As a source of both heat and light, your choice of fireplace is going to be one of the top considerations when designing your living room.
At a basic level, the purpose of a living room is to have a space where you can relax and unwind, as well as to offer a comfortable spot when inviting guests into your property. So with these requirements in mind, it’s essential that all of the features of your living room culminate to create an environment that is ideal to spend many an hour in.
Living rooms can take on many different themes depending on the property type and of course your personal preferences when it comes to the decor. However, in today’s post, we will focus specifically on modern living rooms and how our fireplace models by JC Bordelet and Focus Fireplaces can help you achieve a more contemporary look within your interior design.
Here are 7 fireplace ideas for modern living rooms to inspire your next project with us.
Traditional Fireplace Vs Modern Fireplace: An Overview
For anyone new to purchasing a fireplace and likewise anyone looking to update their current property, your first question may be what exactly are modern fireplaces, and more specifically, how do they differ from a traditional fireplace?
Traditional fireplaces are usually built into the wall with a chimney above which as a ventilation system, whilst also providing a draft for the fire to burn properly. Sitting on top of a hearth, the fire is powered by the likes of wood, gas or electricity and is completed with a fireplace mantle.
There’s nothing inherently bad about traditional fireplaces. However, they aren’t always ideal both in terms of practicality as well as design aesthetics, especially when looking to create a more contemporary space.
Some of the top issues with traditional fireplaces include a lack of adequate heat distribution across the entire room, the inability to relocate the fireplace, not to mention the potential of creating a dated visual style that may not be compatible with more recent design trends.
In sharp contrast, modern fireplaces can take the form of practically any shape or size, yet crucially, just like their traditional counterparts are compatible with a wide variety of fuel sources.
Other key differences are that modern fireplaces are custom made and have many possible configurations. In addition, modern fireplaces such as the JC Bordelet or Focus Fireplaces pieces that we supply here at Caleo LTD do not require a chimney offering endless possibilities for your project.
Instead, depending on the model you opt for, we can place your fireplace on the wall, in the corner of the room or even have it suspended from the ceiling. Hence, a modern fireplace will not only heat your living room more efficiently but create a striking design statement as it does so.
Modern Fireplace Top Benefits
- The design considers the entire fire and flue for an enriching viewing experience
- An endless range of colour and finish options to choose from – even including designer prints!
- Can be positioned in alternate places such as on the ceiling, on the walls or in the corner of the room
- Potentially adds more value to your home versus a standard design (fireplaces can add as much as 5% onto the value of a property)
- Will ensure better heat distribution as the placement can be controlled to factor in where the heat is needed most, with central fireplaces offering incredible even heat distribution throughout the entire room
- Suitable for installation in any room of the home with some models also designed to be installed in outdoor environments
- Plenty of options for energy efficiency in keeping with modern building standards
- Modern fireplaces don’t just act the part, they look it too! This is why they are also installed in the likes of hotels, restaurants and spas as well as residential homes.
Idea 1: Suspended Wood Burning Stove
The very nature of modern design is that it reinvents the old to bring something new and exciting to the table.
Before the likes of gas, electricity and ethanol, fires were fueled by wood harking back to prehistoric times. So why not retain that satisfying connection to nature with a wood burning stove, but with an effortlessly stylish fireplace such as the Ergofocus? By doing so, you can retain the best feature of a traditional fireplace but with all the benefits of a modern fireplace!
Whether you plan to read a book by your fireplace, entertain guests long into the evening or simply lounge in comfort during the colder months, you can be sure the Ergofocus will keep you sumptuously toasty.
Idea 2: Maximise The Surrounding Walls
If you’re in search of a truly unique design for your modern living room, then look no further than Grappus by Focus Fireplaces. The viewing portal feels truly futuristic and is balanced out by a log store that sits conveniently underneath.
One aspect that the Grappus can help with in terms of modern homes is that it can add interest to an abundance of wall space. While too much wall space isn’t a problem per se, when it comes to choosing what to place on the walls, it can be tricky to strike a balance between feeling complete without overdoing it. With its sleek flue and effortlessly cool shape, the Grappus is a design masterpiece that we’re sure you’ll agree hits all the right notes in that department.
While the Grappus will seamlessly blend with any modern design features, we particularly like how in the above example, an intuitive bookshelf and additional log store have been cut out of the wall to create an attractive focal point in the room.
