After spending some time perusing this site and reading other “hearth” comments , I think I’ve answered my own question- no hearth!

Found these pics but seems majority don’t have hearths. Does a hearth date a house? Or just preference?

They are a safety feature. But if you are putting in a gas or anything not wood burning they aren't necessary. I think they became vogue to leave then out for a sleek modern look since they were unnecessary in a non wood burning fireplace. Years ago ('90s) we put a flat to the ground hearth made of stone vs the other flooring just to warn kids to stay away from the glass which gets very hot...

You have already cut quite deeply into the foot print of this room and cut of the corner area and are on the verge of blocking the footpath to the sliders. I would not include a hearth. It will cut off this area even more.

In my previous house, I removed the raised hearth in the family room. It took up to much visual and physical space in the room. It was also So CA, so the fireplace was only used a few times for party ambiance!

With built-ins on either side, I would definitely NOT add a hearth.

Photo taken BEFORE we moved into the house.

AFTER we remodeled the whole house. Pratt & Larson tile handmade tile.

Is this space going to be open to that kitchen ? If a gas FP then IMO no hearth is needed and looks odd too. If the new hood is visible from this space then IMO they need to coordinate .PLease no stacked stone either .

No, the fireplace opens to the living room… The dining room and kitchen are on the other side of the beam the dining room across from the living room. I hope that makes sense. it’s gas woodburning although I do think we won’t burn wood that often all since we live in a very temperate central coast California climate. We just liked having the option of woodburning.

Kendrah - the path to slider is actually across the room, other side of dining room table, but I get your point of infringing on room! That’s kind of my fear too. Eating more out of room

You have contemporary architecture and your details should be minimal.

Yeah I agree Beverly and planned to do something sleek. The stacked stone pics were more specific to me trying to determine hearth or not.

These are probably more similar to what current schematic/plan is … and debating if I should cancel hearth.

I’ve seen these recently but wonder how practical?

Thanks… The flooring wouldn’t be combustible. But maybe you’re right that all woodburning fireplaces generally have hearths 🤔👍🏼

I would definitely put in a hearth of some sort in case a log rolls out unexpectedly. The question I think is should it be a raised hearth or a hearth that is level or slightly raised from the floor? We have floor-level hearth and have had embers and small burning pieces of wood roll out onto it, in spite of trying to be very careful. I think raised or not is a personal preference and a matter of space. A raised hearth is very nice to sit on to warm your back on a cold night!

Thanks beerpocketbook! Appreciate the input. Was thinking initially 8 inches in height and 10 in depth.

Correction .. my hearth is 42 inches! Looking to see if any of you have good resources that could help us determine measurements of hearth proportional to the fireplace. Thanks!

The minimums from our fireplace manual say 20 inches out and 12 inches either side. So I think that drives my design. Do anyone have opinions on raised vs flat hearth? Seems like size wise it might be the right design choice to do flat since this is quite a large hearth requirement relative to the space. Attached is a picture of my fireplace for reference.

How are you planning to finish off the fireplace wall? Can you post a picture of the material?

Also, is the tile on top of concrete that is on top of earth? If that is the case, the entire floor is your hearth and you would not be required to do anything different and the choice becomes purely aesthetic.

I would definitely do a flat before a rasied hearth. May as well use the space as a walking path

Thanks for the input. First my instinct was flat not raised but then someone commented earlier to consider since it’s wood burning the screen location etc …

I was planning to finish fireplace wall with plaster.

The living room floor is engineered hardwood .. so I absolutely will need a hearth of some sort. The manual says 20 inches min.

Sounds like a stunning setup! A horizontal mosaic panel above the fireplace or inside the surround could add warmth and texture, something geometric in soft natural stone tones would pair beautifully with your clean lines and floating shelves. Happy to suggest designs if you have a style in mind!

Latest fireplace update. Think I may do a Venetian plaster finish on surround and entire fireplace up to ceiling.