How interior designers make unused fireplaces focal points in their homes

An open fireplace or a solid fuel stove can be brought to life with a few aesthetic touches when not in use during the summer months

David O'Brien's home, left, and Sarah Twigg Doyle's interiors, right.

Here we are at the end of June still putting the heating on and hauling in blocks from the shed to feed an open fire or stove. It’s a job I usually furlough in May at the latest, not needing to return to it until we get near the end of September.

But there’s one thing I miss about a fire over the summer months and that’s the flickering flame and how it gives life to a space, drawing the eye to it and inviting seating arrangements and conversations around it. Somehow it feels that what would normally be the focal point of the room has lost some of its value, aesthetically and comfort-wise.