Legacy House by Jessica Hardwick Architecture: A Fire That Earns Its Place

When Jessica Hardwick designed a home for her parents on Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland, the brief was uncompromising: off-grid, self-sufficient, and built to belong to its site.

A wood fire was always part of the vision — the rhythm of off-grid living, the reliability of a heat source that asks nothing of the battery on a run of overcast days.

Every product decision carried extra weight, and the fireplace was no exception; it needed to be both architectural and technically right for the sealed, off-grid home.

At home in the architecture

Aesthetically, the fireplace met the considered architectural brief: clean lines, a flat base and an integrated handle. Architectural in character without decorative weight.

The surround was designed as part of the interior rather than apart from it with spotted gum, stone, and recycled timber milled from trees felled on-site, carried through to the wall panels and display shelving. The fireplace anchors the long axis of the living space without dominating it.

Jessica’s parents moved in during winter and the fire became the natural gathering point, exactly as briefed.

"It performs exactly as intended, complementing the passive design strategy rather than compensating for it," Jessica reflects.

It performs exactly as intended, complementing the passive design strategy rather than compensating for it." Jess reflects.