Fireplaces are one of the most inspiring features of a home. They conjure up thoughts of cozy nights with a crackling fire, blanket and book, or holiday get-togethers and glasses of wine with family and friends. But fireplaces are an inspired design element, too. They can act as the focal point of a room, provide symmetry and add texture, contrast and style. As Charles Eames once remarked, “Who ever said that pleasure wasn’t functional?” Here are five New York properties with unforgettable fireplaces, from a modernist house with a limestone hearth to a historic mansion with 11—count ’em—ornate fireplaces.
Sophisticated and Modern
Design firm Workshop/APD revamped this West Village townhouse, the former home to a printing house built in 1921. The 4,200-square-foot New York home spreads over five floors and features four bedrooms and six-and-a-half baths, plus a finished basement and private rooftop terrace. The kitchen/dining/living area is particularly appealing with its open concept, floor-to-ceiling windows and linear fireplace with a minimalist build-out and wood hearth.
Prewar Details
In 1888, when C.P.H Gilbert designed this Park Slope mansion, fireplaces were essential for warmth—that’s why this 8,200-square-foot historic home boasts 11 of them. The entrance opens up to a grand 19th-century example, with additional fireplaces in the kitchen, dining area, living room and sitting room. The full-floor master suite contains four wood-burning fireplaces, but our definite favorite is in the master bath. A cast-iron soaking tub sits in front of a fireplace surrounded by Calacatta gold marble.
Gas-Burning Limestone Fireplace
Situated at the center of Greenwich Village, this 2,200-square-foot corner condo opens up to a spacious kitchen, dining room and living room. The wide-plank Brazilian cherry wood floors have radiant heating throughout. But you might want to curl up with a good book in front of the sitting area’s gas-burning limestone fireplace and sip a glass of wine while looking out the 11-foot windows at historic MacDougal Alley.
Modern Montauk Marvel
The living space of this four-bedroom, three-bath Montauk home, designed by architect Robert Young, features an expansive open floor plan. The sitting area faces a custom cement fireplace, which warms the modernist home, while walls of windows provide views of Culloden Point, Block Island Sound and the surrounding 174-acre nature preserve. The covered outdoor living space boasts another fireplace and offers the perfect spot to warm up after a dip in the gunite pool or Atlantic Ocean.
Retro Style
Located on Shelter Island, this two-bedroom, two-bath residence sits on 2.3 acres and overlooks Lilly Pond. Built in 1972, the recently renovated home mimics the soft curves of a nautilus shell. In the living room, cedar-paneled walls and a brick-stone floor flow around the sunken sitting area anchored by a freestanding, retro cone fireplace. It’s the ideal place to sip a Manhattan or martini or re-watch episodes of Mad Men.