’s construction team hours to remove the tarnish and restore the masterpiece to its natural state. “It has since been sealed and will require very little maintenance,” she says. “A good reminder to always look to see what is beneath the surface before you decide to demo.”
Designer John McClain believes that the mix of small, medium, and large patterns is key in allowing the decor to play well together.
John McClain’s Los Angeles bungalow is proof that you should try to “add one piece of interesting dissonance to every room. It should be a piece that feels slightly out of place and makes everyone stop and take notice.” Here, the fireplace was inspired by a 1970s anthropomorphic tapestry. “I admired how the imagery had been distilled down to its basic shape components,” he says of the modern fireplace set against white walls. “This practice can also be seen in the Tony Curry art piece Femme Fatale where a woman’s silhouette and stilettos are represented in their geometric essence.”
Jamb brings history back in style.
Take note of art history with a Jamb collection piece which embodies mid-18th-century English architecture and ambiance with its sleepy grandeur of a Country House sitting room. A perfect spot to cozy up and get lost in a Charles Dickens classic.
Jen Samson makes art part of the fireplace landscape.
For a fireplace that is off center, minimize the overall impact of the firebox itself. Samson opted to treat the wall with Roman Clay and keep the trim of this gas fireplace as slim as possible since it didn’t need an imposing mantel or hearth. The setup allowed for a showstopping piece of fiber art above to replace the thought of a grand chandelier. “This lends itself beautifully to a modern home in which the focus is on the furnishings themselves,” Samson says.
Test your creative muscles when dreaming up a fireplace design, like this wonder by Job Smeets, founder of Studio Job.
Unconventional doesn’t begin to describe the wood stove surround of this Studio Job interior. Play into the carnival-like ambiance by further expanding on the whimsical elements throughout the rest of the interiors. Even the flue is eye-catching.
In Kim Jones’s bedroom, a painting by Duncan Grant matches the Delft-tile-covered mantelpiece.
The Sussex, England, farmhouse of Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director of women’s collections, is an escape for sure. As is this Delft-tile fireplace surround that adds just enough soothing color to the cottage aesthetic.
Anyone lucky to find a gilded wood stove is bound for design greatness.
This Berkshires farmhouse designed by Brooklyn architecture and design firm Sachs Lindores melds eclecticism in a cozy way. You simply can’t go wrong with a shiny brass wood stove and a colorful armchair.
Adorn a nonfunctional fireplace with a kaleidoscope of mosaics.
The Brooklyn home of designer Ellen Van Dusen shows that even a nonfunctional fireplace can be on fire, figuratively speaking. The patches of vibrant mosaics awaken the otherwise expected surround. A bold choice for the Dusen Dusen founder—whose brand is known for its bold, original prints.
Designer Anne Hepfer sticks to sleek and simple, but still impactful.
North York, Ontario, designer Anne Hepfer shows that even a simple white fireplace can stand out when set against a vibrant background. The high-gloss sapphire paint of the built-in bookshelf completely transform a study from something routine to a jewel—with the fireplace as a supporting player.
Thanks to the seamless wallpaper application, the fireplace blends into the background in this Hayley English–curated space.
For a traditional yet approachable interior, Hayley English, founder and principal designer of Hayley English Interiors, looks to bespoke drapery and upholstery for a one-of-a-kind fireplace presentation. “I’m always inspired by the most prominent colors in nature, blue and green,” she says. “Here the goal was to provide a home office that sparks creativity. Beautiful hand-printed wallpaper helped achieve that idea along with an unexpected punch of Farrow and Ball’s new Bancha paint on the fireplace surround. Paint is an easy way to bring new life to an otherwise underappreciated feature in a room.”
Designer Hilary Matt used marble to mimic the millwork.
A clean and sleek fireplace will never go out of style. New York designer Hilary Matt opted for a chunky and simple surround in this Hamptons home. “We added a custom inlay element into the marble to mimic the millwork detail that is above the fireplace, this kept the marble from reading too modern and ties it in with the aesthetic of the rest of the family room.”
