2021 brought the fireplace storming back into the limelight, with designers placing extra emphasis on integrating beautiful and functional fireplaces as the centre of the home. 2022 will see the continuance of many of last year’s trends…
Trend #1: Linear Interior
2022 will see continue to see the strong growth in the number of large, linear, and contemporary gas fireplaces being installed in people’s homes. This year will see these large, linear contemporary gas fireplaces placed in less modern styled living rooms and a wider range of homes. Linear fireplaces are finding themselves to be more versatile into a wider range of interior design styles and less exclusive to being a key feature of a modern home. Regency offers a full line of beautiful linear gas fireplaces that look at home in a sleek modern townhome or an aging rancher.
Examples: The two images featured below (The Greenfire GF1500 & City Series New York View 40) highlight this trend perfectly. These two fireplaces are long & linear and draw the eye side to side, helping to tie together a room and dramatically highlight the flames. To increase this linear view the City Series New York 40 has optional side panels that can be added to balance out large TV’s and artwork above, while still maintaining that eye-catching linearity.
Pictured: GF1500E Contemporary Gas Fireplace
Pictured: Regency City Series New York View 40 (ACV40E)
Trend #2 Flexibility
In 2020, Regency introduced the first of their patent-pending Cool Wall System fireplaces that allow for combustible materials to be placed directly above and surrounding the fire. Traditionally a fireplace would require heat resistant materials such as brick, stone, or tile to surround it. Regency’s Cool Wall System allows for heat to be transferred away from the wall and into the home. This innovation allows designers and homeowners to apply any finishes such as wood and wallpaper to the very edge of the gas fireplace and allows for art or TV’s to be mounted directly above the fireplace, opening a whole new world of design possibilities. 2022’s most popular fireplace finishing’s will be shiplap walls, creative wallpapers, and custom wood accent walls.
Examples: The City Series San Francisco Bay fireplace is a premium 3-sided bay gas fireplace that acts as a stunning centrepiece in your home and allows for an unmatched view of the fire from multiple angles.
With this unit, there is wallpaper to the very edge of the fireplace creating a clean and modern look that helps integrate the fireplace seamlessly into the home.
Pictured: Regency City Series San Francisco Bay 40 (ACB40E)
Trend #3 Corner Office
With open floor plans becoming more and more common, designers are increasingly turning to corner and multi-sided fireplaces as a way to integrate a fireplace into a large room. Large central flues with multi-sided bay or corner gas fireplaces are a great way to differentiate rooms while keeping an open floor plan with the added benefit of being able to enjoy the fire from multiple angles.
Examples: The Regency City Series Chicago Corner is a 2-sided gas fireplace that matches perfectly with the trend. Available as either a left or right corner unit giving the Chicago Corner gas fireplace the ultimate flexibility in your home.
Notice the textured wall – With older fireplaces, a texture like this would not be possible as the fireplace would create too much heat. This designer took advantage of the new flexibility afforded by the City Series to create a textured feature wall made from combustible materials. City Series utilises patent-pending technology to channel the heat away from the wall without the need for noisy fans. Heat is gently released into the room at ceiling level. City Series allows for any wall materials to be used right to the edge of the fireplace, including wood, wallpaper, vinyl wall panels, or even art. This adds a dramatic visual to an already visually stunning fireplace.
Pictured: Regency City Series Chicago Corner 40 (ACC40RE)
Trend #4 Controllable Heat
New materials for construction and renovations are focusing on creating better insulated and more energy conscious materials. As a result, many homes being more tightly sealed and well-insulated, the need for heat is reduced. Having a fireplace with controllable heat options allows you to use your fireplace to heat your home, but also allowing for you to lower the heat output of the fireplace to be able to enjoy the romantic, cozy ambiance of your fireplace for longer. Most Regency gas fireplaces have a 5-stage turndown on the flame, lowering heat output by as much as 50%, as well as a variable speed blower to provide maximum temperature control.
Another method to control heat from Regency Fireplaces is to use Regency’s Heat Wave™ Power Duct System to direct and disperse heat into rooms up to 6 metres away.
Regency Gas Fireplaces come standard with a smart thermostat built into the programmable remote control. The Smart control allows you to set your desired room temperature, and as the room reaches that temperature, the flame intensity, and heat will gradually decrease automatically rather than simply turning on and off.
Trend #5 Smart Remotes
Gas fireplace remotes are no longer just on/off switches…
Gas fireplaces are smarter than ever. With programmable remotes and thermostats, you can maintain a consistent temperature or set your fireplace to turn on or off during specific times. No more walking into a frigid home after a long day of work or worrying about leaving the fireplace overnight.
Probably most importantly, remotes now act as a portable thermostat. If you have set the fireplace to a specific temperature, it will maintain the temperature based on where you and the remote are sitting. If you move across the room, the fireplace will automatically adjust to ensure the ambient temperature of wherever you are located matches the preset - no more getting up to adjust the thermostat if you are too cold or too hot. Simply set it and forget it!
Think we missed any major gas fireplace trends in 2022? Want to show us your project? Post your photos with #WarmthbyRegency