Warming hearts and beautifying homes

The options for incorporating a fireplace into a residential setting, whether it be internal or external, are vast, ranging from open-fronted or glass-fronted wood, gas or electric fires. Each category has its own requirements and different specifications and scope. So at the outset, if you’re looking to include some form of fireplace into a new build or as a retrofit, it’s best to ensure you have a full understanding of what’s available and what’s required for each option before making any decisions.

“There is a tremendous amount of building happening around New Zealand at the moment, and the state of the economy is such that people are confident about the future and are wanting to add value to their property assets,” The Fireplace's new customer support manager Angela Hiddleston says. Angela has a background in design and over 13 years' experience in the fireplace industry and says she is excited by the evolving opportunities in the market. 

Incorporating a fireplace is one way to add value, especially at the higher end of the residential market. “The world is a busy place, and our lives are busy too. As a result of this, more than ever, we are seeing this desire to create a bit of a haven within the home. A deep yearning exists to have a fireplace; it’s something that has existed relatively unchanged for centuries,” Angela says.

It is, perhaps, the relative simplicity of watching flames that is attracting people towards fireplaces more than ever as they aim to create spaces for relaxation and to take time out from busy lives.

“With an abundance of heating systems from heat pumps to underfloor heating, you might imagine that fireplaces might have lost their relevance. But that’s not the case at all.” Instead, the opposite is so with many high-end residential builds, holiday homes and lodges, retirement villages and urban apartments all incorporating some form of fireplace installation. “Fireplaces and the desire to enjoy them is so deeply ingrained in our DNA. Contemporary fireplaces also represent an element of beautification. Design is central, and they are looked at now as design objects in their own right.”

Under the direction of the new owners, Geoff Dunn and Dave Thompson, The Fireplace is now offering a comprehensive end-to-end service to meet the market and simplify the process of specifying, purchasing and installing a fireplace.

“There is a fundamental constraint on labour in the construction industry in New Zealand at the moment,” Angela says. “Often, as a result products are being installed under tight time frames with tight resourcing.  We have an obligation to improve our product solutions with clear, simple installation instructions and more technical expertise to support the sector.”

It is within this context that The Fireplace is now offering a full service, working collaboratively with architects, designers and clients nationwide to provide specialist technical expertise.  The Fireplace works with a network of trained, accredited installers New Zealand wide and for large-scale and complex projects they provide on-site installation consultancy resources.

If you’re considering the options available for a fireplace, make sure you visit The Fireplace’s stunning Auckland showroom, one of their dealer partner's showrooms around New Zealand, or visit them on ArchiPro here to peruse the latest in contemporary fire options.