Kitchen Fireplace

Make It the Centerpiece

Including a large, eye-catching element, such as the stately fireplace, in this kitchen, demands that you work cabinets and appliances around it. Also, consider how you will use the hearth. This one is often used for cooking, so its firebox is high off the floor; a waist-height granite hearthstone is poised to accept sizzling plates of food, while integral cubbies stash wood and platters. A less hardworking fireplace could probably be positioned closer to the ground and may not require a countertop or built-in storage.