Great Ideas for A Contemporary Fireplace

An open fireplace provides warmth and movement to a home and here’re some ideas for contemporary fireplace.

The newest kind of open fire, designed for contemporary interiors, is the inset or hole-in-the-wall type. Stripped of unnecessary details, they have no surround or mantel shelf, and are simply a fire opening set in the wall with a conventional fire-basket or gas-fueled fire bed or pebbles, rocks, synthetic log, or ceramic shapes. Unless they are protected by a glass or metal mesh screen at the front, for safety, inset fires should have a projecting hearth on the floor below or as part of the fire itself.

White textured contemporary fireplace matches the pale color scheme of the interior



One interesting design is to have an inset fire built into the chimneybreast so it fits flush to the wall and occupies no floor space. A focal point, but never intrusive, it is the ultimate minimalist fireplace. This can be made from black metal and contrasted by matte white pebbles of various sizes on the fire bed. To withstand the heat, these ‘pebbles’ are in fact made of ceramic which can withstand high temperatures and not discolor with heat.

Beautiful hole-in-the-wall contemporary fireplace covered in heatproof gold paint. Notice the ceramic 'pebbles'? Cool minimalist fireplace in marble and steel contrast against warm color of the room and matt fabric



Another adaptation of this design is to have a ‘black box’ inset fire built into the wall and covered in metallic fire-proof Japanese paper. This allows the walls to simmer when the electric fire is not lit.

To add an industrial edge to a contemporary interior, you may also consider customizing a magnificent copper hood above the fireplace so it forms the central feature of the interior. Alternatively, consider using rugged boulder that forms the lintel over a fireplace so it looks like a remnant of the previous house. This can be constructed from rough hewn stone bought direct from a quarry or via a stonemason.

This hooded black contemporary fireplace takes centrestage in the living room

You may also want to take a look at:

Fireplace structure

Living room space planning guide

Living room decorating guide


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