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One critical aspect of your fireplace design plan is the actual fireplace surround. A surround is the area between the firebox and the mantle or wall that typically features some sort of fire resistant material that also makes a hearth. A hearth can either be raised or level with your floor and is quickly turning from once being a necessity to now being a design issue. Whereas hearths that were found in homes hundreds of years ago were the main protection against popping embers and served as a space for cooking, hearths today are more for aesthetics than purpose. Choose a fireplace surround that best complements the design of your room and the color palate you have chosen.
For a modern room, consider using highly polished granite for a fireplace surround. This material is available readily in large tiles or a custom cut surround ready for installation. Pair a polished surround with a simple and elegant mantle or forego the traditional mantle shelf completely. Also, glass blocks can complete a contemporary look as well and often add a different texture to a room. If you are on a budget and have the capabilities to do so, consider laying the fireplace surround yourself in order to maximize your budget to include more expensive materials. Recall the look of weathered hunting cabins with a natural rock fireplace surround. Whether you opt to include tiles of slate or another more rustic type of stone or choose to use actual cuts or rock, these fireplaces are wonderfully warm and embrace the beauty of nature. Another popular material is small river rocks that can be placed individually to create an overall design look. Consider collecting these rocks from an area near your home and including those of a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors for your fireplace surround. Turn your fireplace surround into a work of art by using different colored tiles to form a mosaic. Whether you choose to create a stunning pattern or a whimsical picture using the tiles, this is a unique way to ensure your fireplace is truly one of a kind. For a kitchen fireplace or a fireplace in a cottage themed room, use shards of broken pottery to incorporate a look into the surround. This is an especially poignant way to reclaim broken pieces of your favorite dishes or pottery items that may have suffered misfortune along the way and breathe fresh life into your existing fireplace surround. More traditional materials for a fireplace surround include bricks and tiles. Often the most budget conscious alternative, bricks have been used to create fireplaces, chimneys, surrounds, and hearths for hundreds of years. Also, ceramic tiles are a great substitution for more expensive materials like marble or granite and have also been used for centuries. Consider using world famous Delft tiles that use beautiful hues of blue and white to create scenes or employ the use of weathered terra cotta tiles from traditional manufacturers in Italy for a more budget friendly fireplace surround. |
