Interiors

Interior Experts Share the Secrets to Crafting an Exquisite Space Around a Chic and Cozy Fireplace

Designers explain the irresistible draw of the fireplace, from its aesthetic glory to its ability to bring people together

By Jill Sieracki

December 16, 2024

Sig Bergamin animated the fireplace in a New York home with book-matched slabs of heavily veined marble. Photo: DAVID MITCHELL; STYLED BY ANITA SARSIDI

The allure of a fireplace is hard to resist. “There are certain things in decoration that are magical,” says designer Michael S. Smith, whose latest monograph, Classic by Design (Rizzoli), features among its spaces several that are anchored by ornate mantels topped with art and carefully curated assortments of decorative objects. “A fireplace always gives a room focus in a way that feels kind of wonderful.” And sometimes it doesn’t even need to be a functional one to do that. “The illusion of a working fireplace can be helpful in certain rooms.”

Whether it’s an enchanting relic or a modern form, fireplaces pull a space together. “Every house is a different case,” says Madrid-based designer Isabel López-Quesada, whose new book, Town & Country (Vendome Press), spotlights the custom mantel she juxtaposed with vintage Aldo Tura tortoiseshell wall paneling in her own home. “Old French stone mantels with trumeaux are some of my favorites.” But no matter the scale or style, the aesthetic power of a fireplace burns bright.

For a residence on Park Avenue in New York, designer Michael S. Smith topped a traditional fireplace with a painting by Richard Diebenkorn. Photo: Michael Mundy

From the Hearth

When building a new home, many clients have a fireplace high on their wish list, and designers are happy to oblige, creating unique pieces that seamlessly meld with the architecture. That was the case for New York studio Ashe Leandro, which conceived a soaring fireplace of poured concrete and Cor-Ten steel inside a ground-up project in East Hampton, New York. “There’s something about gathering with family and making a fire that’s very special,” says architect Reinaldo Leandro, who showcased the fireplace with a raised hearth that stores wood in the firm’s debut monograph, Ashe Leandro: Architecture + Interiors (Rizzoli).

Designers will also source period models or reproductions from places such as Jamb in London, Féau Boiseries in Paris, and Chateau Domingue in Houston. “We’ve been doing a lot of English fireplaces these days,” says New York designer Young Huh. “The Georgian style is really popular because it appeals to both people who are modern and people who are traditional.”

A towering poured-concrete fireplace, which is lined in Cor-Ten steel and accented with a vibrant artwork by Gisela McDaniel, presides over the living room of a house by Ashe Leandro in East Hampton, New York. Photo: Jason Schmidt

Set in Stone

Designing a new fireplace opens more avenues for playing with materials—from Noir Saint Laurent marble to white onyx. “Burning wood is a messy job so you don’t want to use a really light stone unless it’s a gas fireplace,” adds Huh. “I almost always want to do an Irish soapstone because it’s this perfect almost-black. It’s warm, it’s smooth; sometimes, we will have it flamed for texture.”

Options abound for the mantel and inside the firebox, and choices can radically influence the vibe of an interior—for example, the Karl Springer–inspired steel fireplace Smith installed in a traditional New York apartment. At another Manhattan address, designer Sig Bergamin utilized book-matched slabs of heavily veined marble to add a painterly effect to a fireplace for an upbeat, fun couple. “The pattern at a 45-degree angle is a chic, bold, yet sophisticated touch that perfectly complements the cozy atmosphere,” says the designer, who highlighted the space in his new tome, Sig Bergamin: Eclectic (Assouline).

For her own living room in Madrid, designer Isabel López-Quesada juxtaposed 1960s Aldo Tura tortoiseshell panels with a custom white fireplace with clean lines and artwork by Francisco Bores and Luis Feito (left). Photo: MIGUEL FLORES-VIANNA

Best Dressed

Even the most ornate fireplaces need to be accessorized. Screens ranging from glass-and-metal contemporary art pieces to elaborate French antiques add to the aesthetic splendor while providing safety. Andirons, too, can be a unique, punctuating sculptural moment.

What goes over the fireplace, if anything, is also vital. “It’s about putting something there that you love because that’s such a focal point,” says Huh, whose clients have selected everything from intricate carvings to verre églomisé panels. “It should be a kind of art, but it doesn’t have to be a painting.”

“The classic thing of having a mirror above a fireplace really adds a verticality and a kind of focus to what could be a relatively boring room,” adds Smith, who paired one with a remarkable Emilio Terry example on the cover of his latest tome. “I think a fireplace is like jewelry. It’s such an incredible opportunity to bring in a piece of architecture that sets a tone and a feel for the room.”

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Interior Experts Share the Secrets to Crafting an Exquisite Space Around a Chic and Cozy Fireplace

Sig Bergamin animated the fireplace in a New York home with book-matched slabs of heavily veined marble.

Photograph by DAVID MITCHELL; STYLED BY ANITA SARSIDI

Bari side table by Frato.

Photograph by COURTESY OF FRATO

Amber onyx from ABC Stone.

Photograph by COURTESY OF ABC STONE

Cubo Raked modular sofa by Harvey Probber for RH.

Photograph by COURTESY OF RH

Kento lamp by Wildwood.

Photograph by COURTESY OF WILDWOOD

Lumillumina jacquard by Dedar.

Photograph by COURTESY OF DEDAR

Nerone cabinet by Achille Salvagni.

Photograph by COURTESY OF ACHILLE SALVAGNI ATELIER

A towering poured-concrete fireplace, which is lined in Cor-Ten steel and accented with a vibrant artwork by Gisela McDaniel, presides over the living room of a house by Ashe Leandro in East Hampton, New York.

Photograph by Jason Schmidt

Corbeille Derby basket by Hermu00e8s.

Photograph by COURTESY OF HERMÈS

Hubba armchair by Andrii Kovalskyi for Roche Bobois.

Photograph by COURTESY OF ROCHE BOBOIS

Valmu handwoven mohair blanket by Lena Rewell from ABASK.

Photograph by COURTESY OF ABASK

Funnel table lamp by Dumais Made for Design Within Reach.

Photograph by COURTESY OF DESIGN WITHIN REACH

Gamil GAM04 rug by Michael Habachy for Jaipur Living.

Photograph by COURTESY OF JAIPUR LIVING

Louisa coffee table by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni&C.

Photograph by COURTESY OF MOLTENI&C

For her own living room in Madrid, designer Isabel Lu00f3pez-Quesada juxtaposed 1960s Aldo Tura tortoiseshell panels with a custom white fireplace with clean lines and artwork by Francisco Bores and Luis Feito (left).

Photograph by MIGUEL FLORES-VIANNA

FF basket by Made For a Woman for Fendi Casa.

Photograph by COURTESY OF FENDI CASA

Secretaire by Samuel Marx from Liz O’Brien.

Photograph by COURTESY OF LIZ O’BRIEN

Firedogs Lion andirons by Anna Petrus from Svenskt Tenn.

Photograph by COURTESY OF SVENSKT TENN

Divisadero sofa by Eichholtz.

Photograph by COURTESY OF EICHHOLTZ

Welli side table by Deborah Moss for Holly Hunt.

Photograph by COURTESY OF HOLLY HUNT

Cordes Sensibles wall covering by Vu00e9ronique de Soultrait for u00c9litis.