Getting fired up: Richard Miller shares why glass front fireplaces are in vogue

With the winter months creeping up around the corner, now is an excellent time to consider installing a fireplace in your home or office reception for an elegant, chic aesthetic that also brings warmth and comfort to the space.

Richard Miller, the architectural advisor at fireplace manufacturing and designing company Escea, shares his industry insider-knowledge on the latest trends and design sensibilities about fireplaces – and it appears glass front fireplaces are taking the design world by storm.

Classy glass

Contemporary glass fireplaces have been adapted in all manner of creative ways, ensuring each application makes a stylish statement. Richard notes that double sided fires used as room dividers are particularly trendy, as the flames can be glimpsed from both rooms – this is a popular option to split up a lounge and kitchen.

Cantilevering ‘box’ fireplaces are also in vogue, jutting out into the room with nothing below them to create an edgy illusion of hovering or weightlessness. Free-standing installations with a hidden flue are also considered chic right now. A common theme blazes through each of these – minimalism. As homes are becoming increasingly minimalist, the aesthetic of a rustic fire is evolving to such sleek alternatives.

“Surprise is a key design aesthetic. Keep an eye out for individualist, unique fireplaces that stand out and surprise viewers,” suggests Richard.

Modern glass gas fireplaces can also come with a computer- or remote-controlled set-up for the ultimate luxury in terms of user-friendliness and low hassle. They thus combine both form and function, offering both style and practicality as an undeniably tempting combination.

Caring for the planet

Richard notes that as 6-star homes become popular and new energy efficiency ratings come into play, fireplace designs will adapt and evolve to deliver environmentally conscious options such as sealed closed glass fireplaces.

These lead to high efficiency due to a fuel combustion chamber inside the fireplace, which ensures there is no smell, moisture or gas to contend with. Previously, open air fireplaces sucked air from within the room up, creating a cold draft from the outside vent before any warmth.

Previously, open air fireplaces sucked air from within the room up, creating a cold draft from the outside vent before any warmth. Then, because the fire needs more air from the room to continue running, the newly created warm air is stolen to go back into the fire as well.

Closed glass options instead use their internal combustion system to heat the room faster and with greater energy efficiency. There could be significant financial savings to be enjoyed from this, since the average New Zealand family spends around $2,000 per annum on electricity while gas and other fuels are on top of this, according to the government’s Smarter Homes resource.

Fundamentals of a fireplace

“The core reasons to have a fireplace are positive and based on human emotion,” says Richard. “The fireplace draws people together, is a place to gather, provides a level of comfort and warmth and becomes a point of focus in interior design.”

Ultimately, these positive perks are at the ‘hearth’ of the issue. If you’re interested in browsing a diverse, contemporary range of glass fireplaces as well as the rustic charms of open fire wooden fireplaces, explore the collection online at Stoke.

In April a Stoke destination store will be opening in Auckland displaying the best in both gas and wood fires. As well as stocking New Zealand made Escea gas fireplaces, Stoke will be introducing high-end European woodfire brand Spatherm to the market.