2020 brought the fireplace storming back into the limelight with more people staying at home and undertaking home improvement projects. Homeowners and designers alike placed extra emphasis on integrating beautiful and functional fireplaces as the center of the home. 2021 will see the continuance of many of last year’s trends…
Trend #1: Linear Interior
2021 will see continue to see the strong growth in the number of large, linear, and contemporary gas fireplaces being installed in people’s homes. This year will see these large, linear contemporary gas fireplaces placed in less modern styled living rooms and in a wider range of homes. Linear fireplaces are finding themselves to be more versatile into a wider range of interior design styles and less exclusive to being a key feature of a modern home. Regency offers a full line of beautiful linear gas fireplaces that look at home in a sleek modern townhome or in an aging rancher.
Examples: Below we can see a classic living space completely transformed and brought up to date by a new linear interior fireplace. In addition to a more modern fireplace, they have added stone and a mantle to shield the TV from the heat. The wall is finished with drywall, contemporary lights and painted to match the rest of the room. The TV is built into the wall offering a clean and flush appearance matching the fireplace. This look creates a modern, yet classic look that would suit the décor of most living rooms.
Pictured: Regency Ultimate U900E Gas Fireplace
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Image below is the Regency Horizon HZ40E Gas Fireplace in a classically styled living room. The fireplace has been built flush with dusty red-brown stone veneer. This classic contemporary look also suits almost any living room.
Pictured: Regency Horizon HZ40E Gas Fireplace
Trend #2 Large & In Charge
The larger the better, in 2021 expect to see gas fireplaces expand their size. A larger viewable area provides a sense of elegance and prestige that is unmatched by smaller models. Traditionally gas fireplaces have been rectangular in shape but in recent years have expanded to become squarer. In 2021 if you don’t go long and linear you will go large and square. And for good reason, nothing compares to the awe-inspiring view of a fire dancing behind almost 1,000 square inches of glass!
Examples: This bright living room features a nice bright hearth & mantel as well as a light rug to brighten the space. This contrast of white to the dark framing of the fireplace draws the eye to the beautiful flame pictures inside. The interior panels of the fireplace help add additional depth to the space and breaks up the traditional "dark box" that fireplaces used to be.
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Pictured: Regency Grandview G800EC
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Here we have a something quite different from our last example. This room is still quite bright due to the white tile and all white mantel. However, the eye is less drawn to the fireplace as the owners have chosen to add a silver frame. This helps the fireplace blend in with the rest of the mantel and creates less contrast. The addition of dark furniture pieces also limits the stark contrast of the dark firebox and the white tiling/mantel. A completely different look is achieved with the exact same product!
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Pictured: Regency Bellavista B36XTE Gas Fireplace
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With this fireplace we can see one of Regency’s largest viewable areas at 965 square inches, fully showcasing the elegance of large, square fireplaces. This homeowner has finished their fireplace with a rich dark brown mantel that compliments the fireplace and expands the focus of your eye to include the mantel instead of just the fireplace. This dark mantel is matched with dark furniture in the room.
Pictured: Regency Liberty L965E Gas Fireplace
Trend #3 Flexibility
The past few years have seen the release of multiple products that allow for combustible materials to be placed directly above and surrounding the fire. Traditionally a fireplace would require heat resistant materials such as brick, stone, or tile to surround it. New technology such as Regency’s Cool Wall System allows for heat to be transferred away from the wall and into the home. This innovation allows designers and homeowners to apply any finishes such as wood and wallpaper to the very edge of the gas fireplace and allows for art or TV’s to be mounted directly above the fireplace, opening a whole new world of design possibilities. 2021’s most popular fireplace finishing’s will be shiplap walls, creative wallpapers, and custom wood accent walls.
2021 will see the release of even more 'Cool Wall' fireplaces resulting in an increased adoption of the finishing flexibility provided by these units.
Examples: The Regency City Series New York View is our flagship Cool Wall System gas fireplace. This stunning 72” gas fireplace allows for the ultimate in design flexibility by allowing edge to edge finishing in combustible materials.
With this unit the homeowner has finished their fireplace with wood and painted drywall to create a modern look and a stunning centerpiece for the room. They are utilizing Regency’s Cool Wall System and have a TV mounted directly above the fireplace. In addition the entire fireplace acts as a separator between rooms, an increasingly common way to differentiate rooms in open concept homes.
Pictured: Regency City Series CV72E
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The City Series San Francisco Bay fireplace is a premium 3-sided bay gas fireplace that acts as a stunning centerpiece in your home and allows for an unmatched view of the fire from multiple angles.
With this unit there is wallpaper to the very edge of the fireplace. This creates a very clean and modern look that helps integrate the fireplace seamlessly into the home.
Pictured: Regency City Series CB40E
Trend #4 Corner Office
With open floor plans becoming more and more common, designers are increasingly turning to corner and multi-sided fireplaces as a way to integrate a fireplace into a large room. Large central flues with multi-sided bay or corner gas fireplaces are a great way to differentiate rooms while keeping an open floor plan with the added benefit of being able to enjoy the fire from multiple angles.
Examples: The Regency City Series Chicago Corner is a 2-sided gas fireplace that matches perfectly with the trend. Available as either a left or right corner unit giving the Chicago Corner gas fireplace the ultimate flexibility in your home. Regency San Francisco Bay 60 & 72 models can also be installed as corner units.
Notice the textured wall – With older fireplaces a texture like this would not be possible as the fireplace would create too much heat. This designer took advantage the new flexibility afforded by the City Series to create a textured feature wall made from combustible materials. City Series utilizes our patented technology to channel the heat away from the wall without the need for noisy fans. Heat is gently released into the room at ceiling level. City Series allows for any wall materials to be used right to the edge of the fireplace, including wood, wall paper, vinyl wall panels or even art. This adds a dramatic visual to an already visually stunning fireplace.
Pictured: Regency City Series CC40LE
Trend #5 Controllable Heat
New materials for construction and renovations are focusing on creating better insulated and more energy conscious materials. As a result many homes being more tightly sealed and well-insulated, the need for heat is reduced. Having a fireplace with controllable heat options allows you to use your fireplace to heat your home, but also allowing for you to lower the heat output of the fireplace to be able to enjoy the romantic, cozy ambiance of your fireplace for longer. Most Regency gas fireplaces have a 5-stage turndown on the flame, lowering heat output by as much as 50%, as well as a variable speed blower to provide maximum temperature control.
Another method to control heat from Regency Fireplaces is to use Regency’s Heat Wave™ Power Duct System to direct and disperse heat into rooms up to 20 feet away.
Regency Gas Fireplaces come standard with a smart thermostat built into the programmable remote control. The Smart control allows you to set your desired room temperature and as the room reaches that temperature, the flame intensity and heat will gradually decrease automatically rather than simply turning on and off.
Trend #6 Smart Remotes
Gas fireplace remotes are no longer just on/off switches…
Gas fireplaces are smarter than ever. With programmable remotes and thermostats, you are able to maintain a consistent temperature or set your fireplace to turn on or off during specific times. No more walking into a frigid home after a long day of work or worrying about leaving the fireplace overnight.
Probably most importantly, remotes now act as a portable thermostat. If you have set the fire to a specific temperature it will maintain the temperature based on where you and the remote are sitting. If you move across the room, the fireplace will automatically adjust to ensure the ambient temperature of wherever you are located matches the preset. No more getting up to adjust the thermostat if you are too cold or too hot. Simply set it and forget it!
Think we missed any major gas fireplace trends in 2021? Want to show us your project? Post your photos with #LoveMyRegency