El Dorado County_Foothills_Style Magazine - November 2018

home design
Home is Where
the Hearth Is
3 Hot Fireplace Ideas
by KERRIE L. KELLY, FASID
Afireplace is oftentimes the primary focal point of a living room,
providing warmth, comfort, and structure. Still, there can be challenges
when it comes to designing your living space around one. How close
can the furniture be to the heat and flames? Is there a “best” option
for placement of the sofa? What if there are competing focal points,
such as in a room with a terrific view? Here are a few design tips and
tricks that will help when faced with such decisions.
Mendota Hearth DXV45 DT4 Fireplace
A
so symmetrical, this configuration makes
balance fairly easy to achieve and provides
a cozy ambiance to the room.
But what if the room and fireplace is
on a much grander scale? If that’s the case,
you would want to “pull it back,” allowing
for larger furniture arrangements echoing
the larger scale and to avoid having the
space seem cavernous. In room (B), proper
balance is the result of high ceilings and
windows being offset by the extra-large
yet simple, non-fussy furniture selection
and the oh-so-handsome fireplace that
assumes the role of artwork.
2ROOM WITH A VIEW
A not uncommon dilemma when
it comes to designing your room
around a fireplace is the dueling focal point
issue. This occurs when there’s a second or
even third focus drawing your attention,
such as large picture windows with
breathtaking views. In these instances, it’s
often best to take your cue from the old
adage: “Who says we can’t have it all?”
Mendota Hearth FullView 41 Decor Wide Grac
C
1BALANCING ACT
Achieving a sense of balance is
always a primary goal of good design.
Sometimes this is easy to accomplish, as in
the photo above where two comfy chairs
flank the fireplace and the sofa sits directly
opposite the fireplace with a conveniently
placed coffee table in front. Because it’s
B
Mendota Hearth FullView 44i Andover
24 styleedc.com // NOVEMBER 2018 // /styleedc /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemagedcf
All photos courtesy of KKDL.