Playing with fire

Fireplace surrounds are both a steady seller and a creative outlet for fabricators.

By Daina Manning

In these stressed out, nerve-wracked times, the overwhelming lifestyle trend is toward “cocooning.” Instead of going out on the town, consumers are tucking themselves in with home entertainment centers, home offices and cozy, expansive “great rooms” where everyone can gather. New homes are getting larger, and manufacturers are racking their brains trying to provide even more soothing, centering amenities for the well-off but high-strung.

A fireplace is essential for giving people that deeply rooted, primal connection to hearth and home – and precast concrete is increasingly the material of choice for the surround. Concrete offers the look of a stone fireplace even to starter homeowners on a modest budget; the material’s flexibility also makes it ideal for more adventurous and expensive projects.

Texture and design
Today’s other major concrete design trend is countertops, which are confined to a somewhat standardized shape dictated by the dimensions and traffic flow of a kitchen. But in constructing them, fabricators can take wild flights of fancy in terms of color, finish and additions such as unique embedded objects.

Fireplace surrounds are the exact opposite. “Fireplaces are probably more straightforward in the sense that people like them to be smooth and look like stone – there are probably not as many creative finishes,” says John L. Mumford, general manager and marketing manager, California Precast Stone Mfg. Inc., Perris, Calif. But it’s shape and size where a fabricator can really take off creatively. “With the countertops, it’s generally (a flat surface with) either a straight edge or a roll,” says Mumford. “With fireplaces, it’s extraordinary what you can do with the designs.”

One of concrete’s big advantages is, of course, its ability to easily take any shape, making it a particularly advantageous material for custom, one-of-a-kind projects. Mumford recalls a recent job where the fireplace was especially designed to work with the homeowner’s large, elaborate Italian mirror. Instead of a mantle as a focal point, the fireplace featured side columns that helped showcase the mirror in the center. The concrete surround had a smooth stone look in a subtle, creamy beige color.

Similarly, Rex Seawright, president (and co-owner with wife Nancy Madson), Seawright Custom Precast Inc., Coachella, Calif., recalls a job where the client’s interior designer was after a unique look not available from his stock catalog. The two got together for a meeting of mix and match. “She’d take this portion of this fireplace, that portion of another one, put a rope mold in here, take this wall cap from there,” he recalls. “We spent a couple of hours and ended up doing two fireplaces for them.”

“We can build anything someone wants, it’s unlimited,” says Dennis Melucci, president, Stonecrafters Architectural Precast Stone Inc., Clearwater, Fla. “We’ve built stuff up to 35 feet tall in some custom residences where two floors are involved.” In a residence where a balcony overlooks a living room, a fireplace can extend to the ceiling, providing a dramatic centerpiece for the room. Melucci adds that grandiose multistory fireplaces are also a frequent request for public areas such as a lobby of a condo complex.

In terms of design, fireplaces seem to dovetail today’s eclectic trends, where the overriding desire is for warmth, serenity, ease – the perfect “cocoon.” This can express itself in a number of styles. For instance, Asian- and European-influenced “soft contemporary” designs feature sleek lines but avoid the cold, minimalist feel that one often associates with modern looks.

Vintage, or retro, is another major trend, taking its cues from 20th century movements such as Art Deco, Mission, Arts & Crafts and Mid-Century Modern. It evokes classic designs from the 1920s through 1950s with an uncluttered, streamlined approach. Less ornate and fussy than Victorian or other looks one often associates with “antiques,” vintage still gives a home a traditional feel.

Finally, rustic, elegant looks which pick up the vibe of, say, a villa in Tuscany, are making strong inroads, especially in the southwest, where much new residential construction features Mediterranean hallmarks such as stucco and tile roofs. Here, the look has grandeur and grace but also espouses a relaxed country feel, with natural materials and subdued colors instead of gold and glitz. Overall, a relaxed, serene ambience is in, flashy, gaudy design and hard edges are out – and concrete fireplaces fit in perfectly.

Mumford sees three basic trends in fireplace design: “totally creative, where it can be sculpted and intertwined and crazy and exotic.” He also sees classic styles – legs and mantles, mouldings and a lot of detail. And then a newer trend is to take an old look but keep it simple, like a country French chateau. “That rustic Old World look is very popular right now,” agrees Melucci.

Whichever style a client wants, the color is likely to be neutral. Mumford explains that a quiet tone lets the shape of the cast stone take center stage. He likens the role of the fireplace in a color scheme to that of draperies: “Although (drapes) stand out design-wise, they’re a little more subdued in coloring and finish.”

“The industry seems to be going with a light buff color,” agrees Melucci. Seawright cites oatmeal and cream as predominant color choices for fireplaces, but adds that “this year, it seems we have more earth tones: taupe, tan, brown.” This complements the rustic Tuscany look, which often features darker wood species such as mahogany and walnut for cabinets and furniture.

