Custom Fireplace Design

Whether a source of heat or strictly decorative, a fireplace usually occupies a prominent location and a good deal of space in your living or family room.  If you’re planning a makeover for the room that houses your hearth, be sure to include custom fireplace remodeling in your plans.  You can work with a CustomMade artisan to create a custom fireplace design that can either showcase it or have it complement whatever style or décor you want for the room.

To create a centerpiece custom fireplace design, choose materials for the mantel, paneling, and the chimney itself that have a strong visual and textural impact.  If your hearth is designed to stand apart from other features in the room, the materials will make a simple, bold statement.  This rustic log mantel by FBT Sawmill and Custom Wood Furniture, set against the natural shaped stones of the chimney, reinforces the fireplace’s rugged style.

Rustic Log Mantel by FBT Sawmill & Custom Wood Furniture at CustomMade.com

Your fireplace doesn’t have to stand apart like the strong, silent type to make an impression, however. Despite having beautiful, matching built-in shelves on either side, this natural cherry fireplace surround by DPSheetz Designs/Rainbow Woodworking can hold its own ground.  The wonderfully figured cherry, framed by the chimney bricks, commands attention.

Natural Cherry Fireplace Surround by DPSheetz Designs-Rainbow Woodworking at CustomMade.com

Carved wood can also add texture and depth to your custom fireplace design.  Chateau Designs will create hand carved fireplace mantels featuring any imagery you request.  The custom carvings on the mantel, over mantel, and columns that surround the fireplace shown below don’t just match the surrounding built-in bookcase and entertainment center; they actually steal the show in this ensemble.  Imagine, a hearth that can outshine a flat-screen TV!

Hand Carved Fireplace Mantels by Chateau Designs at CustomMade.com

Your hearth can also play a supporting role in your custom fireplace remodeling project if you so desire.   Coastal Wood Masters built this cherry entertainment center with glazed highlights for a customer who wanted the audio-visual system as the focus for the room.  The central channel speaker was built directly into the mantel, and a karaoke machine was hidden behind the surround paneling.  In this scene, the fireplace serves as a visual counter-balance to the mounted flat-screen TV.

Cherry Entertainment Center with Glazed Highlights by Coastal Wood Masters at CustomMade.com

This elegant custom painted poplar mantel by Stratton Creek turns the fireplace into a reflection of the alcove above.  The carved columns and crown moulding reinforce that visual effect.  The home fires, either real or symbolic, add special significance to the photographs, portraits, or art works placed above the mantel.

Painted Poplar Mantel by Stratton Creek at CustomMade.com

The fireplace anchors this striking arch top mantel by YB Normal Custom Woodworking, like a hand holding an unfurled fan.  The dramatic red oak arch, stained to match the surrounding door trim and handmade to fit the curve of the ceiling, places the customer’s doll collection front and center.  Despite the size of the frieze-like display, the two doors and fireplace mantel and supporting arches bring visual stability to this design.

Arch Top Mantel by YB Normal Custom Woodworking at CustomMade.com

The fireplace is one of the most ancient, fundamental elements of housing.  Whether you continue to draw warmth or only nostalgia from your hearth, a CustomMade artisan near you can help you create a custom fireplace design that will harness its visual, structural, and symbolic potential for your living or family room remodel.