Top 5 Fireplace Trends for 2022

As we look beyond the sense of restriction and isolation that has plagued the world during 2020 and 2021, we can see fireplace design trends rebel against these feelings of melancholy. Looking forward to the season of 2021/22, fireplaces have moved away from being ‘merely’ functional to become the epitome of style and luxury – not to mention the ultimate bringer of ambiance and adding a feeling of comfort and tranquillity to your indoor and outdoor living spaces.

Stephane Thomas, Director of MAD Design“Homeowners, designers and architects want fireplaces that add a design statement to their modern and traditional-style architectural environments with minimal cost and disruption.”

There’s no denying that fireplaces add that extra something to a space – but what’s trending for the upcoming season (and beyond!)?

Think minimalist style and clean lines that let the element of fire speak for itself. This season is all about boundary-pushing, bold fireplace design unhampered by the limitations of traditional fireplaces.

A hallmark of beautiful design is the feeling of symbiosis, created as elements of a space work together for effortless effect. And you can’t get any smoother than a flush mounted or frameless fireplace.

This trend can be taken in multiple design directions; an elegant single-sided fireplace built into bespoke cabinetry for a more traditional take, or a longline XL1200 ethanol burner seamlessly integrated underneath a television for an ultra-modern feel. The key to achieving this look is a quality burner that can be installed with ease into any location the designer wishes.

“Many architects and interior designers have taken an integrated approach – placing a flat-screen TV on a custom-built wall above an indoor fireplace,” says Thomas. “It’s been popular for a few years and will no doubt be an enduring trend.”

Los Angeles architect Michael Parks used an EcoSmart Fire solution to create a 6-foot long flame using two XL900 Burners within a striking custom-made wall within the living room of ‘Rising Glen, a stunning home in the Hollywood Hills. The recessed TV sits perfectly above the fire, which is flanked by two floor-to-ceiling windows. “Because of the size of the living room and the height of the ceilings, a single, three-foot fireplace would have looked really small, so I had to find something that visually had the scale to match the room,” Michael explains.

Thomas says that providing architects and designers with design freedom is at the heart of EcoSmart Fire’s myriad solutions. “Our Flex fireplace inserts provide this flexibility to enable visions to come to life,” he says. “These ventless inserts are fuelled by clean-burning, emission-free, eco-friendly e-NRG bioethanol and therefore don’t require a chimney or connections to gas or electricity. This means you can easily add a custom, built-in fireplace to any indoor or outdoor area – and that includes residential and hospitality/commercial spaces.”

If your space oozes sophistication and style but is missing a focal point to draw everything together, consider this striking fireplace trend: double sided and triple sided fireplaces. Fitted with glass on opposing sides (or up to three or even four sides for full dramatic effect), these centrepieces can be set into dividing walls or decorative pillars. The glass setting allows the burner to be viewed from all angles, ensuring the ambiant effect infiltrates the entire space.

“Double-sided fireplaces are visually stunning,” says Thomas. “They act as a statement piece in an open-plan design. I’ve seen them used many times as a divider between spaces with amazing results.”

To get the best of both worlds, installing a double-sided fireplace into an exterior wall will enable you to harness the beauty of fire in both your indoor and outdoor living spaces … at the same time!

Double- or triple-sided fireplaces also bring a feeling of cosiness to any room while expanding the usable space.

If you’re looking to create a bold centrepiece in your residential, hospitality or other commercial space, this fireplace trend fits the bill. Extra-large fireplaces with features like oversized hearths and huge chimneys with beautiful stonework, or fireplaces set with multiple burners are wowing international designers.

Especially well-suited to large commercial and hospitality spaces such as hotel lobbies and restaurants, extra-large fireplaces are complemented beautifully by statement design details that emphasise the element of fire – think mirrors (to reflect light), wooden accents, stonework and heavy metals.

Extra-large fireplaces are able to send an ambiant glow over the largest of spaces, making them feel cosier without sacrificing space. Not for the faint-hearted, this is one trend that will be making waves for years to come.

Striking fire pits and sleek outdoor burners are some of the biggest outdoor design trends to emerge from the COVID-19 global pandemic. As we spent more time at home, we turned our focus to enhancing and expanding our liveable spaces – with special focus on precious outdoor space we could utilise all year round.

“Outdoor fireplaces serve to make your outdoor space more inviting while highlighting the natural elements in your garden,” says Thomas. “Using fire and light in an outdoor dining space brings the cosiness of the indoors into the outdoors. It also adds a luxurious element.”

Statement pieces like the EcoSmart Stix Fire Pit are perfect for those who have a larger outdoor space and love entertaining all year round, while a more streamlined, multi-functional solution like the EcoSmart Gin 90 Dining Fire Table will blend beautifully into patios, courtyards or balcony spaces.

One of the most popular inquiries from design professionals and consumers is for fireplaces that enable flat-screen TVs to be mounted above them.

“Fireplaces and televisions complement each other beautifully. They provide entertainment, ambiance, warmth, double your viewing pleasure and become a room’s visual centrepiece,” says Thomas. “With EcoSmart’s range of vent-free zero-clearance fireplace inserts and ethanol burners, it makes building a custom fireplace a lot easier, compared with traditional wood-burning fireplaces, which need chimney flues. It also means that you can hide TV wires and cables a lot more easily. Because a TV above a fireplace will become the room’s focal point, you want to hide the technological clutter.”

Explore 7 Fireplaces from the MAD Design catalogue below.