Look book 5

Today, more than ever, creating distinctive social settings that are welcoming and feel like ‘home’ is a vital trend across myriad architectural environments – from commercial to hospitality to residential.

For many properties in different corners of the globe, EcoSmart Fires are being chosen to provide focal points; gathering spaces where people feel at home – whether it be in a hotel lobby, restaurant, indoor or outdoor living area, or even kitchen.

Kitchens have long been viewed as gathering places, and EcoSmart Fires are increasingly being incorporated into kitchen designs to bring warmth and character to the space and draw people in.

And not only are the fires being used to enhance the ambience of a room, they’re also being used as additional and primary sources of lighting, such as in the private lounge of a Manhattan apartment block (case study 3). An EcoSmart was the only fireplace that could have been used in this space, where there are no windows, limited ventilation and no possibility of having a chimney installed.

Having a ventless fire also dictated the choice of fire for the designer of the lobby within the iconic Paramount Hotel in New York’s theatre district. The idea was to create a space that felt a bit like someone’s living room, with energy needed to draw people in and make a place for guests to socialise and interact. A big part of drawing people in is the EcoSmart Fire (case study 5).

Creating a warm ‘family space’ was integral in the design of the Farber Center for Radiation Oncology, also in New York, where the concept was a space that welcomes patients rather than intimidates them, providing a healing environment (case study 1). An EcoSmart Fire makes the room cosy; plus every patient who finishes their radiation treatment with the center signs a rock and places it in the hearth, meaning they have an eternal bond and connection with the Farber Center.