Corner fireplace in interior design

Sitting in front of a burning fireplace on cold evenings, listening to the crackling of a living fire, admiring the tongues of flame, enjoying fragrant tea in a company with loved ones - what else could be more wonderful! A burning fireplace creates a special atmosphere and gives the room an aesthetic value. And besides, such a simple piece of furniture attracts attention and speaks of the status of the owner of the house. But for many, a fireplace is still an unaffordable luxury.

A corner fireplace is a great solution for owners of small living rooms. It gives both a large cottage and a small country house comfort, warmth and coziness, and also creates a unique interior.

A corner fireplace has a number of undeniable advantages:

• compact size: a corner fireplace will ideally fill an empty corner in a room;
• reliable source of heat: the corner fireplace has optimal heat transfer, which is several times superior to conventional stoves or electric heaters;
• you can install a corner fireplace not only in the living room, but also in the bedroom;
• high level of security;

• quietly saves usable space and does not take up much space;
• a large assortment and many finishes for various premises;
• heats additionally adjacent rooms, since the structure uses two walls;
• hides flaws in the walls and design flaws in the room;
• wide visibility of the fire, which allows you to look at the flame from anywhere in the room.

The fireplace structure consists of several parts.

• Firebox. It can be open or closed. The type of firebox does not affect the heat transfer, but it increases the fire safety in the room. For a closed firebox, you must additionally take care of purchasing durable heat-resistant tempered glass or ceramics. If you plan to equip an open firebox, you should lay a brick or metal tile in front of the fireplace: random sparks from the fire will not turn into a flame, which will protect your home from fire.

• Ash pan. It is necessary to collect a large amount of ash, which is formed after the combustion of logs. The ash pan is a small chamber and is located directly under the firebox. In case of excessive clogging through the ash pan, air ceases to flow into the furnace, and the fire goes out.
• Grate. Serves as an insulating layer on which fuel for the fireplace is burned.
• Portal. This is the very structure of the fireplace, in other words, the body.
• Chimney. Made of steel or brick, its height must be at least 5 meters.

On the modern market, there are a large number of heating furnaces. Despite the angular shape of the fireplace, the hearth bowl can be rectangular, trapezoidal, square, or semicircular. Fireplaces are divided into two types.

• Symmetrical. With this design, both sides are perfectly similar to each other. This type of fireplace is suitable for any room and has the best performance.

• Asymmetrical. They are more often used when zoning a room and at the same time preserving the integrity of the space.Such designs serve as an unobtrusive and appropriate border in the interior and look better in a large room. Also, fireplaces are divided into several types, depending on the fuel and the design of the firebox. The energy efficiency of the entire system depends on this. Consider the types of fireplaces by type of fuel.

It is easy to maintain and provides the necessary warmth. At the same time, there is no soot, and there is no need to carry out labor-intensive cleaning. In addition, it works silently and warms up as quickly as possible. Of the minuses, it can be noted that obtaining permission to install a gas fireplace can take a lot of time and effort, since special safety requirements are put forward for rooms with gas.

To install such a structure in a room, you do not need to obtain a special permit, therefore, electric fireplaces are often installed in apartment buildings. But, in fact, it is an unusual in appearance, primitive electric heater, which most realistically copies a burning flame and embers. Of the advantages, one can also note the optimal price and ease of use.

Modern models have a stylish look and are able to complement any interior. They are used directly to decorate the interior, and not to heat the room. This fireplace does not need a chimney, so they can be installed in any room. But the high cost of fuel and the unsafe design of some types of biofireplaces discourage buyers. In addition, he is not able to heat the room.

Installed, as a rule, in the country, in private houses or country cottages. The biggest challenge lies in the foundation and chimney installation. In addition, for a classic fireplace, it is necessary to maintain a supply of firewood or briquettes.

Outwardly, it is not much different from the real one, but it does not give warmth. For a city apartment, this is a great option that does not require maintenance, and is also affordable and completely safe. In addition, a similar design of a fireplace can be made with your own hands from boxes, cardboard, foam, plywood, old furniture and much more. To do this, you just need to stock up on the necessary materials and patience.

