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20+ Fireplace Design Ideas To Create A Warm, Inviting Home

By Wendy Jacob On

A fireplace has a way of anchoring a room while adding warmth, texture and a natural focal point.

From traditional stone mantels to sleek contemporary surrounds, these spaces show how a thoughtfully designed fireplace can turn a room into a place you’ll want to linger.

Original mid-century Italian Murano sconces flank this fireplace. The new gas insert with a custom Nero Marquina marble surround is a striking focal point.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Maayan Kessler and Jo Levitan (design)

This designer wanted to keep the double-sided fireplace simple, so she opted for a microcement finish on the chimney breast and a limestone mantelpiece.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Keri MacLellan

House & Home

The stone fireplace in Lyndsay Jacobs’ living room is the perfect backdrop for her antiques, original art and handmade objects including the juju hat over the mantel.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Lyndsay Jacobs

In this living room, designer Martha Franco replaced the wood burning fireplace with gas for efficiency and ease of use, and added an antique Parisian mantel for character.

  • Photographer André Rider
  • Designer Martha Franco

The fluting on this marble fireplace was inspired by the Four Seasons Hotel in Surfside, Fla. “There’s a vibrant green fluted marble bar with a brass top there,” says Sharon Mimran. “When I saw it, I knew I had to have something similar in my home.”

  • Photographer Stacey Brandford
  • Designer Sharon Mimran

House & Home

This original Victorian stone fireplace surround is a standout feature. “It was in rough shape, but it was one of the most beautiful things about the house,” says Orsi Panos.

  • Photographer Valerie Wilcox
  • Designer Orsi Panos

Designer Parris McKenna prioritized creating a cosy living room where guests could really relax. The fireplace surround was made using a piece of leftover marble from the main cottage.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Parris McKenna Design

A modern fireplace with exposed firewood adds warmth and texture to this modern farmhouse living room.

  • Photographer Janis Nicolay
  • Designer Ron Hart Architecture (architecture)/Kyla Ray (design)

A traditional black mantel brings a piece of the past to this luxe living room by Jennifer Kominek

  • Photographer Niamh Barry
  • Designer Jennifer Kominek

A new gas insert and brass surround were added to this original limestone fireplace. Graphic abstract art above makes a statement.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Chloe Goldberg and Jenna Ruzylo

House & Home

In the bright living room, designer Tiffany Leigh removed a bulkhead and borrowed stone from the exterior to extend the chimney breast to the ceiling. “The room gets lots of natural sunlight, but has a cozy cabin vibe,” she says

  • Photographer Patrick Biller
  • Designer Tiffany Leigh Design

The original firebox in this principal bedroom was lowered and given a sleek new mantel.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Clare Forndran and Danielle de Francesco

A slab of Palissandro Rosa marble with an inset double-sided fireplace divides this casual eating area from the family room.

  • Photographer Doublespace Photography
  • Designer Ali Budd

House & Home

A new fireplace insert in the living area, one of the homeowner’s wish list items, creates a cosy main-floor hub in fall and winter.

  • Photographer Niamh Barry
  • Designer Olivia Botrie

A black and white arched fireplace creates a clean, Scandi vibe in Susan Drover’s rowhouse.

  • Photographer Jane Brokenshire
  • Designer Susan Drover

House & Home

In this luxe Victorian, the ornate yet muted fireplace adds warmth and character to the living room.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Kim Lambert

House & Home

“We liked that the mantel was a light, unpainted wood that felt coastal,” says designer Lindsay Mens, “and we loved that it was a found antique from The Door Store, one of our favorite dealers in Toronto.”

  • Photographer Patrick Biller
  • Designer Tommy Smythe and Lindsay Mens for TOM Design Collective

The original river rock fireplace in Emma Reddington’s living room matched the design’s mid-century modern aesthetic.

  • Photographer Ema Peter
  • Designer &Daughters

“The new fireplace in the family room was a favourite feature,” says designer Darcy Hanna. “It was fun to inject a vintage feel with brick veneer tile made on the West Coast.”

  • Photographer Ema Peter
  • Designer &Daughters

Tommy Smythe added a wood-burning fireplace in this Victorian home’s new family room addition. “You wouldn’t build a room that big in the Victorian era and not have a fireplace,” says Tommy.

  • Photographer Patrick Biller
  • Designer TOM Design Studio

House & Home

Designer Jaime Zimmerman moved this vintage mantel from her living room to the principal bedroom and outfitted the firebox with a gas insert.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Jaime Polan Zimmerman