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Fireplaces are, quite literally, the warmth of the home. The soft, glowing light creates an ambience that can’t be duplicated.
From a design perspective, a fireplace can showcase what a room’s style is all about. The fire symbolizes the warmth of friendship, generosity and comfort. Because it invites these memorable feelings – a pause, relaxation, warmth, and a dynamic glow – the fireplace itself can define a room’s ambiance.
Broadly consisting of the insert and its surround, a modern-day fireplace is largely ornamental and usually just a secondary heat source. Either gas, electric or wood-burning, the fireplace’s surround is really what stylizes the look.
The surround can be constructed of brick, river rock, marble, granite, wood, concrete or several other materials, depending on what look the designer is trying to achieve.
Below is a gallery of fireplaces, each with their own look and feel. Some give the room a warm ambiance; others a cool sophistication. Fireplaces really are a room element to carefully consider. Click here for even more incredible fireplaces!
With sleek unframed glass on three sides, this modern fireplace occupies the center of the room. Its minimalist look contrasts well with the roaring fireplace in the hearth. Clean lines gives this fireplace a contemporary and well-placed feel.
The black stone wall surround on this horizontal fireplace would fit in well in a mid-century modern home. The geometric detailing, dark colors, and strong angular lines are sophisticated and simple. Note the clever dark recessed lighting mimicking the horizontal lines of the fireplace.Modern fireplace surrounded by brick in a wood room with like-colored furniture.This fireplace is in a luxury front room with wood cabinets and a television that swivels. The decorations in this room are beautiful.
Click here to check out more fireplace designs with televisions.
This modern living room includes a built-in fireplace against a blue wall. The exposed hallway and area rug add an interesting look to a gorgeous house.
Here we have an outside fireplace. Made of stacked horizontal stones, this fireplace is an impressive feature to a patio. This fireplace manages to be both earthy and grand at the same time. Check out our full length article in this site showcasing only patio fireplaces.
For more patio fireplace ideas, be sure to visit our gallery by clicking here!
The red color of this fireplace surround is certainly eye-catching. Offset from the gray mottled wall and dark wood floors, this fireplace manages to be the focal point of the room. It has an impressive stately quality that creates a fantastic clash with the wall behind it. This is a unique look.
Chunky rock surround and hearth, with a classic wood mantel, this fireplace is traditional and cozy. It is exactly as a fireplace should be for the holidays. Nothing says ’tis the season quite like a roaring fire in a huge hearth like this.
Here’s the same fireplace from a slightly different angle. Here you can see the Christmas tree set against the fireplace’s glow. This is an inviting fireplace.
White skinny horizontal stone make up the surround for this fireplace. Add a beautiful hardwood mantel, and the finished look is minimal but effective. This look is contemporary, but still retains many of the details of a more traditional fireplace, such as the mantle and stonework.
The concrete surround of this large fireplace contrasts with the white walls and wood floors. The look is minimalist, but bold. The horizontal glass inset keeps the look sleek.
The rustic corner of this room complete with split logs and glowing fireplace stove contrasts well with the white Scandinavian-like modernity of the remainder of the room. The look is at once cozy and light-filled. The way the tiled floor curves around the fireplace further integrates the two looks of the room together.
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Plenty of brickwork gives this fireplace its considerable charm. The continuation of the brickwork along the walls allows the fireplace to nearly melt into the wall as a seamless component. The beautiful exposed rafter and wooden ceiling complete the rustic look of this room.
Stacked rock make up the surround of this fireplace. A rock mantel finishes the look. The fireplace contrasts well with the log walls. It provides a somewhat rustic, but still modern, look.
An elaborate black mantel that extend vertically down to the hearth, gives this fireplace a dramatic look. The white tiled surround and hearth add an element of surprise to this look. The chrome surrounding the fireplace insert and the mirror above the mantel complete the look.
A travertine wall surround makes for a grand fireplace. The split wood to the side under a wooden bench provides for an offset mantel to this fireplace.
Extensive river rock surround creates a very natural looking fireplace. The size of the fireplace – as can be seen in relation to the woman sitting in front – captures a sort of grandeur of nature theme. The raised hearth is inviting.
The inclusion of this particular fireplace is to show the warmth that a fireplace can add to a kitchen or casual dining area. The simple blackened bricks and wood mantel is homey, inviting and cozy. Everything a fireplace can promise to provide.
The white wood and natural brick surround of this fireplace yield a traditional look. The careful composition atop the mantel and the raised hearth provide a balance. This is a traditional looking fireplace that has been well executed.
The beautiful woodwork on this fireplace surround secures its inclusion in this list. With an “almost matching” hardwood floor, and rustic wooden chest to the side, this fireplace is elegant and serene. The stone hearth that is flush with the floor creates a seamless effect and keeps the fireplace open to the remainder of the room.
One of our favorites, this rustic fireplace in a log cabin is constructed with river rocks and finished with a huge roughly hewn slab of wood as a mantle. This fireplace creates a focal point for the room.
A stacked rock surround set against white and glass, this contemporary looking fireplace has a ceiling inset that cuts across the top portion of the chimney surround. The hearth is flush with the floor of the raised level, this being somewhat of a sunken living room.