Fireplaces are also classified according to the way they are installed.

• Built-in. Such models hide the chimney behind a decorative column. Only the firebox remains in the access zone.
• Wall mounted. Perhaps the most common option. Such models can be heated with wood or gas. The wall-mounted fireplace takes up significantly less space and has free space above the mantelpiece. Such a structure can be finished with various materials: stones, bricks, plaster.

• Island. They are installed anywhere in the room and have an original appearance. As a rule, the fire in such models is completely covered with heat-resistant glass. But with an open method of installation, they require a safer handling. But island structures look harmonious only in large rooms, moreover, for caution, it is necessary to free about 60 cm of space from fire.
• Corner. A great option for small spaces. By using only one corner, they leave more free space in the room.

A more modified model has a water circuit that connects to a heating radiator installed in the house. Depending on the capacity of the structure and the number of batteries, a living area is selected that needs to be heated. At the same time, there is a water jacket and air channels between the walls of the cast-iron fireplace, which are necessary to maintain the fire. Heated water flows through pipes to radiators and distributes heat throughout the room. In addition, some of the water can be used for hot water supply.

Before installing the fireplace, you need to decide on the design.

In this case, it is necessary to consider:

• geometric dimensions;
• facade;
• shape;
• type of;
• functional indicators;
• aesthetic parameters.

Designers do not recommend focusing directly on the fireplace in the room - this will deprive the interior of integrity and harmony. Although, undoubtedly, the fireplace will become the main element in any room. Even an imitation fireplace makes a simple room more comfortable and inviting. And to give the interior weightlessness and harmony - choose a glass fireplace in light shades.

And the mantel can be decorated with figurines, vases of flowers, photographs or beautiful candles. There is also room for precious antique clocks and family heirlooms.

The corner fireplace can be harmoniously integrated into any interior, regardless of style. You can use both natural and artificial finishing materials. The most popular are brick, drywall and decorative plaster. The main thing is that the individual elements of the fireplace do not get out of the general style of the interior.

In the classic English style, the fireplace is made of red brick. Such designs look reliable, elegant and restrained. They are able to create a comfortable and cozy atmosphere. But it is also important to consider that a brick fireplace looks appropriate only in a large room. In addition, its installation will require a lot of effort and finance.

Rustic country and Provence styles are perfect for a living room with a fireplace. Here, when decorating a fireplace, a combination of natural materials: stone and wood is appropriate.

In modern styles, designers often prefer fireplaces with decorative finishes - they look more lightweight. The living room can be decorated with warm or cold colors. For furniture, designers advise choosing calm warm shades: they perfectly emphasize and complement the overall atmosphere of the room.

Buying and installing a fireplace will require tangible financial costs, therefore, in order not to be mistaken, it is important to make the right choice.

When choosing a fireplace for a country house, first of all, you need to decide:

• in which room the fireplace will be located;
• what are the main functions it should perform;
• what fuel it will run on.

The fireplace can be installed in several rooms: it can be a hall, bedroom, dining room, sauna, kitchen or outdoor terrace. However, in each specific case, the conditions for its installation are individual.

If the fireplace is installed in the room as a decorative element, but it does not have to have a chimney, of course, only if it will not be heated.And for heating a room, heating water or cooking food, much more requirements are put forward to the structure.

A rarely used fireplace with a chimney should not cool the room and take away heat, so consider this point when choosing the type of fuel. Experts say that to determine the power of the fireplace insert, it is necessary to divide the cubic area of ​​the room by 25. So, for example, the volume of the room is 50 cubic meters (in this case, cubic meters are taken into account, not square meters), so 50/25 = 2 kW. This is the power that a fireplace should have in order to maintain heat in an insulated building in a temperate climate. For a harsh climate, it is better to choose fireplaces with a cast iron or steel firebox: they heat up faster and maintain heat better.

