A fireplace is one of the few things in a home that pulls people toward it. Long after it stopped being the only source of heat, it still anchors a room — the spot the furniture faces, where people gather on a gray Seattle evening. So when you’re planning a remodel, the fireplace deserves more thought than “keep it” or “rip it out.” The best fireplace design ideas start with a simple question: where does your household naturally gather, and how do you build the room around that?
That’s the difference between a fireplace that feels like leftover architecture and one that becomes the heart of the space. Below is a practical look at the choices that matter — types and inserts, making the hearth a true focal point, integrating it with your cabinetry, and adding or moving a fireplace in an older Seattle home. Two of our own Seattle projects run through it as examples.
Start with the fireplace’s real job: gathering, not just heating
Today’s fireplaces are rarely about warmth alone — most Seattle homes have central heat. What a fireplace still does, better than anything else, is give a room a center: a grounding element that draws people together and anchors everything arranged around it.
That reframes the decision. Instead of asking “what fireplace should I buy,” start by identifying the heart of your home — where people naturally gather — and design the space around it. Placed and styled with intention, the hearth does double duty: it warms the room and it organizes it, telling everyone where to sit and where the evening happens.
Fireplace types and inserts: electric, gas, and wood
The type of fireplace you choose shapes your budget, your layout options, and how much construction the project requires. Each has a place in a remodel.
Electric inserts
Electric inserts solve a specific remodel problem: you want the look and glow of a fireplace without the depth and venting a combustion unit demands. An electric insert needs no gas line, no flue, and no deep firebox — the easiest option to drop into a retrofitted space, especially where the old opening is shallow or the venting is gone.
That flexibility is exactly why we reached for one at our Olympic Hills whole-house remodel. This open-concept project used the focal energy of the fireplace to define the living area, creating a centerpiece and visual anchor for the home. The electric insert reused the previous fireplace opening — without the depth or the extensive venting a gas unit would have required — a smart fit for the retrofitted space that kept a traditional layout while sidestepping the structural headaches.
Gas fireplaces
Gas offers instant, controllable flame and steady heat with the flip of a switch. The trade-off is infrastructure: a gas line and proper venting, which means more firebox depth and more construction — a bigger deal in an older home that never had gas plumbed to that wall. Gas is a strong choice when you want reliable heat and a clean, low-maintenance flame, and when the wall can accommodate the venting without major structural gymnastics.
Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces
Nothing replaces the crackle, smell, and radiant heat of a real wood fire, and a well-placed stove can become the sculptural heart of a room. Modern wood-burning stoves are efficient and compact, which opens up placement options a traditional masonry firebox never could.
Our North Beach whole-house remodel is a case in point. Before the work, this 1960s house had a central fireplace that both limited the layout and turned its back on the view. A key goal was relocating the fireplace to create a cozy gathering area and showcase the sweeping views of the Sound. A minimal, Scandinavian-style wood-burning stove was the perfect solution: its compact body tucks neatly into the corner of the living area, delivering warmth and ambiance without impeding the views beyond — a fireplace integrated to complement a room’s best features rather than compete with them.
