There’s something both brilliant and bewildering about open-plan living. You knock down the walls, you get all that space, and then you realise you’ve no idea where anything’s supposed to go.
Where’s the lounge bit? Where does the dining table start and the kitchen stop? And what do you do when your mother-in-law visits and whats to know why her new guest bed is in the same room as yours?
This is where the fireplace comes in. It doesn’t just warm the place—it gives it a reason to exist. In a room without rules, it becomes the one thing everyone can agree on.
If you’re living in one of those spaces where the kitchen shares a postcode with the sofa, here’s what you need to know.
Go big or it gets lost
The problem with a large room is that small things disappear in it. That cosy fire you loved in your old snug? In an open-plan setting, it can look like an afterthought. A heater someone forgot to put away.
So go bigger.
Wide electric fireplaces with built-in flame effects. Double-sided gas models that let you see through to the dining area. Even log burners in the middle of the room—yes, people do that—can work, if you’ve got the space and a good flue.
If it’s going to take up space, let it mean something.
Think of it as a room divider
One of the best ways to stop an open-plan room from feeling like an aircraft hangar is to split it up.
You don’t need walls for that. A fireplace can do the job.
See-through fireplaces work well here. You get the flame from both sides, and the unit itself helps divide the space. One side becomes the living room. The other becomes wherever you pretend to work from home.
If your budget won’t stretch that far, a wide fireplace on a feature wall still does the trick. You can arrange your seating around it and give that part of the room its own purpose.
Wall-mounted means more floor space
Open-plan often means open everything. Kids running wild. Dogs chasing tails. Chairs dragged around like they’re in a furniture ballet.
In that kind of space, anything on the floor becomes an obstacle.
A wall-mounted electric fireplace gives you the look and the heat without getting in the way. No hearth. No mantel to bump into. And no logs to stack, unless you enjoy that sort of thing.
You can mount it high or low, depending on the layout. Above the TV. Under a shelf. Wherever makes the most sense without making the room feel like a showroom.
Freestanding units are more flexible
If you rent—or just change your mind often—a freestanding fireplace might be your friend.
Some electric models plug in and can be moved with minimal fuss. You don’t have to tear up your flooring. You don’t need a builder. And if you decide you’d rather face the other way next year, you can shift it around.
This is good for open-plan homes because furniture moves. What works for Christmas might not work when your cousin shows up with twins and a travel cot.
With a freestanding fireplace, at least one thing is still under your control.
Log burners can work—but think it through
There’s nothing like a real flame. If you’ve got the space and a chimney, or the budget to install a flue, a wood burner can look great in an open-plan setting.
But it needs planning.
Put it too close to the kitchen, and everything smells like a campsite. Put it too far away, and no one feels the benefit.
Also, you’ll need space for logs, kindling, and somewhere to clean up the mess. It’s not for everyone. But if you like the look and don’t mind the upkeep, it’s hard to beat.
Make it part of the room—not an extra
This is where people go wrong. They buy a fireplace, stick it on a wall, and then wonder why it looks odd.
It needs to feel like it belongs. Match it to the colour of your units or walls. Build it into a media unit if you’ve got one. Add shelving around it or a low bench that gives people a reason to sit near it.
In open-plan rooms, everything has to earn its place. The fireplace should do more than heat—it should help the space make sense.
It’s the anchor. The thing that says: this is the lounge. This is where we sit. This is where we drink tea and forget about our to-do list.
Don’t pick style over heat—or the other way round
Some people buy fireplaces that look amazing and heat nothing. Others buy ones that roast the room but look like something from a petrol station.
The best fireplace is the one that does both.
It should warm the space. It should make the room feel like home. And it should stop your guests asking if you’ve considered putting a wall back up.
