Lareiras

Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.

Built to go off the grid, this remote beachside cottage can open up completely to the outdoors with its series of movable wall-sized glass panels and screens. Designed by Herbst Architects, the modest New Zealand bach comprises two rectangular pavilions built with mostly natural materials chosen for their durability, texture, and weathering characteristics.

In the land of large mountain lodge wannabes, two California natives tuck Utah’s first LEED for Homes–rated house onto the side of Emigration Canyon.

This is their open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area, full of vintage furniture from flea markets. Dunlop's big and bright painting has pride of place over the fireplace.

The master bedroom’s fireplace boasts a black slate hearth set in white-painted masonry.

Large family gatherings are common so the dining table by Moon Custom Millwork comfortably seats 12; it’s made from wood that resident Sam Chung salvaged himself.

This outdoor fireplace in Austin, Texas is generously sized and created out of board-formed concrete, with a spot directly adjacent for firewood storage and a wood shelf running in front for added storage.

After years of visiting the area as vacationers, one couple builds this striking home for their retirement outside Greenwater, Washington. A fireplace can be used on the rear patio and in the living room, making it feel like one cohesive space. Ipe planks, the same wood that’s used in the front courtyard, cover the floor.

This San Francisco home in the Theatre Lofts building, built in 1926 as a movie palace, was given a sophisticated upgrade by LOCZIdesign for a couple. A new study makes it possible for the husband to read and work late into the night, while the wife sleeps upstairs. The modern fireplace is clad in ceramic tile with a subtle textural pattern.

In the living room, a pair of Mies Van Der Rohe MR lounge chairs sit beneath Artemide's teardrop-like Castore pendants. Teak flooring contrasts with a concrete fireplace.

A small wooden deck originally anchored the backyard, which has since been transformed into a larger social area. “We wanted something that was sunken into the earth that would feel like you’re enveloped by the surroundings,” Michael says. In order to achieve this, he installed a concrete retaining wall that's level with the soil above it, so foliage will gradually grow into the living space. This feature creates an almost ruin-like feeling and a direct connection to the surrounding landscaping.

Magenta Togo sofas by Ligne Roset, a red Eames molded plywood chair, and wire Bertoia Diamond chair provide seating around the hearth.

When JAC Interiors was commissioned to revive an old 1,200-square-foot Hollywood home, the clients—a young couple who the designers call "fun and quirky"—requested the firm find a way to transform the space with as little construction as possible. The fireplace is a custom-made, three-dimensional feature that stands in stark contrast to the soft woods and white walls that make up the rest of the room.

Mitchell wanted to detail the solid oak staircase with that same sense of openness, even though its materials are heavy. “We used a lot of raw steel and wood on the interior of the home,” Mitchell said. “This carries the authenticity of real materials from the building exterior to the building interior.” A custom fireplace sits on the patio.

In Los Angeles, homeowner Bill Thompson warmed up his otherwise dark living room with a series of Douglas fir slats applied above the fireplace, as well as other wood accents throughout the room; the slats provide both texture and pattern to the fireplace, acting as a focal point and emphasizing the space's vertical height.

The Irwin pool house designed by Landis Gores in 1957 boasts a central room with high ceilings and an unobstructed view of the landscape. In 2005, the Town of New Canaan purchased the property and added exhibition spaces, as well as rooms for lectures and events. The small pavilion also houses an oversized, monumental brick fireplace design that divides the main space from the kitchen area.

To inform the color palette for this interior renovation in Stockholm, NOTE Design Studio began with three inspirational images. The sculptural fireplace, covered in plaster, contrasts with oak parquet floors.