“They are trophy pieces, chosen as individual iconic items in a room,” says Paul Chesney, managing director of Chesney’s, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of luxury fireplaces. Over the past five years antique fireplaces have become highly sought after. Antique marble fireplaces can be found adorning the living rooms of ultra-modern properties, while a rectangular box of dancing flames can add a contemporary touch to a period home. Today’s fireplace is something of a design rebel, unconstrained by the style or age of the property in which it is set. The intricacy of pattern waxed and waned with the times, the fireplace reflecting the design aesthetic of the era. The idea of a chimney piece (two “legs” and a decorated mantel) was developed during the Renaissance, its decorative style inspired by classical Greek and Roman architecture. Believed to be the largest in England, the medieval fireplace at Shute Barton manor house in Devon is 24 feet long and 10 feet deep - sizeable enough to roast two oxen at once. Over the following centuries the size of the fireplace grew, becoming large enough for family members to sit on either side of it for warmth and light, and also for cooking with a spit. These were in time moved to the wall where they could be more easily supported, marking the beginning of the traditional fireplace as we know it today.Ī fire goes back to the primitive notion of what makes a home Later, a canopy was used to direct the smoke out of the room more effectively. The first fires in buildings were contained within an open hearth, bordered by stone or tile and placed in the center of the main living space, the smoke escaping through a louvered hole in the roof. Remains of fire have been found in the caves of early man. Humankind’s relationship with fire dates back at least one million years. “A fire goes back to the primitive notion of what makes a home,” says Arthur Lasky of New York-based fireplace company HearthCabinet. Despite the fact that radiators and stoves have today made the need for fireplaces as sources of heat for warmth and cooking redundant, the allure of a flickering flame continues to enthrall. Banner image: The Dominique Imbert-designed Slimfocus is the first suspended room-sealed fire.ĭesign-wise, a fireplace creates an immediate focus and brings symmetry to a room, but perhaps more fundamental is the emotional response a naked flame evokes. And when lit with a fire, it provides atmosphere and comfort not found in rooms without one.”Ĭhesney's Roxburghe fireplace, shown here with the Osterley brass fire basket, is a reproduction of a fireplace originally designed for the Duke of Roxburghe in 1777 and is typical of the company's offering. “A fireplace sets a property apart,” says Anne Collins of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales, LLC, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. “There is value added for the buyer seeking elegance and balance in a room. More than a century later, Lloyd Wright’s appreciation of the fireplace is now shared by fellow architects and homeowners alike, for whom a fireplace has become a must-have. The fireplace, he said, is the “psychological center” of a room. He continued the trend throughout his career, making fireplaces a design feature in all of his celebrated homes. Instead, the iconic American architect, also known for New York’s Guggenheim Museum, went for large and eye-catching, with fireplaces decorated with mosaic glass and striking murals. When Frank Lloyd Wright began designing his revolutionary signature-style Prairie homes, with their groundbreaking horizontal lines and open-plan spaces, he railed against the existing trend for the small and apologetic fireplace.
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