Stone fireplace adds rustic touch, showcases creative design

Fireplaces were originally all about function, but today they're valued at least as much for their charm as for the warmth they generate.

Everyone wants a fireplace. And while it's neither easy nor inexpensive to install one in an existing space, such an addition can be successful as long as potential problems are identified and addressed.

Knocking a hole in a wall and connecting it to a chimney won't produce a satisfying outcome. To experience the glow of a fireplace but not the smoke, consideration must be given not only to technical factors but to furniture placements as well.

Q: We want to include a fireplace in the family room of a vacation home we're building in the mountains. Can you offer some suggestions regarding that particular element as well as the overall design, which we envision as strongly rustic.

A: Stone and timber are the obvious materials for the simply crafted look you seem to be planning. But those elements can still be creatively integrated into a rustic setting, as the accompanying photo suggests.

It's taken from "Fireplaces," a Taunton Press book by Jane Gitlin, a Connecticut architect. I urge anyone who's thinking about adding a woodstove or fireplace, indoors or out, to consult this book.

The mantel shown here is not what's expected in a newly designed interior. Because the mortar is recessed from view, the natural stones in a variety of textures, sizes and shapes appear to have been piled onto one another. And the free-shaped hearth is made to look as though the stone were embedded in the wooden floor.

The flat ceiling does seem too low in combination with so weighty an element as a fireplace. A choice had to be made, however -- either go with these awkward proportions or forego the fireplace. In a room with a taller ceiling, the fireplace would still act as a divider but would probably appear less massive.

Careful calculations have to be made in regard to the depth, width and height of the firebox. The standard measurements for a working wood-burning fireplace aren't hard to figure because they haven't changed in more than 200 years.

Now all you need to do is find a craftsman who's certified to build fireplaces.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.