The fireplace is the focal point in many living rooms. They’re a signifier of comfort, evoking images of snuggling up on winter nights with a blanket and a movie. But they’re also an awesome place to get creative with ceramics.
Creating a feature out of the chimney can be incredibly effective, and designs can be adapted to suit any interior style. Textured tiles, patterned tiles, colourful tiles, high gloss, matt, skinny format, hexagonal, triagonal, metro, square, wood-look, cement-look, terrazzo, hydraulic, you name it; the fireplace can take it.
For large interiors with space to spare and plenty of height, a dark textured décor chimney makes a fine statement, such as in this Hills & Grant designed home. Pretty cool, hey?
A bold statement can still be made without the need for masses of space. Take, for example, this fireplace design below by Natalie Myers of Veneer Designs with a simple two-tone pattern that spreads above and underneath, carving out space for the fire and creating a decorative focal point that could easily be scaled down and replicated in smaller interiors. Used in this way, our Heritage Star Blue or Arthouse Leaf would make for a delightfully decorative fireplace.
Woodburner Warehouse demonstrates how a similar effect can be achieved with a free-standing woodstove, continuing a patterned tile from behind the flu and under the legs, out into the room. This is the perfect design for a small space, where the minor addition of tiles adds worlds of character without taking up a large area.
Simple, plain coloured tiles can be just as effective as patterns, adding vibrancy and vitality to neutral interiors, or calming spaces with cool, light tones. Wood-effect tiles can be used to create ‘impossible’ designs, providing the appeal and comfort of timber, without any worry of scorching or damage.
With fireplaces missing the key element - a stove – an exciting design opportunity is opened up to create a new feature out of space that has become obsolete. Although any material could be used here due to the absence of a fire, to keep in line with the space’s traditional use, tile is still the most effective choice for the area’s décor. Here's a couple of red-hot examples, using our Palm Springs (top) and Heritage Star tiles (bottom).
A tiled fireplace is an affordable way to include the elegance of ceramics in your home, and there are innumerable options for how to incorporate them into interiors. The fireplace doesn’t have to be dark and dull, and there are so many ways to pile on the personality.