Home Is Where The Hearth Is

Fireplaces can create a cozy atmosphere, and newer gas and electric options can modernize your house’s old flame

BY CARON GOLDEN AUG. 19, 2023 6 AM PT

If you ask Jen Pinto to describe the ugliest fireplace she’s encountered in her years as an interior designer, there’s no hesitation.

“It was in a home by the water with a 1970s design,” she recalled. “It had dated stone columns on either side with a mirror above the firebox opening, while the rest of the fireplace was painted white brick. It was really ugly.”

Pinto, a senior interior designer with Jackson Design and Remodeling, was able to transform the wood-burning fireplace by pushing out the exterior wall to create a pair of alcoves with inset shelves and white cabinets on either side. She replaced the brick and the mirror with more contemporary stacked natural stone for a cozy, rustic feel; added a white oak mantel; and outfitted the firebox opening with a screen pattern resembling sea kelp to complement its coastal setting.

Unless you’ve recently moved into a new construction home, chances are good that if your home is more than 15 or 20 years old and has a fireplace, it’s likely to be wood-burning (even if it has a gas insert). And its facade may appear too dated for today’s sleeker styles. Think heavy red brick or bulky, rustic rock that makes you think it’s ready for climbing instead of lighting.

“We still see a lot of brick in houses we’re asked to redesign,” Pinto said. “A lot of people want to get rid of the brick for a more updated look.”

But another complaint she hears is whether the old fireplace is functioning correctly: Is it letting too much smoke in the house, or is it even radiating enough heat into the room?

“It’s more than just an ambiance thing,” she added. “A lot of people want to feel cozy next to a fire, and it’s just not hot enough. You’d think wood-burning fireplaces would generate a lot of heat, but the way that a chimney works, heat rises, and with a wood-burning fireplace the chimney pulls it up and out so it’s not as hot as you think it’s going to be.”

As romantic as a wood-burning fireplace may seem, it’s not only inefficient if you’re trying to heat a room: It’s also an environmental and health hazard. In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an update to its 2017 National Emissions Inventory. It noted that wood-burning devices, including fireplaces, are significant sources of air pollution in the U.S., emitting large amounts of fine particulate matter, called PM2.5, volatile organic compounds, and hazardous air pollutants that the EPA noted are known to contribute to “poor human health, air quality, and visibility.” The EPA explained that in addition to PM2.5, wood smoke contains several toxic air pollutants, including benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

In other words, it may smell cozy, but it’s not good for your health.

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7 Ways See-Through Fireplaces Can Heat Up Your Home Decor

Infuse your home with cozy warmth, increase your house value and create two gathering spots with just one new fire feature.

The see-through fireplace, with designs ranging from rustic to sleekly modern, offers the ambience of a wood-burning, electric, or gas fire simultaneously in more than one room inside a home. A dramatic feature, a double-sided fireplace can be placed in a variety of configurations, including within a wall or along the edge of a wall.

These days, see-through fireplaces are no longer just an indoor or outdoor option. Some of the newest models are installed like a window, allowing those sitting in the living room and others lounging outdoors to enjoy the same fire, simultaneously. Double-sided fireplaces are designed much like a modern window with a firebox in between. They can be powered by either gas or electric and require professional installation.

While the placement and technology may be new, fireplaces themselves are far from new. Fire features continue to be extremely popular as design focal points both indoors and out. The National Association of Home Builders reports that indoor fireplaces were a top five home feature from 2013 to 2021, and a member trends survey from the National Kitchen and Bath Association indicates that fire features are among the most requested outdoor living design elements. Plus, homes that have a fireplace are known to list for about 13 percent more than the national average home price.

1. Warm two spaces with just one fire feature. With prices of oil going up dramatically and the increased frequency of severe weather, some homeowners have been looking around for alternatives to heat their homes. Purchasing generators and changing out HVAC are two solutions, but so is the traditional fireplace. Installing a double-sided fireplace that’s wood-burning (or electric-powered with a generator backup) adds warmth to two spaces, even if the power grid is off. 2. Add dramatic focal points to your home interior. Any fire feature quickly becomes a focal point in an interior or backyard space, and a see-through fireplace with high-tech features like multicolored ember bed lighting and smart speakers just takes it to a whole other level. As well, some double-sided fireplaces—for instance, Heat & Glo’s Primo gas fireplace—offer innovative heat management technology that allows combustibles and electronics like the TV to be placed safely next to the fireplace opening. Also, with gas and electric fireplaces, fireplace designs can be vertical or horizontal, increasing their decorative possibilities.

3. Create a biophilic connection to nature. Trend-followers know that biophilia is a hot design ideal, and indoor-outdoor see-through fireplaces are one way to achieve that goal. Fire offers the obvious visual connection to nature and thermal variability from the heat created, but it also offers a host of other biophilic design patterns, such as diffuse light, nonrhythmic sensory stimuli, and biomorphic forms. 4. Visually connect two spaces while maintaining an open concept. The heightened interest in carving up an open floor plan to create distinct zones for work, play, and gathering may have faded, but it hasn’t completely disappeared. With about 35 percent of Americans working from home full-time, some homeowners are still looking for ways to gently separate large spaces. A see-through fireplace provides a way to create two zones without visually disconnecting the areas.

5. Define a cozy gathering spot both inside and outside a home with a single fireplace. For those who want simultaneous fire-viewing both inside and outside a home but don’t want to invest in more than one home improvement project, the see-through fireplace can be a choice option. Built to withstand weather and constructed of glass that’s similar to modern windows, a double-sided indoor-outdoor fireplace like this Heat & Glo see-through gas fireplace creates a cozy gathering spot no matter the season or the weather.

6. Increase the value of your home. Before investing in a major home improvement project, homeowners often ask: What’s my return on investment? For a fireplace, there’s good news. When compared with other popular features, homes with gas fireplaces have the highest sale-to-list ratios, according to Redfin. Further sweetening the deal, most home buyers report a willingness to pay more for a home with a fireplace, and seven out of 10 real estate agents say that fireplaces are a value-added feature.

7. Enhance the interior of a home wellness retreat. Lately, wellness retreats have been a much-talked-about home feature among designers and architects, and for good reason. Architects report a 70 percent increase in clients demanding fitness and wellness spaces during the past year. Studies show that nature and natural elements reduce adverse stress effects and can lower pulse rates, blood pressure, and cortisol. Fire features are wonderful additions to these stress-free, spa-like retreats, along with water features, nature sounds, daylighting, and natural finishes and textures.

How To Increase Your Home's Resale Value With A Fireplace Makeover

The fireplace is often the most commanding element in any room it’s in. Size and abundance of material are often factors, but as renovation specialist Ron Parko points out, our eyes are naturally drawn to the darkest object in a room anyway. Oftentimes, that’s the firebox when it’s unlit.

Naturally you want this element, and everything that surrounds it, to complement the rest of your home. In many older homes where large brick fireplaces prevail, this can pose a challenge. What do you do? Cover it, paint it, rip it out? Here’s what to consider.

Project: Remodeling a fireplace wall.

Why: Replacing a fireplace wall is mostly an aesthetic choice, but besides pleasing you now, an updated fireplace can also can add resale value.

Who to hire: Someone with plenty of experience remodeling fireplaces is recommended if the job is more than just drywalling or plastering.