9 heavenly homes with feature fireplaces

With winter approaching, the thought of gathering around a warm fire is an enticing one. No matter your style, a fireplace doesn't just create a cosy and inviting atmosphere, it can also make a visual impact. Look to these warm and welcoming homes for inspiration.

At Riverview House, a recently renovated '70s home, an Oblica Paxfocus fireplace creates a dramatic and sculptural focal point in the light-filled living space. The fireplace adds warmth to an otherwise cool and contemporary space. 

In the wilderness of Tasmania’s Denison Rivulet lie three inconspicuous timber-clad shacks. Hidden along the river banks, the unimposing cabins were designed with cosiness in mind, offering a sense of shelter from the elements. A Shaker wood heater adds a rustic but stylish touch, and complements the timber-lined walls.

On a ridge near Orange, NSW rests a modular home clad in silvertop timber, barely discernible from its rural surroundings. The home, located on a working farm, features a contemporary interior with floor-to-ceiling windows open to the vast surrounding plains. The Cheminees Philippe double-sided wood fireplace offers warmth to the living space and kitchen and establishes an organic boundary between the two zones. On the verandah, a Frameless Escea Outdoor Fireplace fits in with the minimalist aesthetic and a firewood niche adds texture, colour and interest.

A clever renovation connects this home with its beautiful bush surroundings. A welcoming covered outdoor area extends the Bounty House's living space, with a fireplace and built-in barbecue (built with bricks repurposed from the home in its previous form) making it a fine place to dine and relax.

In a breathtaking location overlooking the Bass Strait on Philip Island, Victoria, a modular home offers sanctuary from the locale's harsh coastal conditions. A fireplace sits seamlessly in the timber-clad wall, creating a gathering zone. The fireplace incorporates storage for firewood as well as a sophisticated raw concrete Caesarstone fireplace hearth.

Symmons Plains Homestead, a restored heritage property in Launceston, Tasmania, balances the building’s rich Georgian history with contemporary elements. The gas fireplace cosies up the large central living space, while providing a fabulous focal point.

Originally a Victorian Terrace, the gorgeous Bondi Junction House by Alexander &CO. is layered and textural. The clean lines of the built-in fireplace allow the more decorative elements of the living area to shine, while inviting family and friends to gather around its glow of an evening.

On a property with a glorious view on the rural NSW South Coast, an impressive renovation expanded and revitalised a dated '80s project home. In the open-plan living space, a double-sided gas fireplace draws together the various zones – kitchen, living and dining – while offering a visual point of interest.

Designed to connect its occupants with nature, Bio-Courtyard House makes the most of its ocean views. The family zone's distinctive Oblica Gyrofocus fireplace contributes to thermoregulation and adds a sculptural and sophisticated feature.

Words by Madeline Sarich