9 Design Ideas for Fireplace Walls, Mantels, Surrounds and Hearths

Fall is often the time when homeowners think about updating or adding a fireplace to a room. Fireplaces are an asset to homes in our climate and can be a focal point during the holiday season and winter months.

Gas fireplace inserts make it convenient to turn on a warming fire and simplify maintenance. Wood burning fireplaces add traditional charm with crackling glowing embers during cold days and nights.

If you’re considering updating or adding a fireplace to a room in your home and need inspiration, here are nine design ideas for fireplace walls, mantels, surrounds and hearths from our recent remodeling and new home construction projects here in Central New York.

A fireplace is the focal point in rooms where people gather. This traditional-style gas-fueled fireplace is decorated for a Thanksgiving gathering. More homeowners are placing flat-screen televisions over fireplaces when they update living room and family room spaces.

Fireplace Walls

Stone accent walls are one of the hottest interior design trends in today’s homes. Recent advances in technology have made manufactured stone veneer more affordable and available. These products are very attractive and look just like natural stone. They are also lighter in weight and easier to install than natural stone products.

Manufactured stone veneer is easy to maintain and requires no sealing. Manufactured stone is available in veneer panels or in pieces that are set with mortar for a conventional look.

The fireplace wall clearly defines this Mission-style room. The wall features a ledgestone veneer and two windows with wood frames. The fireplace has a custom Mission oak mantel, granite surround and hearth, and a brick insert.

This masonry wood-burning fireplace is unique in that it is two sided. An additional firebox was incorporated into the chimney for an outdoor entertainment area.

Fireplace Mantels

A fireplace mantel is a shelf that is traditional to fireplace design. Originally, mantels were constructed to hold items needed for the fireplace such as pots or candles and lamps that added light in a room.

Fireplace mantels are a decorative element that defines the style of a room. Today flat screen TVs are replacing the traditional paintings and mirrors that were once hung over a mantel. Fireplaces are often placed on a central wall of a room that can be an optimal location for a television.

This fireplace features an oversized mantel, a gas fireplace insert and a granite tile surround and hearth. The white painted wood of the mantel, accented with carved wood columns and molding, blends with the interior of the home. The flat screen television that is recessed into the wall over the mantel augments the granite surround and hearth.

A traditional oak mantel adds architectural interest to this room. The grain of the wood stands out along with the dentil molding and carved columns.

Fireplace Surrounds

Fireplace surrounds are the part of the fireplace located on the exterior of the insert where wood or gas-fired ceramic logs burn. Surrounds of fireplaces are made of fireproof material such as brick, tile or stone and can be framed with wood accent columns.

Granite was used for the surround and hearth of this stylish gas-fueled fireplace with a stained wood mantel. The design is simple yet elegant.

Here is a traditional fireplace with a brick surround, a cast iron stove insert and white painted wood mantel.

Fireplace Hearths

A hearth is the floor of a fireplace where the fire burns and can extend into a room. Most hearths are made of masonry but decorative stone such as granite or quartz is also being used for hearths.

This family room addition has an open wood-burning fireplace that features an elevated brick hearth and simple barn wood mantel.

This is a close-up photo of a fireplace update project. The hearth was updated with tile that matched the new ledgestone veneer surround and was installed to blend with the oak hardwood flooring.