BY THE FIRE Fireplaces old and new to warm your home this winter

HEART of the HOME

We cosy up to the experts to discover factors to consider when installing a fireplace, and the trends of the season

As the nights draw in and the temperatures drop, we’re inclined to retreat to the heart of the home, and what better way to cosy up your living room than with a fire. Knowing where to begin can be a mammoth task. “Fireplace designs vary from elaborate antique mantel pieces in stone, marble or wood, complemented by cast iron inserts or free-standing baskets which could either house a decorative gas fire or be used for burning smokeless coals; to minimalistic frameless holes in the wall for an ultra-modern look,” says Silvie Omen from Stonewoods.

To narrow down your options, Owen Pacey of antiques fireplace company Renaissance urges buyers to think about the architectural era of the home. “I always advise sticking to whatever fireplace style is local to that area. This is for aesthetic, rather than practical reasons. Something from the wrong era will stick out like a sore thumb,” he says. “For the new builds it is harder to find an original piece that works but we make bespoke contemporary models too. These are what we call a ‘bolection’ style of fireplace – they have very clean lines which take inspiration from antique fireplaces typical of the unfussy English aesthetic. They sit very well in a more modern environment.”

But it’s not always necessary to go for a Victorian fireplace if you live in a Victorian house, says Paul Chesney of Chesneys. “Architecturally, proportion of a fire surround is more important. Chesneys will be able to suggest the appropriate size of the surround you like.”

Tom Jackson, director at Jamb insists that prospective fireplace owners should always look to previous centuries for inspiration. “Often to look forwards one has to look backwards, and the clean lines and brave proportions of early 17th century Italian chimneypieces can feel wildly modern and exciting. Often people feel carved detail is too ostentatious in character, and a bolection profile like the Roma is the perfect way to celebrate hand carving and exceptional material, and a sense of grandeur through simplicity. Jamb has over a dozen of such profiles of varying proportions and drawn from different moments in architectural history, all available in a wide range of materials from a sleepy English limestone to the most highly prizes Italian marbles that were favoured in the Georgian era.”

Finding the right fireplace for you is all

ALL AGLOW Clockwise from left: From the EcoSmart’s Flex Fireplace Series, stonewoods.co.uk; the Wychwood woodburning stove creates a stunning focal point in your home, acrheatproducts.com; an original piece from an Italian monastery, sourced by Owen Pacey, renaissancelondon.com; one of the most popular designs in Chesney’s Contemporary Collection, the Manhattan classic, chesneys.co.uk. Previous page: Roma fireplace in black marble by Jamb, shot by Michael Sinclair, jamb.co.uk

about the function too, and how much heat you want it to throw out. “Glass-fronted units will give you around 80 per cent efficiency comparing to around 15-25 per cent of open fires,” comments Omen from Stonewoods. “The latest generation of glass fires feature anti-reflective ‘invisible’ front glass which will give you the illusion of a large open fire without most of the heat being taken up the chimney, plus a remote control for convenience.”

In modern homes, lacking a chimney needn’t be a problem. Apart from electric fires and balanced flue gas fires which can vent out through an external wall, Omen has seen a boom in bioethanol fires. “These super environmentally friendly burners can be installed in classical fireplaces as well as single or multi-sided holes in the wall that only require minimal clearances from combustibles, meaning they can be incorporated in joinery projects even in compact interior designs.” You can stay ahead of smoke control regulations coming into effect in 2022, by keeping your eyes on SIA (Ecodesign 2022) approved wood burning stoves that comply with the laws.

According to Pacey of Renaissance, the trend for original fireplaces with a sense of story and individuality, over reproduced pieces is showing no sign of abating. “A fireplace is a real focal point, it brings people together. They are lovely community pieces that can tell stories. One set that stays in my mind is the giant travertine fireplaces that came from an Italian monastery. This was many years ago when a huge earthquake struck. I happened to be in southern Italy at the time and ended up bartering with this very old Italian monk for them – it was a surreal exchange. The fireplaces are both currently in my own home.”

In other trends, Chesney has noticed locally quarried stone is taking off. “Very much on trend at the moment are simple shapes with fantastic marbles, epitomised by our new British Materials Collection. We have used some incredible British stones and marbles quarried by Britannicus Stone and designed a collection of quite simple surrounds to showcase the spectacular native materials this country has to offer.” L

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