Black steel is an undependable draw, as seen in this Sarah Stacey Design project.
Designer Sarah Stacey enhanced this steel, minimal fireplace by adding two vein-cut travertine slabs. This further drove the black-and-white color palette to work with the other natural elements: beige tones in the form of limestone, travertine, and warm woods. “The steel-and-stone fireplace demands its presence and creates a focal point,” says the Austin designer.
A project by Ownby Design reaches new heights.
A tall black stack with horizontal lines is perfect at camouflaging the TV—yet it contrasts nicely with a medley of geometric stones in the background.
The black marble fireplace, part of this Gillian Segal Design project, looks like it has always been there.
Sometimes a fireplace doesn’t actually have to be the focal point of a room; instead, let it fit seamlessly with the rest of the design. In this Gillian Segal–designed family room that doubles as a formal living space, the fireplace is merely part of decorative panels above that conceal a TV. “High-contrast materiality also helped complimented the clients art collection without competing,” adds the Vancouver-based designer.
Handmade fire tools by French artisan Franck Evennou will elevate any fireplace.
An ornate fireplace can be a piece of art, but you can also enhance a humble hearth with ornate wrought iron tools by French artist Franck Evennou, who transformed polished bronze into stylized feathers that make something of an objet d’art. “Good design is a lifestyle,” says Katja Hirche, of Bernd Goeckler. “One’s well-designed home requires not just beautiful decoration, but also beautiful utility objects.” Sold exclusively through Bernd Goeckler in New York.
A Benner Landscape Design project uses the outdoor fireplace as if it is part of a secret garden.
Los Angeles–based landscape designer Patricia Benner worked around the cerulean tile as inspiration for the rest of the outdoor design, giving the backyard patio a touch of mystique.
Impress with an irregular-shaped fireplace like this beauty in a Samuel Amoia-designed project.
New York and Los Angeles designer Samuel Amoia took a new approach to the fireplace surround by adding irregular curves with a gray marble slab. To ensure that the monumental focal point wasn’t overshadowed by a grand chandelier, he chose an airy pendant from Volker Haug Studio that added intrigue with brass conical stacks that complemented the stone without distracting.
The hearth of the fireplace is dressed in a leathered-black Marquina quartzite slab by Terrazzo + Marble Supply, selected by PROjECT. and Marmol Radziner.
For this modern lake house in Middleton, Wisconsin, PROjECT. and Marmol Radziner were enlisted to create a California-cool vibe with a neutral color palette and high-contrast decor. To ensure the focus stayed on the lake views, they dressed the hearth of the living room fireplace in a leathered black marquina quartzite slab by Terrazzo + Marble Supply to contrast with the softer tones of the surrounding sand-blasted limestone and Rodolfo Dordoni sectional. “This home is surrounded by green and trees on all sides,” says PROjECT. owner and visionary Aimee Wertepny. “And then you enter into this glass, stone and wood box with insane lake views. Our aim was to not distract from the setting, but to accentuate it at every turn.”
A PROjECT. and dSPACE Studio peek-a-boo fireplace that is anything but childish.
In the center of this Chicago home designed by frequent collaborators PROjECT. and dSPACE Studio, the gas fireplace is visible from the family room, dining room and even the kitchen. Open on all sides and wrapped by steel rods with blackened-oak panels above, this stunning feature centers the open-concept space in a bold way. “Maximum design that appears minimal, like the fireplace, is a common theme throughout the home,” Wertepny says.
Designer Ben Johnston implemented black marble on a fireplace to complement the white marble with deep veining that adorned the kitchen island and backsplash.
Consider a story in contrast. “Marble is back with a vengeance,” Johnston says. “The dark stone on the fireplace gives the room depth and dimension, whereas the white Calacatta Monet Italian marble in the kitchen offers that clean and classic look.”
Le Whit design studio shows that an all-white fireplace is simply serene.
Don’t mess with minimalism. “The smooth, plaster-finish fireplace upstairs was all painted white, and acts as a modern monolith to serenely root that open living area,” says Liza Curtiss, interior designer and principal at Brooklyn-based Le Whit.
