A three-sided fireplace? Does that even make sense? These are some of the questions that might run through your mind when you first hear of a three-sided fireplace.
That’s because like most, you are probably accustomed to one-sided traditional fireplaces. Conventional fireplaces as we know them often take the form of a recessed pit where logs burn to create warmth and even cook meals such as is the case with traditional hearths.
At best, these fireplaces can only be viewed from one vantage point and that is when you are seating in front of them or slightly to the side. Some farmhouses with common open plans tend to have a fireplace that divides the living area and the kitchen. Such a fireplace can be two-sided in that it can be viewed from either side; the front and the back as they have no back wall.
The smoke would waft right above the fireplace onto the chimney and be deposited outside. Such designs were perhaps borne from practicality and necessity rather than aesthetic appeal. With such designs, much-needed heat would pour into the house from both sides of the hearth to quell the harsh chill of wintry days and nights.
Today, however, 3-sided fireplaces are a reality and are growing in popularity while becoming more accessible and affordable.
A 3-sided fireplace is a fire fixture whose fire can be viewed from the front and both sides. Modern fireplace designs can achieve 3 sided fireplaces with ease. However, this design is not as easy to achieve with wood as a fuel. But gas and electric powered fireplaces have taken the design to a whole new level.
Gas and Propane 3 Sided Fireplaces
Technically one can be able to design a 3-sided fireplace fueled by wood, but the challenge becomes how to contain the smoke and the burning embers because the fire would be too open. If you opted to add a glass screen around the fire, the smoke would cloud the display, also general access to the fire when you need to stoke or add logs would be a challenge.
Bearing that in mind, you can consider a gas or electric powered option.
A 3-sided gas fireplace with a tempered glass display or no glass screen will work amazingly well in terms of presentation and function. Why? that’s because such a fireplace will produce real flames but with zero ash and smoke. This offers a clean look whether the flames are naked or confined within a glass display.
The same goes for electric 3-sided fireplaces. Because they produce no ash or smoke, the fire display is clean and suited for many places in the home, office, restaurants, and hotel rooms to name a few.
The concept of three-sided fireplaces first started in Europe and the idea was quite exclusive and prohibitively expensive in the past. Three-sided fireplaces were simply out of reach. But not so anymore! While they still fetch a tidy sum, one could argue that they are relatively affordable and indeed accessible to any homeowner today who would like an out-of-the-box fireplace that delivers a stylish elegance and a minimalist clean look as well as good utility.
While 3 sided fireplaces are still a novelty, the idea has caught on and as such, you will find a good number of brands with high quality 3-sided fireplaces of different sizes. The flexibility of choice makes it easier to incorporate this fireplace type into your interior design because you can choose between a gas powered option or an electric one.
Gas powered options often have a high BTU and the temperature can be regulated with the help of a control panel on the screen. These units offer a reliable heating source for the home while delivering a delightful aesthetic look that makes your home décor unique and enhances the level of coziness in your space.
A three-sided gas-powered fireplace can have a tempered glass screen or can be customized to exclude the glass so that the flame dance visual appeal is even more enchanting. The latter is an excellent option for a space with no kids. In the case of kids or pets in the home, a 3-sided gas-powered fireplace with a protective glass panel is the best option.
If a gas-powered option does not appeal to you but you love the design concept of a 3-sided fireplace, then you can always go electric. The same design concept and visual appeal can be delivered by an electric-powered 3-sided fireplace. The installation is way much easier and faster. It also provides an opportunity to play with different colors in terms of flames as well as the ember bed.
That is thanks to the fact that some 3-sided electronic fireplaces come equipped with different stunning fire crystals and log display media.
Electronic three-sided fireplaces don’t only present a clean minimal look, but they are also great for supplying zonal heating to complement the main heating source of the home.
Why the 3-Sided Option
3 sided fireplaces are an interior designer’s go-to option when a consumer is looking for a non-conventional fireplace that has a delightful presence, charm, elegance, and one that’s oozing with style.
Some people love to have their TV set and entertainment centers fitted right above the fireplace. Often times, that desire becomes a challenge because of the heat produced by many types of fireplaces that can damage your TV set.
While 3 sided electronic fireplaces can produce heat and warm rooms of 400 square feet and above, they often have a discrete heat vent situated in the front or on the side of the unit. This is an important feature because it allows you to hang your TV of whatever size right above the fireplace with zero clearance and have no worries that there is a chance of your TV getting overheated as a result of your 3-sided fireplace.
Decorators love these features in electric 3-sided fireplace type because it helps in creating a minimal and fluid décor without the need for full motion articulating TV mounts.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a clean fireplace with amazing visual appeal that can be seen from all three sides, you can’t go wrong with a gas or electric 3 sided fireplace.
The designs are catchy yet minimal. Being able to play around with flame size and color is a plus. Some three-sided fireplaces feature realistic a log sets and ember bed as well as fire crackling sounds that would fool even the keenest of eyes and ears into thinking that flames are real. A three-sided fireplace is an excellent option worthy of your consideration when looking for a fireplace with an edge in both aesthetics and function.