8 More Living Rooms with Fabulous Fireplaces

What can we say? We love a cozy fireplace, and are always excited to see how designers will transform them into a statement-making feature. Hence why we’ve rounded up eight more from the WL archives. From a gorgeous plaster surround to a painted mantel, these hearths are sure to inspire your next living room makeover.

Throwing a Curve Ball

Designer Alykhan Velji describes this fireplace best: “It’s a stunner,” he says. When renovating this 3,300-square-foot Calgary home, he replaced the brick-clad wood-burning hearth with a quirky, curvaceous plaster frame—and added an extra pop of personality with a checkered tile. See the before and after photos.

Coming ’Round the Mountain

With painted vertical wall panelling and solid wood furnishings, this Michelle Poitras-designed living room feels almost beachy. But then your attention turns to the wood-burning fireplace, with its limestone surround, and you’re immediately transported to the mountainside. Learn more about why this space is a WL Design 25 winner.

Looking at the Big Picture

What do you see when you look at this fireplace? The book-matched porcelain tiles create a design that’s reminiscent of a Rorschach test. “I think she looks like a sloth,” says designer Louis Duncan-He. “Some people love it, some people don’t know what to think, but we wanted to establish that there was going to be some drama. Peek inside this moody, masculine Calgary bungalow.

Firing on All Cylinders

Every inch of this Mayne Island home, owned by Measured Architecture’s Clinton Cuddington, has been thoughtfully and responsibly designed—including the striking fireplace. It’s constructed from a cylinder of reclaimed steel from the coring of a bridge pile in Lytton, B.C., and has been cut with strategic holes for better heat distribution. Explore the rest of this sustainable retreat.

Having a Case of the Blues

The owners of this Kitsilano condo weren’t afraid to embrace colour, as evidenced by the olive green kitchen cabinets, mustard-yellow bathroom and dusty blue fireplace. For the latter, designer Ben Leavitt and the team at PlaidFox Studio spray-painted the gas fireplace’s gold detailing black and then installed oversized vertical tiles from Tierra Sol around it. Check out the rest of this home or read the week-by-week renovation diaries.

Fading into the Woodwork

So far, we’ve shared a lot of renovated (read: replaced) fireplaces… but you don’t have to completely tear out your hearth in order to give it an upgrade, as evidenced by this Gillian Segal-designed living room. She painted this Yaletown condo’s original black-slate-and-cherry-wood fireplace with the same Benjamin Moore Sweatshirt Gray colour that she used for the walls, creating a soft and modern feel. Find out how to get this look at home.

Playing the Waiting Game

This fireplace designed by Alykhan Velji proves that good things come to those who wait. He and the homeowner debated for months about whether it should be finished with brass, concrete, ceramic or something else entirely… and then the perfect concrete tile arrived at the design firm’s headquarters. “It was one of those things that was almost serendipitous—as soon as they saw it, they loved it,” says Velji. “And we were so glad we waited.” See more of this colourful Calgary home.

Finding Common Ground

Using a mix of warm greys and greens, cool blue and neutrals, designer Sophie Burke gave this home a clean, relaxed aesthetic—one that effortlessly combines Northern California cool with West Coast modern. In the living room, a custom floor-to-ceiling fireplace (made with blackened steel and honed black soapstone) grounds the space. Step inside this West Vancouver harbour house.