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All Photos/living/fireplace : standard layout/lighting : recessed

Living Room Standard Layout Fireplace Recessed Lighting Design Photos and Ideas

If color doesn't scare you in the slightest, go for broke!
Cover Architecture and EEK Studio redesigned the fireplace so it no longer obstructs the side of the window. The surround lighting creates a warm and inviting effect, even when the fireplace is not lit.
The architects incorporated sustainably sourced parota wood into the living room’s sunken seating area. The Turn Tall side table is from Blu Dot, and the pillows are from West Elm.
In the living room, Two Mario Botta chairs look towards the new fireplace, a Memphis coffee table and an original leaded-glass window. The rug is designed by Faye Toogood for CC Tapis. Happy the dog sits on a sofa from Toronto’s Home Societe.
The living room retains the home’s original, poured terrazzo floors. There are oversize Fleetwood sliding glass doors on both sides. Most of the original doors have been upgraded to newer, energy-efficient glass, but their size and placement match what was original to the home.
"The main challenge was making a space with a 250-square-foot footprint actually feel large," says Mackay. "The key to its success is high ceilings, eight-foot doors, and oversize windows."
"The colorful first-floor lounge is filled with hand-picked treasures—such as the custom-made fireplace, and William Boshoff's "Nice Guys
In the living room, a Stûv fireplace sits near Lori’s favorite place to paint. “We made the southeast corner glass, because that’s where the best view is,” says BCJ principal Ray Calabro.
An exposed ridge beam at the ceiling and sloping ceiling defines the living room in the open plan. The lights over the dining table are by Muuto.
The fireplace is covered in Norman brick from Mutual Materials, in an era-appropriate stacked pattern.
The inoperable picture windows were replaced with large sliding glass doors that open to the new seating patio.
Now positioned as they are at the top of the home, the living room and dining room have ten-foot high ceilings and wide open views of the water.
The original fireplace was kept, and the plaster around it removed to reveal the brick, which was white-washed.
Birdseye designed the home to be "as visually quiet as possible," says Mac.
Mac describes adding the fireplace’s Domingue plaster finish as a real "labor of love." "The end result was a credit to the builder and his team. It really pulled the spaces together, and there is nothing better than the natural light playing with the plaster finish," explains the architect.
SHED replaced the windows with new wood units of the same style. Note how the shelving at the half-wall aligns perfectly with the window mullions.
The fireplace was painted white and now has a wood stove installed (not shown). "Once we got the wood stove, the room just came to life and became super cozy," says Jocie.
The most costly parts of the build were the board-formed concrete walls and fireplace. “We believe it was worth spending the money here for a few reasons,” reveals architect Cavin Costello. “The mass anchors the house into the landscape, and the material is incredibly durable—something we need in the harsh desert sun. The board-forms give the home a wonderful character.”
Crawford taught himself how to reface the brick fireplace façade, using a creamy-colored, thin set brick. “It was his first time using a tile saw or laying brick, but his meticulous precision paid off,” says Devlin.
The wood slat wall was a great solution for spreading light throughout the split-level and looks right for the era of the house. At $2700, it was also much more cost effective than Devlin’s original design of a metal staircase.
An aqua Malm fireplace warms up a corner. The pink, green, and yellow stripes now reach the skylights and extend over an integrated storage space to the floor. “My husband and I, we both actually hate having a TV visible to guests, but it’s a necessary evil,” says Shawn. “So how do you make that interesting and without it being too busy? [The rainbow stripe] creates an element that draws your eye away.”
A relaxed living room with outdoor access occupies the addition.
"We wrapped the roof in glass, so the interior is open, airy, and gets plenty of sunlight—something many tiny homes lack," says Mackay.
A curtain can be pulled shut over the living room windows to afford privacy when needed.
The mezzanine level was transformed into a family room, leaving the fireplace pretty much as is. A painting by Anyeley’s sister, Addoley Dzegede, hangs over a Thataway sofa by Blu Dot. Above the fireplace is a Frame TV by Samsung, displaying a piece by San Francisco artist Barry McGee.
