Corner Fireplaces Give Rooms a Design Edge
Maximizing unused space, opening a floor plan, creating a focal point ... corner fireplaces offer more advantages than just heat and light
Houzz Contributor. Shane Inman is president and senior principal interior designer of The Inman Company. After earning a B.A. in interior design from Michigan State University, he started his career specializing in custom kitchen and bath design. He is a certified interior designer by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), a certified kitchen designer by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and also holds the highest-ranking memberships with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).
Houzz Contributor. Shane Inman is president and senior principal interior... More »
| Share: |
|
Need additional square footage but still want that warm and cozy focal point of a fireplace? A big and bulky fireplace can become quite compact when you utilize the often wasted space in a room's corner. A perfectly tailored fireplace in a corner not only heats an entire space with ease, but it enlarges the floor plan too. Get inspired to build a corner fireplace in your own home with these clever designs.
|
by Will Waibel
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Storage. Bring your room to life by flanking your fireplace with bookshelves, like in this living room. This is a great way to incorporate storage into a beautiful focal point. Tip: Extend your mantel into the shelves for even more storage and a cohesive design element. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Outdoors. Do you have a four-season room or lanai that could use a little coziness? Put a fireplace in a corner to create instant visual interest in a small or large outdoor space.
Tip: Build a raised hearth under your fireplace opening for extra seating while you entertain.
Tip: Build a raised hearth under your fireplace opening for extra seating while you entertain.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Built in. Consider wrapping your new custom entertainment center completely around your fireplace. This fireplace is built right into the adjacent cabinetry, making the entire center feel like an integral part of the room. Tip: Keep the design of your built-in consistent for a truly cohesive look. Glass doors above the mantel would've made this fireplace blend in even more. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Space saver. Build a small electric fireplace into a corner cabinet or custom-made piece if you have a smaller home or condo that could use an extra-cozy element.
Tip: Place the fireplace at eye level for exaggerated visibility.
Tip: Place the fireplace at eye level for exaggerated visibility.
|
by Happy Interiors
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Wall to wall. Have a corner in your home that just seems like wasted space? Do what was done here — build out a fireplace from one wall to the other. Tip: Forgo the floor hearth or raised hearth, like in this shot, and your fireplace will become more aesthetically pleasing and less interactive. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Freestanding. Love the look of a freestanding unit but don't want one projecting into your floor plan? Try a compact fireplace unit on for size. These easy-to-install pieces can be placed in a corner to warm a room. Tip: When installing a freestanding model, don't just go for the traditional black. Try to express yourself by choosing an accent color that's already in your interior design. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Room divider. You don't need to have a corner made from two walls for a fireplace. This artful fireplace is located at the open corner of the living room and acts as a room divider between the living room and the adjacent kitchen — brilliant! Tip: Positioning your fireplace in an open corner like this means you can enjoy it from several different rooms. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Camouflage. When done correctly, you can almost make your fireplace disappear into the room's design when it's not in use. The horizontal banding of the wood seamlessly runs over this fireplace front so it doesn't stand out. Tip: You'll have to take your city's codes and regulations into account with a design like this, since there are regulations regarding how close combustible materials can be applied around the firebox opening. |
Comments
Laura Lind Horrible, horrible, horrible. There's nothing to ruin a room like a corner fireplace
5 months ago · Like
· 
8
8
chrbat Corner fireplaces in a room require creative,outside the box thinking when arranging furniture. One advantage I like is placing tv over fireplace, making tv viewing possible from every angle in the room. It allows you to angle furniture lined up with fireplace vs. on the wall, which makes for a cozier feel & setting in winter. I can also use extra floor space for things other than tv, or not.
5 months ago · Like
· 3
3
jamrs5 Love, love, love............... Leaves the rest of the wall open for couches, chairs, tv, etc. fireplaces are rarely used anyway but can provide a warm feeling without taking up an entire wall.
5 months ago · Like
· 1
1
sjmom A corner fireplace like everything else in decor depends on the room. I have seen some which are well placed and beautiful.
5 months ago · Like
· 4
4
Tiffani Warren I love almost every one of these rooms. They look so cozy to me! I really hate placing the TV over the fireplace so I like a corner fireplace that's out of the way but still in sight. :)
5 months ago · Like
· 4
4
Hope Combest I have a brick corner fireplace in a "not-so-big" den. I am in total dispair on how to arrange the room in a stylish way. Thanks for these pictures. There may be some hope for my den yet!
5 months ago · Like
patscats2 I like the corner fireplace because it frees up wall space for other furnishings. I think it dresses up a room.
5 months ago · Like
Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel I like the idea because it breaks up boring square rooms.
5 months ago · Like
frenchdecor I like corner fireplace but you should know where to place it, I suppose. My daughter likes to read in bed and I suggested electrical fireplace for her bedroom in rented apartment to make it cozy and for heating if needed. It's at 30 degree from the bed view, fully visible and almost doesn't take any room space. It was actually only perfect option.
5 months ago · Like
Sharolyn Schroeder Not a big lover of corner fireplaces but like everything else it depends on how it is use in the space.
5 months ago · Like
Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio Thanks for the article, Shane. Here's a corner fireplace in a small study we renovated at a home built in 1845. The room shown here was part of an 1889 tower addition to the original home. 
5 months ago · Like
· 7
7
hae0341 I have had two homes with corner fireplaces! My impression is that a corner fireplace must take precedence in a room-- a TV next to a corner fireplace looks really awkward.
4 months ago · Like
· 1
1
eureca A corner fireplace in a wall constructed entirely of stone has been my worst nightmare in terms of furniture and the oh so necessary (if you let my husband tell it) flat screen tv placement. Nothing I have seen so far is similar to my layout that includes sliding glass doors and a large opening into the dining room. (attached photo of home just prior to purchase)
by eureca
by eureca
eureca's Ideas4 months ago · Like
sharonrosebud I have a corner fireplace. I hate it! It makes furniture placement impossible. As soon as I win the lottery, I'm tearing it out and moving it to another wall!
4 months ago · Like
jkristamagee I agree that it makes design and such a bit more advance. I never had a corner fireplace until July when we bought our new home. First I LOVED IT! Then I had to design around it and had a few second thoughts - but then learned the correct ways to design around it- now I will always have one - ABSOLUTELY LOVE It. I think the key is to always make them the focal point, cut corners elsewhere in the room, and arrange with the flow I the angle- this includes possible turning furniture at an angle, especially in a longer/ narrow like room. This means moving furniture out away from the wall which seems to be something a lot of people do not do enough in my opinion. Like anything else, all are not fit for the room and all rooms are not fit for the corner fireplace but when done correctly the design element is extraordinary!
3 months ago · Like
· 2
2
Ideabook published on Dec. 24, 2012.
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Find Local Pros by Category:
Architects & Designers · Carpet and Flooring · Closet & Home Storage Designers · Design-build Firms · Fireplaces · General Contractors · Home Media Design & Installation · Interior Designers & Decorators · Kitchen & Bath Designers · Landscape Architects & Designers · Landscape Contractors · Specialty Contractors · Tile, Stone & Countertops
Find Local Pros by Metro Area:
Atlanta · Austin · Baltimore · Boston · Chicago · Dallas · Dc Metro · Denver · Detroit · Hawaii · Houston · Las Vegas · Los Angeles · Miami · Minneapolis · Nashville · New Orleans · New York · Philadelphia · Phoenix · Portland · Salt Lake City · San Diego · San Francisco · Seattle · St Louis
