Fireplace History:
Recognizable fireplaces begin to appear in 12th Century England. The fireplace moved from an open fire on the ground in the middle of a dwelling to a position against a wall.
Located against the wall it became part of the structure of the load-bearing walls with the fire hood placed over the hearth. Examples of the hood can be found among our French provincial fireplaces.
At first these hoods were purely functional and free of any type of any ornamentation.
In the 14th Century fireplaces first came to be decorated - shields were a popular decorative motif.
The early 15th Century saw the introduction of exquisite craftsmanship and unprecedented decoration of the fireplace opening.
In 16th Century England the addition of a second floor meant that fireplaces were installed here as well sharing a common chimney structure.
The introduction of coal, which worsened the smoke problem, meant greater attention needed to be paid to the extraction of fumes. During this period the fireplace came to be viewed as element of the home having its own identity. Architects began to consider the issue of fireplace design - foremost among them was Inigo Jones (1573-1652).
Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) began the process of integrating the fireplace into the overall look of the room. Wren often framed the opening with simple mouldings such as those found among our Architraves and Mouldings section. He also favoured the use of the mirror above the fireplace.
In the 18th Century the Industrial Revolution brought with it the mass production of housing and the standardization of fireplaces. The leading fireplace designers of this period were the Adam brothers.
During the 19th Century the mass production of cast iron fire grates led to the standardization of the sizes of fireplaces. Examples of such fireplaces can be found in our Georgian, Victorian and Federation galleries.
Towards the end of the Victorian era (1837-1901) the influence of Art Nouveau brought a new focus to the cast iron grate and the tiles which adorned it. Led by William Morris, the Arts and Crafts movement also refocused attention on the medieval fireplace.
Emerging after the First World War, the Art Deco movement brought with it a focus on function rather than form, a rejection of revivalism and an emphasis on modern aesthetic values. Our Retro 1 fireplace design with the stainless steel ‘Manhattan’ fascia is typical of the style.
The destruction of the Second World War and the urgency of the needs for housing at its conclusion encouraged the development of prefabricated electric fires and fireplaces.
Gas fires of the 1970s with their concern to create a ‘real fire’ refocused attention on more traditional fireplace designs.
Contemporary fireplace design is in large part driven by the evolution of sophisticated fires run on gas, electricity or methylated spirits. Much of the emphasis has been on minimalist design where the fireplace becomes merely a coat of paint around the fire opening.
Recognition of the profoundly symbolic nature of the fireplace and the need to acknowledge its place as the hearth of the family has however led to the creation of more elaborate contemporary fireplaces. At Richard Ellis Design we believe that many of the fireplace designs in our catalogue recognize the significance of the contemporary fireplace.