Architects Magnus Sorry, I don't know the specific brand/cost. It's a common club chair shape custom upholstered in ultrasuede. - HM

Architects Magnus These chairs and drum table fit within a 13'x13'.

Architects Magnus Hi Susan - The clients wanted a "real" wood-burning fireplace without the expansion noise characteristic of prefabricated metal fireplaces. We used a modular masonry firebox/chimney and framed it with a metal.

rbcola I'm very curious about this fireplace design. What are the "cons" of doing this? I like that it is low, long versus more vertical. We have a 12 X 17 office library and my husband wants to put a fireplace in it. If the fireplace is low (like this one).....are there issues to address with what goes above it (TV, painting, bookcases, etc.)?? Thank you!

Architects Magnus Thanks! The paint color slips my mind at the moment, sorry...

Architects Magnus The table is a vintage piece that was handed down. Sorry I don't have the brand...

Architects Magnus Hi again Kristen - Each space is 14'x14'. The Dining space beyond the Kitchen is 12'x14' and the end space is an 18'x18' Family space. The windows at the far end are 42' from the lens. - HM

Urban Artscape Design Not sure, but we have similar pieces @ Urban Artscape Design, by the artist Samantha Anand, www.samanthaanand.com

Kelly Porter Try White Dove OC-17 by Benjamin Moore.

Bud Dietrich, AIA First thing to do is hire a good local architect who can help you visualize your options, of which you have many. The chimney / recess for the television issue isn't really what should drive the design. It should really be based on your vision for the entire room.

COASTROAD Hearth & Patio One thing to consider in the long run is that one can generally convert from wood to gas, but not the other way (unless you are changing back to wood from gas). The technology involved when installing a solid fuel burning fireplaces is also acceptable for gas products, but not vice versa.

Now that modern fireplaces with glass or stones as burner media are popular, we have people ask us all the time if they can change out the artificial logs in their gas fireplace to something more modern. The answer is "NO".

But if you have a masonry woodburning fireplace with a working chimney, you may change over to a gas burner for convenience. I am not one to talk you into gas, because I love everything about wood, but even I don't have a wood burning fireplace at home, because it doesn't suit my current lifestyle, which is extremely busy. ; )

The Montegrappa inserts are not available in the US (yet), but the STUV inserts are. None of the woodstove/insert types from either of those companies are very horizontal like the photo at the top, and many require that they are installed into a masonry fireplace.

I agree with @bud_dietrich - come up with your design first, and then see how the elements work together. This is going to sound like heresy on houzz.com, but architects and designers generally aren't very familiar with fireplace technology, so get a National Fireplace Institute certified hearth professional involved early on ( http://www.nficertified.org/pages_consumers/consumers-1.html ). We get plans every day with fireplaces that can't be built because the technology does not exist, or because they defy the laws of physics, or because the building codes won't allow it.