There is a certain order for each masonry scheme - it will facilitate the construction process.

For an illustrative example, we will analyze the option of laying a corner fireplace according to the following characteristics:

• room area - 28-35 square meters;
• dimensions of the base of the fireplace - 90x90 cm;
• height (excluding the chimney pipe) - 163 cm.

To install the fireplace, you must prepare the following building materials and tools:

• chamont (refractory) brick for a firebox, brand M220 - 60 pieces;
• solid bricks - 396 pieces (taking into account the additional 10% that must be laid for rejects and errors, in this case the number of bricks for the pipe is not taken into account);

• coarse and fine sand, crushed stone, gravel;
• cement mixture of the M300-M400 brand and red refractory clay in equal proportions;
• bar reinforcement;
• plywood sheet and wooden blocks;
• metal sheet 40x60 cm in size and 3 mm thick;
• steel corners measuring 5x5x0.5x60 cm and 5x5x0.5x80 cm (2 pcs);
• smoke damper measuring 13x25 cm with a long handle;
• asbestos sheet;

• chimney pipe;
• finishing materials for the final stage: decorative tiles, bricks, plaster;
• construction trowel;
• shovel;
• rubber hammer;
• grinding machine;

• medium spatula;
• roulette;
• corner;
• plumb line;
• jointing;
• containers for the preparation of solutions.

All work begins after a full preparation of the foundation for the future fireplace. The first row of bricks is a basement one - it is laid below the floor level.

To make it easier to work, you can number each next row on the wall using chalk or a simple pencil.

• The first row allows you to build the basic outlines of the future fireplace. According to the project, the size of the base is 90x90 cm.With the help of the building level, it is necessary to draw diagonal lines, guided by which the first row of 91x91 cm is laid.
• Professionals advise to resort to a little trick so that the structure has perfectly flat walls: it is necessary to fix the vertical threads on the ceiling, which will act as a pendulum and greatly facilitate the work.
• The second row should already have walls measuring 90x90 cm.

• From the third row, the formation of the walls of a niche for firewood begins.
• On the fourth row, the laying of bricks is repeated. After that, the firewood chamber must be covered with a metal sheet and a steel corner of a suitable size.
• The next row fits according to the ordering scheme similar to the first row, but the frontal part increases 2 cm forward.
• This is followed by a row that repeats the laying of the previous one. According to the previous analogy, the frontal part is increased by another 2 cm. In the place of the future firebox, the usual solid brick is replaced with fireclay brick.
• The seventh row continues to build the firebox. An additional gap of 3-4 mm should be left between ordinary and fire-resistant bricks - this is a necessary measure for the expansion of the material during heating.
• The next three rows are repeated by analogy and complete the construction of the firebox.
• On the 11th row, you can proceed to the formation of the fireplace tooth. To do this, fireclay bricks in the far corner on two rows must be grinded inward.

• On the 13th row, a steel corner is laid on the front side of the fireplace and a firebox overlap is formed.
• Thus, on the 14th and 15th rows, a closed fireplace area is laid and a tooth is formed. On the sides, an ordinary brick is shifted to the walls of the room by a few millimeters, so that on the 16th row it is possible to increase the area for fireclay bricks.
• On the 17th row, the side walls increase the size of the fireplace by another 3 cm.In the process, one solid brick is laid in a row. A total of 11.5 red bricks are consumed on this row. The rest of the triangle-shaped space is reserved for five refractory bricks. But first, three bricks must be sawed and given the necessary shape.
• On the 18th row, a beautiful overlap of the fuel chamber is formed, and then exclusively solid brick is used.
• Row 19 is the basis for the mantelpiece and is gradually inflated so that on the next row you go to the formation of the chimney.
• Gradually, on rows 21 and 22, the chimney size is reduced to 26x13 cm. For this, in the far corner, bricks are cut along their entire length at an angle of 45 degrees.

