Gas Fireplace Surround Inspiration
A gas fireplace can transform any room into a warm, inviting hub for family and friends. With the right surround and design touches, it also makes for a striking focal point packed with style. But with so many configurations, materials and looks to choose from, where do you start?
We'll explore creative styles, materials, layouts and display solutions to help you create a showstopping fireplace design.
Styles and Materials for Gas Fireplace Surrounds
Today's gas fireplaces come in traditional and modern looks to complement any decor. While the firebox and flame can create a strong style statement, the surround plays an equally important role.
Contemporary Surrounds
For a polished, contemporary look, a minimal surround in stone, metal or painted drywall can look sleek. Opt for straight, clean lines rather than ornate detailing. Stainless steel strips and facets lend a streamlined designer touch, like those featured on the Escea ST900 fireplace .
Rustic and Traditional Surrounds
For a cozy, old-world style, an ornate wooden mantel makes a lovely traditional surround. Stone and brickwork also exude heritage charm. Opt for natural textures like stacked stone or a stone slab for organic warmth. Hand-carved mantels, millwork and cladding add character and a sense of history.
Customized Materials
Get creative with your preferred textures and materials. Beyond traditional brick and wood, get contemporary with metals, colored concrete, porcelain and mosaic tiles. Mirrors or colored glass tiles lend unique personality. Concrete makes a sculptural, raw and modern statement. Consider a stone slab, like marble, for an upscale look.
Decorating with Gas Fireplace Surrounds
A fireplace makes a fabulous decor anchor and focal point. Place seating nearby to create an alluring lounge area for enjoying the mesmerizing flames. Use the styling of your surround to establish the room's overall decor scheme and palette.
Complementing Room Design and Style
Choose a surround style that complements your interior design for visual harmony. Those coveting a modern, minimalist living room would do well with a sleek metal or concrete surround and firebox. Conversely, rustic farmhouse spaces come alive with reclaimed wood mantels and stone.
Tie these materials into other elements like flooring, walls, and furniture finishes for a pulled-together look. Paint or stain the surround in your feature wall color for a cohesive feel. For ornate traditional surrounds, adorn with artwork, mirrors and candles suited to the classical style.
Creative Display Solutions
Think outside the box when considering fireplace layout and presentation. Instead of centrally placing it on a wall, install within an alcove for a cocooning effect. Create architectural interest with a half wall installation. Contemporary spaces often opt for floating surrounds and hearths, devoid of visible floor supports.
For bold impact, clad an entire wall with stone slab. Present like artwork by mounting a linear fireplace and wide stainless steel fascia on the wall. Where space allows, build floor-to-ceiling stonework around the firebox. A customized wall niche with ledges for firewood and decor lends character.
Budget-Friendly Gas Fireplace Surround Makeovers
Lacking the funds for a full remodel? Clever upgrades to an existing fireplace make for affordable facelifts. DIY surround projects allow creativity without the designer price tag.
Affordable DIY Options
Give outdated brickwork new life with a faux finish using concrete resurfacing kits or stone veneers. Update a classic wooden mantel with a bright coat of paint or stain. Use paint and molding to craft picture frame detailing around the firebox. Faux beam mantels add contemporary farmhouse charm on a dime.
DIY floating shelves make handy ledges for decorating with flowers, candles and treasured trinkets. Consider an easy upgrade like tile, mirrors or reclaimed wood panels over lackluster brickwork. New fireplace doors and log sets also lend updated style affordably.
Economical Pre-Made Alternatives
On a tight timeline or lacking DIY prowess? Quality pre-fab surrounds and mantels make budget-friendly upgrades. Find traditional designs in materials like MDF, wood composite and polyurethane for quick installations.
Sleek metal panels offer contemporary customization without the labor costs. Stone and brick veneers easily update worn masonry in a day. While less durable than real wood or stone, faux materials provide convincing looks on a wallet-friendly scale.
Transforming Rooms with Gas Fireplace Surrounds
Strategic layouts and display choices allow your gas fireplace design to make a phenomenal impact. Use spatial planning and decorative touches to create an alluring, ultra-cozy gathering place.
Layout and Placement Tips
Where you situate your fireplace greatly informs perceived size and proportions. anchoring it symmetrically on a wall emphasizes height for an imposing statement. Off-center placement makes rooms feel more spacious.
Section off sitting areas in open floor plans using the fireplace as a room divider. Zone spaces in studio rooms or apartments with a corner installation. For intimate gatherings, tuck a fireplace into an alcove or custom wall niche.
Ambiance Enhancing Touches
The right furnishings and design details transform basic fireplaces into bewitching hangout zones. Place plush seating opposite the firebox to bask in the warmth and glow. Choose an area rug in fire-inspired hues like crimson red or amber orange.
Flank built-in shelving with firewood, candles and cozy touches for an inviting look. Suspend a macrame tapestry above the mantel for bohemian personality. Display treasured travel trinkets and artwork to inspire conversation around the hearth.
Design Concepts for Gas Fireplace Surrounds
Use creative design techniques like contrast, repetition and color blocking to make your fireplace surround shine. Tailor the look to your preferred decor personality be it soft and romantic or sleekly modern.
Modern and Contemporary
Contemporary spaces crave clean lines and a minimalist look when it comes to fireplace surrounds. Opt for a wide, trimless fascia in black or stainless steel for a streamlined statement. Paint surrounding walls white for crisp contrast.
Inject sleek style with faceted metallic tile, stacked ledgestone or concrete surrounds. Contrast the hardness of materials like glass and metal with soft furnishings in velvet and sheepskin.
Traditional, Rustic and Farmhouse
To complete a heritage home's heart, classic mantels and timeworn stonework hit the mark. Seek out vintage wooden mantels in antique stores, or install a hand-carved reproduction mantle for turn-of-the-century grandeur.
Layer in elements that celebrate imperfections and embrace worn finishes. Display antique objects like weathered books, botanical prints and brass candlesticks. Macrame tapestries, cozy textiles and faded Persian rugs enhance coziness.
Customization Ideas for Gas Fireplace Surrounds
Dreaming of a bespoke fireplace tailored to your unique taste? Custom surrounds and built-ins lend personalized flair allowing you to orchestrate a showstopping focal point.
Work with skilled trades to design a distinctive fireplace installation. Collaboration with stonemasons and metalworkers makes distinctive designs possible. Conceptualize creative cubbyholes, floating surrounds and wraparound stonework tailored to your space.
Integrate the firebox into bookcases, room dividers and storage walls for form and function. Use surrounding display ledges and shelving to exhibit art, ornaments and treasured collections. Envision one-of-a-kind style suited your passions.