...fireplace exteriors as an art form

on a recent excursion through the neighborhood...
absorbing all the design delights of the many bungalows...
cottages & houses of the Craftsman era...
I began to take notice of the fireplace exteriors...

Craftsman era designs tended to feature the artisans' touch...
in the most basic parts of home design...
and as these few examples show...
they brought the fireplace box exterior to a new position...
as a part of the home that could express the builders' creativity...



stucco covered brick often sported "deco" design elements...
as seen here...



and here...



as well as in this example that needs some tlc...



Mission style elements tend towards straighter elements...
more like a free standing oven...
than a European squared off box...
some I've seen are more rounded than this one...



more simple might include painted brick...
with a bit of interest in set...
and sloped shoulders to carry water away from the wood...



but the simple cottage would have a plain brick box...
again, with the sloped shoulders to angle water away from the siding...



then there are ones like mine...

fancy bricks... & stacked shoulders on both sides of the chimney...
it is a pseudo-Tudor after all...and brick...
no siding to protect...

isn't it amazing what is just sitting there...
just waiting for us to notice & appreciate it...