The walls behind the fireplace are 400-millimeter-thick rammed earth, and they were formed on site by a specialist contractor. The material not only provides thermal mass to protect the interior from the heavy heat load experienced in summer, but also heats up when the fireplace is in use in winter months to provide gentle heat release to the main living area.
The open-plan living area features rift-cut white oak flooring.
The rear wall with stacking sliding doors opens to surrounding decks and the "hero" view.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves and storage bookend a cabinet that conceals the television.
The pair replaced the cluttered firewood storage with a floating hearth that can double as a seat and display for art.
Raj and Watts extended the fireplace column to the ceiling to highlight the room’s expansive scale, and had it coated in concrete plaster. It was important to retain the wood-burning fireplace—a rarity in the city—but “we wanted to re-clad it in a material that also spoke to the industrial past of the building,” says Raj.
The light-filled living room features a Kasota limestone fireplace. The slab stones were “fleuri” cut across the grain for a swirl effect, then sandblasted to age.
A picture window over a custom concrete bench fashions a window seat. “Family, friends, and animals all enjoy the various places to relax in the lounge,” says the homeowner. “The window seat is universally the most prized nook in the home.”
An inset shelf is a decorative feature above the firewood storage. “We enjoy the low sun in the winter mornings and the toasty warmth from the Jotul stove, which heats the whole back of the house,” say the clients.
The Wilfred sofa from Jardan is covered in the homeowners’ other favorite color: indigo. It sits with a reupholstered Womb Chair in the new living area.
The fireplace surround was replaced, and the mantle and pilasters were removed for a more minimal, sleek appearance. The new marble kitchen bench was extended out into the living room to create a benchtop area in front of the window for dining and working.
The ceiling height was lowered over the seating area in the living room to create a cozy enclosure there, while double-height windows on the perimeter bring in yet more light.
A look back at the atrium on the left and the foyer on the right—sleek, built-in storage lines the entry on one side, opposite a two-sided fireplace.
The design team added new perimeter window openings to encourage light into the home wherever possible.
The wood-wrapped footbridge on the floor above defines the passage into the living room.
Art by Zoe Pawlak sits on the mantle with an Eames Bird from Herman Miller.
Cuddington had the drywall removed to reveal the house’s original structural framework, which in turn screens the living areas while also allowing visual connection with the front door. "Having the ability to just swap out [the drywall] and open it up gave the home a sense of arrival and a preface to the type of materials that were being used in the project," says Cuddington.
The entry between the living room and dining room was widened.
A coat of Dunn Edwards "Frosting Cream" brightens up the surroundings significantly.
Rossi kept important features of the old home throughout, such as the built-ins, fireplace, and original floors.
The project team excavated a portion of the backyard to create a sunken patio that seamlessly meets the grade of the interior living spaces. The interior flooring is large-scale honed basalt tile (24" x 48" in size), which becomes 24" x 48" flamed basalt tile at the exterior patio.
In the living room, a new faceted, blackened-steel fireplace surround is juxtaposed with leaded glass windows. "The existing portions of the house offer more formal and internal spaces for cozy entertaining and lounging," says Chadbourne.
Huge header beams and thickened walls allow for a generous opening between the living room and deck, with doors that recess into the wall cavity and a seamless meeting between the indoor floor and the exterior decking.
“I love the subtle design of the two fireplaces and I think my favorite part is the way light and shadow play off each other throughout the house,” says listing agent Chris Menrad.
LED lighting playfully highlights the zig-zag form created where the timber stairs met the wall.
The living room features a Cheminee Philippe wood-burning fireplace, which has a large heating capacity. By placing it below the void, it is able to heat both the downstairs and common areas upstairs.
This full-height bay window juts out of the home, allowing one to “step into” the desert scenery. Poles supporting the ramada pierce down into the living spaces, establishing a continuous connection between the two structures.
Boiserie panels made of zebrawood create a cozy nook in the main living area and also form a picture rail to display the client’s art collection.
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