Idea 3: Add Interest To The Room While Saving Energy
What could be more modern than a fireplace that was inspired by a space capsule? The Calista 917 offers exactly that and in keeping with modern building standards, is designed for low energy homes without the need for additional ventilation. Houston, we have a fireplace!
The design of the Calista 917 is also handy for a variety of scenarios, including if you want the fireplace to sit flush against the wall or if you want to bring it into the centre of the room as a show stopping centrepiece.
Available in four different paint finishes including black, anthracite, chocolate and taupe, we can customise the look of the Calista 917 to match any take on modern interior design that takes your fancy.
Idea 4: Fireplace For An Open Plan Modern Space
When building or designing a modern living space, the natural inclination is to move away from dated styles and embrace the future. This is certainly true when selecting a fireplace since a traditional stove, hearth and mantel will not only take up precious space but also limits the interior design potential of the room because in essence, it’s been done already!
A designer fireplace makes a great alternative and as with the above usage of our Bathyscafocus Hublot, can be placed in practically any part of the room. This includes having it suspended from the ceiling near bifold doors to offer a warm welcome from the outdoors.
The bubble shaped design of the fire itself also lends well to modern design in general, since it adds visual intrigue which is exactly what contemporary design should offer.
Top tip: Be sure to scroll through all of the images on the above post to be able to truly appreciate how the Bathyscafocus Hublot looks truly stunning in modern builds!
Idea 5: Slim Design Fireplace
Modern architecture and design hinges on the consideration of form and shape. If you’re wanting to move away from bulky fixtures and fittings for your modern living room in favour of something a little more slimline, then the aptly named Slimfocus can offer an enchanting view of the dancing flames while remaining effortlessly stylish in the process.
A benefit of a slimmer fireplace is that it offers unlimited options with regard to its placement.
For example, perhaps you’d like to fill empty wall space, or only have a corner available. Maybe you even want to bring the fireplace into the centre of the room – it’s all possible with such an economic design without compromising on that bespoke feel that can be achieved when you opt for a designer fireplace over a traditional setup.
This particular model is also ideal for open plan properties whereby the upper floors are visible from the ground floor, as the flue can extend the full length of the ceiling height to bring a sense of cohesion to the space.
Idea 6: Mixed Materials
Did you know that with a designer fireplace, you don’t have to opt for the ordinary at any stage? This includes within the base design, which can feature mixed materials such as metal or stone to ensure your modern theme isn’t hindered by the fireplace.
Many of our models have the option of having an open base for the flames as with the above example of the Eva 992. The daring concept makes the fireplace centre stage turning the expected on its head.
Have children or pets? We can also incorporate different materials within closed fireplace designs too, meaning no matter your requirements if you want to mix things up with alternative tones, textures and materials it’s completely possible.
Idea 7: Fireplace To Complement Feature Walls
We remain with our Eva 992 to show you how it’s possible to have a feature wall complete with a TV and floating shelves, and still be able to incorporate a beautiful fireplace without overcomplicating the design.
After all, modern design has a simplistic feel that needs to be respected when choosing each element of the room, and the Eva 992 will certainly meet the brief.
In the above example, we particularly like how the Eva 992 is perfectly positioned between the wall and living areas. It isn’t directly central, rather cleverly angled so that it doesn’t obstruct either the view of the TV nor the walkway area. It also perfectly heats the room from all angles due to its 360 degree design! Therefore, the position offers plenty of flexibility going forward should the owners want to move anything around.
Design wise, the colouring and overall form of the Eva 992 means it gels with every aspect of the room which also helps to futureproof the design.
Living Room Fireplace – Book Your Free Consultation!
Is your modern living room in need of a beautiful fireplace to complete the space? Here at Caleo Ltd we design and install designer fireplaces across the UK and Ireland.
Our services span every part of the fireplace planning and installation process, from the technical design right through to project management and aftercare support.
As an exclusive UK stockist of JC Bordelet fireplaces and Focus Fireplaces which are handcrafted in Montpellier, France, we can offer your modern living room design something that cannot be found elsewhere.
Call us on 0114 3221592 to arrange a private visit to our Sheffield showroom to view our exquisite fireplaces in person, so that we can help find exactly what you are looking for.
Alternatively to explore some of our most popular options, please download our brochure. We can also supply details of our Focus models on request or on our website.
If we can be of any further assistance, or if you would like to purchase one of our modern designer fireplaces, please give us a call on the above number or send us a message and one of our friendly team will be in touch.
