When the owners of this house wanted to upgrade their master bath and include a fireplace, design consultant Keith Sharrock of Dave Fox Design/Build Remodelers, in Columbus, Ohio, suggested a two-sided fireplace that could also be viewed from the bedroom. He knew that a ventless model without a gas line would be the best solution and chose an EcoSmart unit that burns denatured ethanol. The flames provide enough flicker to give the rooms the romantic feel that clients want, he says, but don’t produce the heat of a gas fireplace.
Sharrock replaced the 4-inch original wall with a deeper 16-inch wall, framed to hold the stainless unit. The wall is part of the new large shower that replaces the 4-foot shower and adjacent tub deck. Sharrock says that this type of “wet zone” allows users to finish all their preparation in the shower, preventing them from tracking wet footprints through the bath and bedroom.
—Nina Patel, senior editor, REMODELING.
