While a raised hearth is a common feature of many wood burning fireplace designs, gas fireplaces, small fireplaces and many modern fireplaces will feature a flat hearth instead. Designing the fireplace hearth to transition into the rest of the room can have a big impact on the home’s design.

Eliminating the Hearth

Using stone or porcelain tile throughout the home as a flooring option is beginning to grow in popularity. Modern porcelain tiles are easy to care for and clean, while providing homes with a sleek, contemporary design. Stone patterns, such as those made of large, tumbled limestone tiles are also beginning to see a rise in use in many larger, traditional style homes. In either of these cases, the need for a fireplace hearth becomes redundant.

If the floor of the room where the fireplace is located is made of a fireproof materials, such as porcelain or stone, and the clearance for the fireplace does not demand a raised hearth it is possible to simply run the material used on the floor straight to the firebox. This helps to pull the fireplace into the room visually, rather than setting it apart as a separate area.