Here’s a terrific photo gallery of 53 fireplaces that will warm your inspiration – modern, traditional, brick and other fireplace designs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Concrete walls are offset by the white of the clean fireplace surround. The look is contemporary and sleek.