Looking for the hottest trend in fireplaces? Look no further than electricity.
According to Wally Strang, director of sales and marketing at the Wood and Energy Store, electric fireplaces have come a long way and are quickly becoming just as popular as gas and wood-burning fixtures as home comfort staples in both new builds and renovated homes.
“Electrics have gone so high-end – so different – that people are making the choice to go with them,” he says. “The big advantage is cost of installation – there is none.”
Jordan Tyler of Gemco Fireplaces & Wholesale Heating Products agrees, adding that LED light bulbs mean they can be inexpensive to operate.
“There are a lot of condos, a lot of different places like bedrooms where you can’t get gas lines,” he says. “You can just plug them in, hang them on the wall, and you’re done.”
Gas still has its place, though, especially when customers are after actual heat more than aesthetics. But Barb Onyschuk, general manager of Fireplaces by Weiss-Johnson, says that fireplaces are moving from function to fashion, a trend highlighted by the use of fire glass beads or stones in different colours.
“They’re like artwork on a wall. … You can match your home,” she says.
With both fuels, though, designs have become more flexible in recent years, leading to linear fireplaces booming in popularity; Strang estimates they make up 60 per cent of his business right now.
Tyler adds that fireplaces aren’t fading away: “A lot of people come in and are like, ‘I had no idea stuff like this was available.'” –Glenn Cook
Textiles have a huge impact on a space and can work wonders when it comes to making a home feel warm and inviting. Items like pillows and throw blankets can easily be switched out as you transition your decor into a new season. For fall, the focus is on rich colours and varied textures.
“We’re seeing a lot of purple, beautiful emerald green, deep oranges,” says Jenna Pryor, interior designer and owner of Plum Home + Design. When it comes to materials, look to heavier weights. “You might have woven, velvet, velour, suede – things that really add texture,” says Pryor.
In terms of prints, according to Pryor, natural motifs are on trend for fall, particularly flora and fauna. The latter is a motif Salgado Fenwick has turned into its signature. When the creative forces behind the brand decided to branch out from apparel, they began creating pillows with the same screen printed animals that had become so prevalent on their clothing.
“They [the pillows] kind of tell stories,” says co-founder Linda Ritter. While the handmade quality and woodland animals inked on the cream canvas fronts provide inherent cozy factors, the rich, textured fabrics and colours on the pillow-backs introduce senses of history while still remaining on trend.
“It reminds you of something from the past,” says Ritter. “When you touch the backs, it just kind of brings on a memory or an experience.” –Adrianna Szenthe
Whether it’s dad’s resting place after a hard day’s work or where mom curled up to read a book, every home needs a comfortable chair.
But in an age when furniture design shies away from the bulky aesthetic of the leather La-Z-Boy, the comfy chair is transforming into something sleeker.
“In reading rooms, living rooms – any room, really – people want a chair they can curl up and be comfortable in,” says Carrie Cameron, manager at Dwell Modern.
She points to the Archi from Pierre Paulin, a sloped chair with a high back. “When we outfit homes, we use this chair every time,” she says, pointing out its popularity with both men and women. “The key to comfort is design, scale and feel, and this chair is customizable in that the base and armrests are optional.”
But has the traditional “dad’s chair” faded into the past? Not according to Loren Michaud, general manager of Finesse Furniture and Interiors.
He points out that, with bonus rooms and theatre rooms in modern homes, motion in chairs is the contemporary response to the La-Z-Boy. “I would nominate Stickley’s Morris Chair as the best modern candidate,” says Michaud. “It’s constructed of solid quarter-sawn white oak, solid cherry with a distinctive quadrilinear post jointed to the arm.”
This classic craft chair gets a modern kick from its reclining feature. But its longevity is what Michaud finds most appealing. ” [It is] so iconic in form that not only will the second generation fondly recall ‘dad’s chair,’ but they will covet it as inheritance.” –Cory Haller
