Wood stove

A sliding timber door elegantly conceals both the television and storage in the first-floor living room.

A floor lamp nearly eight feet tall anchors the seating area in the living area. Ceilings that are 12 feet tall at the highest point help the room feel expansive. “We needed to find a way to define different areas in a relatively tight space,” Lachapelle says. It’s the clients’ first experience with an open floor plan. “We raised our kids in an old Victorian, and the farmhouse we live in now is chopped up into tiny rooms save for the studio we just added,” the husband says.

The wood stove is set within a blue, glazed brick socle.

To minimize the home's energy footprint, the floor and foundation are made from cast concrete. Large openings allow for natural ventilation, while surrounding trees help create a cool microclimate. The house is powered by geothermal energy.

“Buckets sit around the fireplace to hold the firewood and provide a nice contrast between the cabinetry,” Harding says. The bold black Stovax fireplace is the primary statement in the living room, however it also displays the homeowners’ curated items and a piece of art by Clare Brody from Studio Gallery in Melbourne.

At the far end of the “living shed” is a fireplace and concrete bench, which offers a contemplative space for reading and watching the bushland through the windows.

This home in the snowy forests of Eastern Quebec, a centralized fireplace was built into a custom, multi-purpose cabinet welded from sheets of hot-rolled steel.

In the living areas, the inner surface of the massive beam-wall that frames the eastern façade is clad in wood, which adds a sense of warmth to counteract the coolness of the concrete.

An Acucraft fireplace divides the family room from the living room. The interior flooring is also by Madera-Trade.

The home features concrete floors with radiant heating. A custom folded-steel, double-sided fireplace separates the living room from the dining area. The chandelier is from Restoration Hardware, and the coffee table is custom made.

The two-way fireplace that divides the living space sits on a red brick and concrete plinth, echoing the use of materials in the kitchen island. The lighting in the living area is from NAU and Oty Light.

Light-wood flooring and furnishings warm up the black-and-white interior.