On Site November/December 2008 Project Credits Builder: GN Cont…
On Site November/December 2008 Project Credits Builder: GN Contracting, Arlington, Va.; Architect: David Jameson Architect, Alexandria, Va. A vertical glass slot borders the chimney, letting extra daylight into the space.
On Site November/December 2008 Project Credits Builder: GN Cont…
On Site November/December 2008 Project Credits Builder: GN Contracting, Arlington, Va.; Architect: David Jameson Architect, Alexandria, Va. The fireplace occupies the corner of the lower-level living room, freeing up the rest of that rear wall for views.
Warren Jagger Photography
A granite fireplace and chimney anchors the west wall of the kit…
A granite fireplace and chimney anchors the west wall of the kitchen great room.
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence En…
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence Entrant/Architect: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, San Francisco; Builder: Byron Miller Construction, Arvada, Colo.; Photographer: David Wakeley The interior deploys archetypal Western imagery in service of Modernist design principles.
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence En…
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence Entrant/Architect: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, San Francisco; Builder: Byron Miller Construction, Arvada, Colo.; Photographer: David Wakeley With no high-ceilinged interiors-the better to stay cozy during mountain winters-the house shoots the moon with this two-story open porch.
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence En…
2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year Walden, Colo., Residence Entrant/Architect: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, San Francisco; Builder: Byron Miller Construction, Arvada, Colo.; Photographer: David Wakeley With views that stretch for miles and nary a neighbor in sight, one does not need a porch railing for privacy.
Art Grice
On Site January/February 2006 Builder: Landmark Construction, …
On Site January/February 2006 Builder: Landmark Construction, Kirkland, Wash.; Architect: Bernie Baker Architect, Bainbridge Island, Wash. A combination of timber framing and steel beams forms the house’s sturdy structure.
Maxwell MacKenzie
2012 CHDA Renovation 308 Mulberry, Lewes, Del. Entrant/Archite…
2012 CHDA Renovation 308 Mulberry, Lewes, Del. Entrant/Architect: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect, Washington, D.C.; Project architect: Brian Tuskey, Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Builder: Ilex Construction, Easton, Md.; Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie The kitchen/living pavilion has mahogany walls and ceilings, basalt flooring, white marble counters and fireplace, and stainless steel cabinetry.
On Site November/December 2004 Builder: Heggenes Construction,…
On Site November/December 2004 Builder: Heggenes Construction, Freeland, Wash.; Architect: Stuart Silk Architects, Seattle, Wash.; Photographer: Benjamin Benschneider Twin opposing shed dormers lighten the voluminous roof of the great room. The chimney “window” gives the second-floor loft a view of the public space below.
Custom Touches March 2006 Quarry House Builder: Stonecraft Bu…
Custom Touches March 2006 Quarry House Builder: Stonecraft Builders, Columbus, Ohio; Architect: Phillip Markwood Architects, Columbus; Photographer: Brad Feinknopf
Custom Touches March 2006 Arch Rival Builder: Cal Parlman, Hu…
Custom Touches March 2006 Arch Rival Builder: Cal Parlman, Hudson, N.Y.; Architects: Jefferson B. Riley and Charles G. Mueller, Centerbrook Architects and Planners, Centerbrook, Conn.; Stonemason: Ken Makely, Hudson; Photographer: Brian Vanden Brink
Custom Touches March 2006 Rock Star Builder: Michael Hewes &a…
Custom Touches March 2006 Rock Star Builder: Michael Hewes & Co., Blue Hill, Maine; Architect: Elliott, Elliott & Norelius, Blue Hill; Stonemason: Freshwater Stone and Brickwork, Orland, Maine; Floor painting: Nicole Herz, Bar Harbor, Maine; Photographer: Brian Vanden Brink
Custom Touches November/December 2003 Fireside Seating Builde…
Custom Touches November/December 2003 Fireside Seating Builder: Martha's Vineyard Construction, West Tisbury, Mass.; Architect: Mark Hutker Associates Architects, Vineyard Haven, Mass.; Stonemason: Kenneth Lane Stone and Fine Masonry, Aquinnah, Mass.; Photographer: Brian Vanden Brink
Nic Lehoux
2011 rada Custom / More Than 3,000 Square Feet / Grand Lily La…
2011 rada Custom / More Than 3,000 Square Feet / Grand Lily Lake Residence, Dalton, Pa. Principal in charge: William D. Loose, AIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; principal for design: Peter Q. Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; project manager: Todd Howard, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; general contractor: Warren Breig III, Breig Brothers, Dalton, Pa.; photography: Nic Lehoux The stone fireplace wall echoes the sites existing fieldstone walls.
John Clark
2011 rada Custom / 3,000 Square Feet or Less / Merit Glass Far…
2011 rada Custom / 3,000 Square Feet or Less / Merit Glass Farmhouse, Eastern Oregon Design principal: Jim Olson, FAIA, Olson Kundig Architects; project manager: Ellen Cecil, AIA, LEED AP, Olson Kundig; architectural staff: Michael Wright, Olson Kundig; general contractor: Louis Perry, LD Perry, Joseph, Ore.; photography: John Clark Glass walls usher in views of the bucolic northeastern Oregon environment. The scenery is the luxury, explains Jim Olson, FAIA.
John Clark
2011 rada Custom / 3,000 Square Feet or Less / Merit Glass Far…
2011 rada Custom / 3,000 Square Feet or Less / Merit Glass Farmhouse, Eastern Oregon Design principal: Jim Olson, FAIA, Olson Kundig Architects; project manager: Ellen Cecil, AIA, LEED AP, Olson Kundig; architectural staff: Michael Wright, Olson Kundig; general contractor: Louis Perry, LD Perry, Joseph, Ore.; photography: John Clark A heated concrete slab keeps the interiors toasty all year round, and it works well as thermal mass for passive solar. Cross-ventilation throughout the house allows for natural cooling during the warmer months.
July 2005 The Big Idea House Central Vermont, 1961 Eliot Noye…
July 2005 The Big Idea House Central Vermont, 1961 Eliot Noyes, FAIA
There’s something about a big stack of rocks around a roaring fire that amplifies the visual as well as literal warmth of a room. The inherent heft and organic forms provided by stone hearths, mantles, and chimneys serve to anchor surrounding spaces. The material connects interiors to the natural environment, especially when designers or builders select a local variety or incorporate pieces found on site. It also evokes an atmosphere of times past and wilder places, even when applied in a modern setting. Stone’s multilayered looks and complex characteristics make it a common choice for creating oversized fireplaces that become focal points in large, airy rooms.
The architects, designers, builders, and stone masons who produced the fireplaces in the accompanying slideshow all took different approaches while still respecting the material’s qualities and the context in which it was being used. Some chose to incorporate behemoth boulders stacked in a seemingly precarious manner to add a touch of whimsy. Others opted for symmetrical pieces in cut and polished presentations as a way to incorporate a rustic material into a sleek design. The types, colors, shapes, sizes, styles, and settings used in this collection vary widely, but one thing they all share is masterful construction. Architects and builders agree that it requires both brute strength and delicate precision to create these stone masterworks.
