A fireplace can provide great comfort to a room while also making the space look lovely. There are many practical and aesthetic considerations, though, and custom design fireplaces can often best address these. If you're undecided on whether you need a custom fireplace or not, you should look at these four reasons why other folks choose this direction.
Focal Point
Especially if the fireplace is going to dominate a fairly plain room, there's a strong argument for custom design. The fireplace is instantly going to become the room's focal point if no other feature like a large window with a view is going to hold down that role. Consequently, you don't want visitors to just see the fireplace and shrug because it looks like every other one in existence. A custom fireplace can employ unique patterns, interesting colors, and strong contrasts to really embrace the role of being the room's focal point.
Safety
Some custom design fireplaces are necessary for safety. If a fireplace is a poor match for a space, it can pump noxious gases into the room rather than letting them flow up the chimney or vent. At a minimum, this can lead to unpleasant smells. At worst, it could send people to the hospital.
In this scenario, the options are either to install a custom fireplace or just not have a fireplace at all. Folks who want to have a fireplace may have to work with qualified professionals to devise a solution. The result will need to account for building codes and general safety concerns. Depending on the design of the house, this could involve some work to integrate the safety features with both the room and the chimney.
Visual Integration
Especially if you're remodeling a house, an existing fireplace may not integrate well with your new design plans. If there's a brick fireplace in a house that's going ultramodern, for example, it can look a little weird without some adjustments.
Fortunately, there are usually several ways to integrate an existing fireplace visually. You could do a total redesign to match the new room's decor. Conversely, you could integrate the existing brick look as part of a mixed modern and industrial aesthetic. This can help the fireplace to make more sense in the context of the room.
Space
Not every fireplace works well with the layout of a space. A large one could dominate a room, and changing the design might free up space. You might also want to relocate the fireplace to free up space and improve efficiency.