• Up to the 28th row, the chimney is gradually formed, and the side walls of the structure on each row are reduced by several centimeters. Thus, from the 25th row, only the chimney pipe is laid.
• A smoke valve is installed on the 28th row, but before that one of the bricks must be cut so that the valve handle remains always movable.
• The following rows are stacked with five bricks that do not need to be adjusted to size.
• Of course, to facilitate the work, you can use a ready-made cast-iron firebox: it will significantly reduce the time for laying a firebox made of refractory bricks. When choosing a steel firebox, experts still recommend laying bricks on the internal structure in order to reduce the contact of metal with fire.

As with any solid task, construction work begins with a sketch and a project. To do this, on a regular sheet in a cage, they depict the space of the room and the place for the fireplace.

All drawings must be built correctly and correctly and take into account all dimensions.

• When choosing a project, first of all, you need to decide on the angle in the room for the future fireplace. As a rule, the fireplace is located in a remote corner without windows and away from flammable objects. The optimal distance is 65-70 cm.
• The sketch should indicate the shape and preliminary design for drawing up an estimate of building and finishing materials.

• Draw a chimney tooth in the drawing - this is a small chamber located at the back of the firebox. It is necessary for the circulation of flue gases and cold air. As it gradually cools down the chimney, the hot gas moves downward, creating turbulence in the flow. Without an additional chamber, smoke will hang in the chimney and prevent the natural circulation of cold and hot streams inside it.
• Calculation of air flow is a necessary item when drawing up a project. The dimensions of the fireplace should correspond to the area of ​​the room. So, in a small room it is difficult to achieve the necessary ventilation - installing a fireplace in this case can be dangerous to the life and health of household members.
• The fireplace can be installed not only in a private house, but also in some apartment buildings. Although the approval of the project will require a lot of effort. To install the chimney, you must obtain the appropriate permits and comply with all fire safety requirements.
• If this option is not possible, you can choose an electric fireplace.With such a model, there will be much less hassle. In addition, simulations take up significantly less space. Drywall can be used as a finishing material for them.

The construction of a fireplace should be trusted by professionals. But if you have certain knowledge and skills and are confident in your own abilities, then you can carry out all the work yourself.

Detailed step-by-step instructions will help you realize even the most daring project.

• First you need to prepare the foundation - this is the most crucial stage of the work. To do this, you need to dig a hole 10 cm larger than the future foundation.
• Before starting, clean the sand from possible debris and sift. A sandy interlayer with crushed granite is poured onto the bottom of the prepared pit. Its thickness must be at least 30 mm.
• This is followed by a layer of crushed stone and cement mortar. It should not reach the floor level, but be lower: at a distance of about two bricks. The layer must be carefully leveled.

• The walls to which the fireplace will adjoin must be protected from overheating. This can be done with a reflective foil screen or ceramic tile. The floor near the fireplace must also be protected from fire sparks with ceramic tiles.
• After the cement base has completely dried (about 5-7 days), you can proceed to laying bricks. But before that, lay a layer of roofing material, which will act as a waterproofing material. On the walls near the fireplace, you can indicate the numbers of the rows, which will greatly facilitate the construction stage.
• You can start making masonry material: it includes sand and clay. The main element in this case is clay: the quality of all masonry material will depend on its quality. Such a solution can be purchased already in a dry ready-made form and used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Each seam should not exceed 5 mm, otherwise it may crack at elevated temperatures. To ensure all seams are the perfect size, pre-prepared wooden slats can be used, which will be of a suitable thickness. After the masonry mixture has dried, remove the slats from the bottom row and continue laying the bricks according to the order.

• And it is important to remember that red clay is not suitable for laying a chimney, since it does not have excellent moisture-resistant characteristics.
• After this, the brick is laid according to the ordering scheme. A large number of bricks will need to be divided into ½ and ¼ parts.
• The final touch is the treatment of the fireplace structure with a special compound that will increase the thermal insulation and waterproofing characteristics.
• After that, you can already move on to the decorative part.

A few helpful tips and advice will help you in the best way to complement your home with a corner fireplace.

