Architectural Design and Luxury Fireplaces: creating extensions with a ‘wow’ feature
Our team at Ecclesall Design is often asked how a show-stopping focal point such as a designer fireplace can be incorporated into a new extension. The answer is simple: by thinking of the fireplace not as an after thought, but as a central element of the architectural design from the very start. A luxury fireplace is more than a source of warmth; it is a visual anchor that defines the character and atmosphere of your room. When integrated carefully into an extension, it becomes the heart of the home and a defining feature of the overall design.
Why architectural design matters when planning a fireplace
A new extension offers freedom to shape the proportions of your property, ceiling heights, and layout. This flexibility allows for the creation of the perfect setting for a fireplace, and it is essential to factor this into the design early. Good architectural design ensures that the fireplace feels like a natural and integral part of the space rather than a retrospective acquisition. This involves balancing dimensions, coordinating materials, and considering practical requirements such as flues, ventilation, and, importantly, safety including the size and placement of hearths. When designing around a fireplace, our role is to ensure that the scale and layout of your room work together seamlessly to provide the ideal location for your new fire source.
Extensions suited to luxury fireplaces
Different styles and sizes of extensions provide opportunities for integrating a fireplace as a centrepiece, as well as allowing the possibilities of a range of fuel from gas to multi fuel and log burners to clean-burning bioethanol that requires no flue or chimney.
Single-storey rear extensions are among the most popular additions to family homes. A carefully positioned fireplace here can bring warmth and intimacy to a bright, open kitchen-diner or family room. A sloping roof with skylights above the fireplace adds height and allows natural light to enhance the feature.
Wrap-around or side extensions can provide great opportunities for a fireplace. Larger extensions often create open-plan spaces that combine cooking, dining, and living areas. A feature wall with a double-sided fireplace can define zones without closing them off, giving the fire visibility from multiple vantage points.
Double-storey extensions: With the additional vertical space, there is potential to design dramatic fireplaces that extend through more than one floor, creating fireplaces on multiple levels, or an impressive feature that extends over two stories with perhaps a mezzanine floor.
Modern designs: Contemporary extensions often rely on simplicity, open layouts, and extensive glazing, which makes a designer fireplace the perfect way to anchor the space. Frameless panoramic fires and sleek modern designs, like those in Caleo’s collection, are often freestanding –and sometimes even hang from the ceiling rather than resting on the floor - and can be used as the centrepiece of your extension. These work beautifully in open-plan living areas, allowing the fire to be enjoyed from multiple angles within your new space.
Matching materials and finishes
Caleo’s fireplaces are designed to be architectural features in their own right, with refined finishes that bring depth and elegance to a modern extension. Choosing the right materials is more than aesthetics; it’s about creating a dialogue between the fireplace and the surrounding architecture. By considering these elements at the design stage, our specialist team can ensure that your choice of fireplace integrates seamlessly within your property.
Practical integration
Modern luxury fireplaces, whether panoramic or double-sided designs, require careful integration. Flues and ventilation systems must be incorporated either as part of the architectural statement or discreetly. Bioethanol fires are increasingly being installed by homeowners and are the fastest growing sector due to their clean-burning green credentials and ease of use and installation.
Other key considerations include:
Energy efficiency – pairing the right fire type with the performance standards of the extension, particularly where large areas of glazing are used, can be very fuel-efficient.
Maintenance and servicing – ensuring flues and systems can be accessed for maintenance is a point for attention.
Furniture layout – planning circulation routes and seating arrangements so the fireplace becomes a natural focal point without interrupting the flow of the room.
Designing the heart of your home extension
A designer fireplace should feel as though it belongs at the centre of the home. It provides a point of connection where families gather and where the extension takes on its own identity.
By incorporating the fireplace into the architectural vision from the outset, the extension gains a sense of permanence that elevates it beyond a simple property addition.
At Ecclesall Design, we work with homeowners acrossSheffield, Yorkshire, and Derbyshire to design extensions where every detail, structure, lighting source, layout, and finish supports the vision for your home.
When combined with a Caleo fireplace, the result is a space that feels not only complete but truly exceptional. Browse our website today to learn more about how thoughtful architectural design can transform your house extension and create the perfect setting for a luxury fireplace.