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A free-standing fireplace stove completes the charm of this log cabin. Simple, but with a very long flue, this fireplace proves that a built-in fireplace does not necessarily need to be incorporated into a room of this size.
Love the look and charm of luxury log cabins? We do too! Don’t miss our extensive gallery of 29 Stunning Log Cabin Homes!
Concrete walls are offset by the white of the clean fireplace surround. The look is contemporary and sleek.
The fireplace surround is stacked rock up until the wood mantel. The mantel extends well past the fireplace, and the wall adjacent is set with the same stacked rocks. The fireplace flu tapers upwards in white. The hearth is shallow, but wide and deep.
Sleek, white and angular, this fireplace’s flu tapers slightly upward. The angled glass of the fireplace gives visual interest.
The ornately wood carved surround of this open fireplace is grand and impressive.
Solid and square, this fireplace with its large wooden mantel provides comfort to a room and its inhabitants. The area below the hearth provides a convenient spot for stacking kindling. The mixed brickwork provides visual interest.
A modern white fireplace in a slightly recessed angular surround provides a contemporary look.
Chunky stone, a brick hearth, and a giant slab of wood for the mantel give this fireplace a solid and grand appearance. The orange walls mimic the orange of the flames.
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A sleek and contemporary design, this fireplace with its concrete design fits in well with the wooden staircase going up behind it, the open stairs going down to the left of it, the beautiful wooden framed glass doors with chrome handles and white walls. The dark hearth completes the look.
Here is a traditional Bulgarian fireplace. The hearth is open, the stonework very rough. We provide it only as a counterpoint to a more constructed “rustic” look. This is rustic at its most real.
An ornate white fireplace surround, with blue-stained wood, and a contemporary piece of artwork at the mantel. This is a striking fireplace that successfully marries both traditional and contemporary in a fresh and playful way.
This modern fireplace features a marble wall surround. Glamorous and sleek, the marble edge is visible at the opening, rather than inset into the wall completely. This shows off the natural stone to a greater degree.
Further proof that brick fireplaces can look modern. The brickwork is clean and extends from floor to ceiling. This achieves the traditional appeal of brick, without reverting to a more dated fireplace surround. The black iron-look of the immediate surround of the fire is almost industrial in its functional appeal. The look is at once rustic and contemporary.
A curved travertine fireplace gives the corner of this room a real focal point.
Although inspired by rustic scenes, this fireplace is anything but humble. The grand stone chimney set against the massive wooden structure of the building is impressive. The chunky wood mantle, the raised hearth, and the massive iron chandelier above all contribute to this look. The placement of the traditional rocking chairs completes the look.Although brick fireplaces are often not seen as commonly in modern interiors as they once were, this fireplace proves to be an exception. With uniform brick extending to the ceiling and reaching to the floor, this sleek piece is original but still inviting. It unites both the traditional appeal of a fireplace with a sleek modern rendition.
Hardwood flooring is durable, attractive, and goes great in any room and with any decor.
Here is a traditional gas fireplace with marble tile. The marble surround is itself surrounded by a white wooden surround that extends into the mantle.The below travertine fireplace that is open on two sides is sleek and modern. The perpendicular glass sides add visual interest from two perspectives.This is the same fireplace shown above. The angles of the fireplace are readily seen in this photo.An oval surround provides the fireplace here with a softness. The look is retro and appealing.A white stone fireplace with many angles provides depth to the room. The stacked wood below emphasizes the functionality of this structure. The white tiled floor and whiteness of the stone and walls gives this a unique look.Although perhaps not terribly attractive, this piece is massive and unique. The yellow and red brickwork against the stacked stone wall, the pink painted sloped ceiling and tiled floor are certainly different. The many levels this fireplace has – highlighted by the red bricks – give this fireplace a look of importance. Where is this piece, what is it used for, and why did the builder choose these colors? are all questions this fireplace might evoke.A traditional barrel-shaped fireplace made of brick, this is an impressively large structural piece. Set against the wood logs of the home, this is truly a rustic scene.Another truly rustic scene, the stone and concrete of this fireplace is offset against the terracotta colored tiled floor.A fireplace stove is set against a brick wall and set on stonework that is echoed on surrounding walls. This is raised from the floor.The red surround on this fireplace, with the black tiled raised hearth is dramatic and bold. The look, however, is still traditional and cozy.
Included only as an ode to fireplaces of the past, this traditional Bulgarian fireplace, is very open, with protection only with an ornate short iron grill. The hearth is deep and practical and the wooden mantle provides further space for implements.
Check out these 22 living rooms with stone fireplaces and gorgeous primary bathroom ideas.
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Jon Dykstra
Jon practiced law before launching his online publishing career, bringing analytical rigor to everything he builds. Home Stratosphere combines that precision with a lifelong obsession with residential design — architecture, interiors, landscape, and furniture.
His current focus is AI-driven design analysis, using artificial intelligence to study patterns in color, layout, and material choice across thousands of homes. His Personality Type Home Design Guide applies personality frameworks to interior aesthetics, helping readers design spaces that reflect how they actually think and live.
His favorite piece on the site is the 25 Most Popular Designs, is a daily-updated ranking of the top designs over the last 30 days, driven entirely by visitor activity. The feedback is invaluable for understanding what resonates most with readers. LinkedIn