Picking a neutral color also lets the concrete’s texture become a more prominent design element. “We have three standard textures at the moment,” says Seawright. “A standard low void texture, which is kind of smooth, a sandblast finish and our Old World finish.” The latter has more of a weathered stone look with its own unique patterns, hollow spots and distortion, mimicking the texture of aged lava rock.

Melucci’s primary line of fireplaces features a keystone textured look that evokes the look of coral stone. “We do a wet pour, we pour into molds that we make, when we strip the material from the molds, it comes out looking all pitted, it looks like coral stone, rough cut coral – a keystone finish. It does look old,” he elaborates. For clients who want a less rustic look, Melucci uses acid wash or sandblasting for a smoother finish.

Fiberglass and rubber are the molds of choice for most fireplace surrounds. Seawright says he’s never used a steel mold (“When I think steel I think septic tanks and bridge beams,” he explains) and primarily relies on fiberglass, but adds that he does employ rubber for more intricate designs.
Mumford does have some steel molds for stock surround designs he uses frequently. Melucci adds that his company uses rubber, fiberglass and wood, with an occasional styrofoam mold.

Seawright adds that very few of his molds are one piece, because multiple components are necessary to achieve the intricate custom designs he’s going for. “A fireplace can be up to 20 pieces,” he explains. “Our fireplace surrounds have flexibility (in design) because they’re multi pieces.” A one-piece surround is obviously easier to install, but can’t achieve the unique looks that his clients (whose homes tend to be in the $600,000 to $10 million range) desire.

High-end customers don’t want their exact fireplace to show up in their neighbor’s house, either. “We do a lot of custom work,” says Melucci. “When an architect designs a home, they design a fireplace and we make molds according to their drawings. Sometimes we get requests from homeowners, that they would like this made strictly for them – they don’t want it repeated. They purchase the molds from us and we don’t make a replica.”

Seawright adds that he tries to get more than one use out of his molds, but “there are occasional products that come along where we still need to use a fiberglass mold to get the texture and quality I’m looking for, and it is a one-time deal.” Control of the process is important, he emphasizes: “We do everything in-house. We design on (a CAD system), we fabricate the molds, we fabricate the parts.”

Your basic fireplace
Huge, high-priced projects are probably more fun and more profitable, but that’s a select clientele, says Mumford. “Everybody likes fireplaces.”

Since actually heating a home with the fireplace is no longer an issue, Mumford quips that builders have taken pains to include “a metal slide-in box with an artificial log in it for effect” in even the most modest homes.

So, when considering entering the fireplace market, those surveyed recommend targeting not only affluent Baby Boomers who are building a palatial dream house to grow old in, but also Gen Xers who are remodeling their very first starter home. “People want a moulding around that (metal box) to look Italian or English or whatever,” jokes Mumford.

“We’ve done fireplaces that cost $10,000, but don’t get into business thinking every one of them is going to be (like that),” he recommends. “Get in business thinking most of them will be $500. Make some nice moldings for a simple surround that more people can afford, and you’ll have a better chance at selling them. Then you’re going to have someone come to you and say, ‘Hey, I want one clean across my room and up to my 12-foot ceiling, can you do that?’ And then you go from there.”
Mumford adds that most of his projects are in the $3,000 to $5,000 range; a custom mold is one component that drives up the price. Size is also a consideration, with a large build obviously requiring more manpower. Custom finish and color also add to the expense of a project.

Seawright notes that, in addition to his more custom high-end work, he plans to start a division of his company that will produce mass-market fireplace surrounds. For clients on a tight budget, Seawright recommends painted concrete. That provides a traditional, clean-lined look, which works with any number of design styles. “They’ll get a plain stock grey fireplace surround and paint it or stain it themselves,” he explains. “So they can run the fireplace for a year until they can afford to bring in a faux painter” to create something more imaginative. Seawright adds that for surrounds that are to be painted, a smooth finish is best.

Moving outdoors
And for the upscale homeowner who’s already put in every bell and whistle they can possibly add to their house’s interior? Move the whole operation outside, of course.
Outdoor living is another up-and-coming trend, and not only in states with warm climates. Swimming pool areas are becoming veritable spas with the addition of hot tubs and outdoor saunas. The modest summer tradition of throwing a few steaks or hot dogs on the Weber has been replaced by taking charge of a full outdoor kitchen featuring an enormous pro-style grill, refrigerator, wine rack and a bar area complete with beer tap.

The outdoor fireplace is also a frequent request, especially in houses in the $1 million and up range, says Seawright. That design usually follows the trend of the house, with the outdoor fireplace coordinating with indoor surrounds, or perhaps with the stone in the exterior hardscape.

Mumford recalls a recent outdoor project that had the feel of an Italian villa out in wine country. In that case, the outdoor fireplace had the look of an old-time baking oven, complementing the rustic, weathered look of the courtyard. “It was very quaint and nice,” he notes.

In short, the fireplace market offers a fabricator many opportunities for creative expression and profit. Concludes Melucci: “There’s a lot of room out there for different styles, so find your niche and stay with it.”