These lovely homeowners contacted me when they had begun their new build, wanting designs for built-in elements that would add wow factor to their place. Their brief was a cool, calm relaxed vibe with lots of natural tones and textures. One element that can instantly elevate a living room is a feature fireplace, especially a floor-to-ceiling one that uses the full height of the room. When I saw the space planned for the fireplace I was immediately excited - it was a nice wide wall nestled between two full height windows with lots of natural light streaming in, and a gabled ceiling with panelling and beams. Time to design!

The design

A fireplace is more than just a heat source; it's an opportunity to create an architectural feature that brings character and personality into the room. With most fireplaces, you can create a shape or structure around them in many shapes and finishes, as long as the design abides by the regulations like ventilation space that are specified by the supplier. With that in mind, I chose organic curves to add softness to the otherwise linear elements in the architecture, making the space feel more dynamic and inviting. Once the design was drawn up, we worked with the builder to come up with an internal framing structure that was practical, to code, and would achieve the look wanted.

Finishing touches

The furniture is light, tonal and slimline, to complement the fireplace’s curves and textures and leave space for it to be the focus. The custom made natural stone coffee table nest breaks up the neutral tones and add visual interest without overwhelming the room.

Material and finish

I had a plaster specialist come in and render the final fireplace structure with Marmorino KS Venetian Plaster to achieve an artisanal look. The plaster gets tinted with my chosen colour before it is applied in two coats, then finished with a beeswax seal - this gives it a textured, natural look rather than a flat paint finish. It blends effortlessly into a neutral setting but still draws the eye because of its impressive height and sculptural presence. Whether you're using the fireplace as a focal point or simply a functional piece, the texture and form of plaster elevate its aesthetic appeal.

The colour palette

Neutral paint is the perfect backdrop for a modern living room. We chose Resene Half Thorndon Cream, a subtle, restrained Parisian white. This creates an inviting atmosphere without overpowering the space, and also softens the glare of the sunlight streaming in. By choosing this neutral color palette the room feels open, bright, and airy—perfect for a new build that embraces clean lines and a contemporary edge. These shades also serve as a perfect canvas for the fireplace to stand out.

In new builds, ceilings are often higher, which is great for creating a sense of spaciousness. A floor-to-ceiling fireplace makes full use of the gorgeous gabled ceiling height and helps to balance the room's vertical proportions. The ceiling-height design ensures that the fireplace doesn’t get lost in the vastness of the space but instead anchors it nicely.

The lovely exterior facade of this family home.

Our renders

I gave the owners two options, and rendered both so they could see what the final result would look like for each. I’m so happy they chose the curved design!