Dark paint is in, as Le Whit attests with this black brick facade.
The same residential project in Seattle that has an all-white fireplace upstairs [see image above] plays a game of contrast with a moodier, more tactile one downstairs. “The basement was designed as a cozy den, so the fire itself can become the centerpiece, versus the actual architecture of the room,” Curtiss adds. A colorful art piece above keeps it from skewing too drab.
Marble on marble? Yes, please.
Washington, DC, designer Zoe Feldman played up a classic marble fireplace by placing marble-inspired artwork above—just the right touch for the living room of Susan Tynan, founder of Framebridge, a custom framing brand.
Elevate the fireplace design with a raised hearth, as seen in this Benjamin Johnston setup.
What makes a fireplace stand out? Dimension by way of a multilevel approach. This beige marble beauty becomes the ultimate perch thanks to a raised hearth, a perfect spot for accessories, or maybe even a mug of hot cocoa.
A natural stone ledge adds interest to the otherwise minimalist hearth.
A handful of pebbles in a firebox provide just enough interest without bringing the outdoors in too much.
Sumptuous Calacatta Monet Italian marble in a Benjamin Johnston interior.
Leave it to Johnston to employ an heirloom stone in a sitting space full of pattern and texture. The Calacatta Monet Italian marble only recently returned to production, he says.
Charming traditional tile illustrations work with the rest of the home decor, put together by Gray Walker.
Both the velvet couch and the upholstered armchair work with this tiled fireplace surround that is echoed by the ceramic side tables. Both the velvet couch and the upholstered armchair work with this tiled fireplace surround that is echoed by the ceramic side tables. "The tiles of the surround are hand-painted delft and original to the home,” says Charlotte, North Carolina-based designer Gray Walker. “I wanted to pay homage to the blue-and-white of the tile and decided to infuse the emerald green to modernize the color scheme. The painting above the mantel was part of the homeowners existing art collection. I placed it there to further pull the color scheme together. My design philosophy is rooted in honoring special architectural details when I have the opportunity in old homes."
Benjamin Johnston uses polished marble in more contemporary spaces.
The reflective quality of polished marble, especially when paired with a mirror panel, opens up the space, even as the variegated taupe veins anchor the room with their own unique typology.
A wood stove pairs well with wood paneling inside the dwelling of Dan John Anderson and Genevieve Dellinger.
Create a rustic enclave with a stone surround that hugs a wood stove, then extend the area with wood paneling to further embrace the natural vibes. Custom quilted pillows add to the charm that melds cabin with cozy.
Leah Ashley embraces the herringbone backsplash as an asset to the rest of the design.
In this Leah Ashley designed formal living room, the eye-catching fireplace was made to feel traditional and timeless. The beige brick, set in a herringbone pattern works to tie in all the creamy and brown elements. By using simple materials like a cast stone surround this fireplace is an instant classic.
A perfectly (pale) pink bedroom anchored by white marble mantle.
Who says a fireplace has to be working to be chic? The classic marble one seen here, in the Fort Greene bedroom of fashion designer Ulla Johnson, was included in the September 2019 issue of AD. The round mirror is a custom piece by Rogan Gregory, while the rug is a Swedish flatweave piece. The artwork seen on the left is by Billy Lynch. Reflecting on the home in general, Johnson mused at the time, “We wanted something warm and welcoming—of a human scale.”
Large-scale sculptural pieces of furniture dominate this space, with a clay fireplace at the center.
Black Granite Monument It’s difficult to imagine what could rival the late Wendell Castle’s Black Widow chairs and monumental standing lamp, all of which are seen in the studio gallery of the sculptor’s own home. Nonetheless, a clay fireplace by Roy Cartwright is equally compelling. Reminiscent of bronze metallurgy worthy of the Norse gods, it’s the perfect addition to Castle’s Scottsville, New York, abode, which was included in the April 2018 issue of AD. The decor element also feels in line with Castle’s pursuit to “elevate furniture into the category of sculpture.”