7 More Fireplaces That Have Got Us Fired Up

You’d think we’d have run out of things to say about fireplaces by now. After all, we’ve already rounded up some of the best in the West (twice) and even made a case for bringing them into the bedroom. But obviously there’s more!

This time, we’re putting a spotlight on the hearths that have captured our hearts with their scale, materials and backstories.

Grand Gesture

It makes perfect sense for a manor-style house to have some antique details. The seven-foot-high limestone fireplace was a serendipitous find by designer Kelly Deck, who spotted it leaning against a wall at Scott Landon Antiques in Surrey. “It’s from a turn-of-last-century Chicago hospital,” she says. See more of this stately and whimsical West Vancouver home.

Hearth-throb

There are a lot of standout features in this 10,000-square-foot West Vancouver home designed by Burgers Architecture and Sophie Burke, from the central pool courtyard and pickleball court to the double-sided fireplace. The latter—with its statement-making rustic stone hearth and dark stained oak millwork—gives the space a rich, comforting vibe. Explore the rest of this Tuscan-inspired farmhouse.

Smoke Screen

This floor-to-ceiling fireplace designed by Sean Pearson of RUFproject achieves two things: 1) It creates a sense of intimacy without making the living room feel closed off, and 2) It disguises a concrete column, which disappears behind the black mirrored glass at the midpoint. Talk about a win-win! Peek inside more gorgeous living rooms.

Main Attraction

The original fireplace in this Calgary home was much heavier and more present, and designer Meghan Bannon of Mera Studio architects wanted to make it less of a focal point. If we’re being honest though, the marble and cream fluted panels she chose to rewrap it with are still pretty hard to ignore. Tour this warm, earthy modern home.

Rock Solid

Most fireplaces we see today are clad in modern materials (think plaster, concrete tiles and blackened steel), so it’s refreshing when we come across a more traditional hearth. A dramatic river rock fireplace anchors the living room in this house designed by Evoke International Design and Shift Interiors. Check out the rest of this 3,600-square-foot family home in Deep Cove.

Old Flame

Architect Rafael Santa Ana and his partner, Megan Paris-Griffiths, waited years to renovate their North Vancouver home. Even so, they refused to strip the 50-plus-year-old property down to the studs—deciding instead to make the best of what was already there.

Take the fireplace. Since it does some of the structural work, the monolithic hearth stayed put; Santa Ana simply modernized it with a coat of white paint and steel shelves. See the before and after renovation photos.

Peak Performance

The renovation of this 1980s ski-in ski-out Whistler chalet actually started fairly small—designer Robert Bailey was asked to modernize the kitchen. But soon enough, the homeowners started to dream big. The fireplace was originally built of river rocks, but those were swapped out in favour of softer Fond du Lac stone and paired with a ceiling-high tower of stacked wood. Step inside this beautiful cabin.