• The base of the fireplace must have an independent foundation. Otherwise, when the house subsides, the main single foundation of the building will shrink, which can also affect the fireplace structure. As a result, its base is deformed, and gas will penetrate into the room.
• It is necessary to create a project and lay a fireplace even at the stage of building the foundation of the house. The width of the foundation should be at least 15 cm larger than the future fireplace and withstand the total weight of the structure together with the chimney (a brick fireplace weighs about 1 ton). In addition, the weight of the facing material must be taken into account.
• Due to the increased likelihood of overheating of adjacent walls, they should be made of non-combustible materials. And wooden walls must be protected with a metal sheet.

• The back wall of the fireplace should be made at a slight slope.
• Regardless of which type of fireplace you choose, remember that the chimney must be higher than the ridge of the roof of the house. And all floors through which the chimney will pass must be insulated with asbestos material.
• The shallower the depth of the firebox, the greater the heat transfer, but with a significant decrease, the room may smoke up.
• If the fireplace will be used mainly for heating the room, then the structure must be lowered as low as possible so that the floor in the room heats up faster. From a decorative point of view, the fireplace can be slightly raised above the floor: this option looks more elegant and original.
• The size of the firebox is calculated based on the size of the room. Ideal is the volume of the firebox, equal to 2% of the total volume of the room. For this, the area of ​​the room in meters must be divided by 50. The resulting number is the optimal size of the firebox in square meters.

• The ratio of the dimensions of the firebox and the chimney hole should be 8: 1. If the dimensions are increased, then the heat from the fireplace will go out into the street, and more firewood will be required to maintain the fire. And with a decrease in the diameter, the thrust will decrease.
• Excess masonry mortar between the bricks must be removed immediately, otherwise, over time, they will leave stains on the surface of the stone.
• As for the cladding of the fireplace, in recent years, modern designers are giving preference to uncladded fireplaces. But it should be borne in mind that the initial attractive appearance will not last long. And in this case, it is very important to use modern materials and perform high-quality styling.
• The easiest way to cover a fireplace is with plaster. The final finish can be embellished with patterns or prints, or a rich color with water-based paint. The inside of the combustion chamber is not plastered.

• Sloppy masonry can also be masked with decorative tiles, stone or marble, but this option is more expensive.
• Never place the TV set over a fireplace - this is a gross violation of safety rules. The most ideal location for the TV zone is next to the fireplace. So the fire will not interfere with enjoying the movie.
• The first kindling of the fireplace must be carried out after the glue and cement mortars have completely dried: put a small amount of brushwood, branches or small firewood on the bottom of the firebox and gradually warm up the fireplace.
• Do not forget to regularly clean the fireplace.

• In the lower part of the fireplace, it is worthwhile to foresee a niche for storing firewood.
• In modern classics, you can hide a corner fireplace in the wall. The combination of stone and fire in this case looks very advantageous - in such a living room you want to spend a lot of time with family and friends.

• A modern fireplace will perfectly complement not only a classic and restrained interior, it can also become a real highlight in an unusual and bright modern or fusion style. Here's a great example of how custom shapes and designs can be harmoniously combined in a well-thought-out interior.
• A minimalist living room can also be supplemented with a small fireplace. He will add a small touch to the design of the room and make the interior more original and stylish.

• The design can only remotely resemble the traditional model of the fireplace, but at the same time it can perform all functions correctly.
• Connoisseurs of modern and fashionable high-tech style will undoubtedly appreciate the unusual design of the fireplace in a dark color. Cool marble and glass go well with a bright flame.

• A bright fireplace, even in a small living room of a city apartment, creates a special warm and welcoming climate, fills the room with pleasant warmth.
• Do not despair if it is impossible to complement the interior with a real full-fledged fireplace. Pay attention to all kinds of imitations. Designers offer non-standard approaches to solving this problem. For example, a very sincere and cute option is a light false fireplace with candles.

In this video, you will find an overview of a corner fireplace, ready for decoration.