MG EXPERIENCE LUXURY
MG EXPERIENCE LUXURY
A Fireplace for All Seasons
From classic to contemporary and every style in between, this architectural treasure has endless possibilities
BY TRACY KALER
Simplicity was the goal when Specht Novak imagined a wood-burning fireplace lined with custom steel in a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The result complements the house’s Southwestern yet minimalist aesthetic. “The steel surround continues across the wall and forms a niche for firewood. The hearth is a single piece of honed limestone that is cantilevered off the wall with hidden steel supports,” says Scott Specht, founding partner of the New York and Austin–based firm. “The whole assembly was a technical challenge to accomplish, but creates a minimal and elegant focal point for the room.” Not all fireplaces are this imaginative, but these architectural treasures run the gamut, from contemporary to classic, with dozens of versions in between. Wood- burning, gas, and electric, with open and raised hearths, traditional mantels, rustic brick surrounds, and sleek details, fireplaces generate physical and emotional warmth, forge design statements, and lure people inside a space. UNIQUE ITERATIONS Painted wood mantels are ubiquitous, and often, tile completes the surround. But materials like plaster, stucco, marble slabs, and stacked stone can create unique alternatives.
Opposite page: A contemporary fireplace in a home designed by Specht Novak features metal and honed limestone. Above: A room by architecture firm Ike Baker Velten centers around a Rumford fireplace, a style with a shallow firebox and chimney, in a New Jersey beach house.
Architect John Ike, a partner at Ike Baker Velten in Oakland, California, said his favorite iteration is Rumford, a style with a shallow firebox and a narrow chimney, which is what he picked for a New Jersey beach house. “This family home reflects the 19th-century shingle style, with interiors to match the landscape's colors,” Ike explains. “The Rumford fireplace, with proportional firebox and chimney flue, is finished with white lime plaster inspired by Wabi Sabi,” the Japanese aesthetic
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