Flame Throwers

For some of us here at Tablet, a fireplace is the most special place. Especially when it’s in our favorite place: a hotel. Here are fifteen of the best to ever do it.

I’m of the firm opinion that the fireplace is the single greatest spot in any structure. Big or small, metal or stone, functioning or decorative, doesn’t matter. It’s a sacred beast that deserves our full attention, and near-religious levels of our respect.

Why? There are the elemental reasons, of course. Historically, the fireplace has been the absolute heart of the home, the place from which warmth and sustenance and communion all spring forth. But it’s also often the most dynamically interesting piece of interior design. Like a picture window looking out over a remarkable landscape, a fireplace is a simple, singular point of awe that all else in a room is arranged around. Unlike a kitchen island or a television — which fulfill a modern version of a fire’s classic role — it is uncluttered, serene, and deliberately adorned.

It also photographs well, as you’ll soon see. Fireplaces on their own are full of character and personality. Pair that with a stunning hotel (and a talented photographer) and you’ve hit the aesthetic lottery. Countless images of great hotel fireplaces are burned into my brain, and below are just some of the most epic examples. We might need a part 2.

Cozy on up.
 

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern

Los Olivos, CA, USA

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern has been a fixture in the Santa Ynez Valley wine-country town of Los Olivos since as far back as the 1880s (if that wasn’t obvious from the classic fireplace in the bar). Its original form was likely a shade or two less luxurious than it is now, under the direction of Auberge Collection. Accommodations range from beautifully restored 19th-century cottages to rooms and suites in new buildings designed to complement the original style.

Southern Ocean Lodge

Kangaroo Island, Australia

Bringing crisp minimal design out of the city and into the wild, Southern Ocean Lodge is a shining example of very modern and very Australian architecture: clean open spaces, neutral tones and tons of glass wrapped in an environmentally friendly package. Located on Kangaroo Island just off the South Australian coast, it’s unexpectedly hip for such a remote and rugged locale, sporting an unlabored vibe that doesn’t interfere with its beautiful coastal surrounds.

Captain Whidbey

Coupeville, WA, USA

The original Captain Whidbey Inn certainly didn’t lack for charm — this 1907-vintage lodge on the Puget Sound looks like the Pacific Northwest counterpart to Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. One glance at their imposing stone fireplace tells you it’s got atmosphere to spare, and a classic Northwest maritime vibe. All it needed was a little nudge into the 21st century, and that’s what its new owners have done.

La Divine Comédie

Avignon, France

La Divine Comédie, you’ll be glad to know, takes the bulk of its inspiration from the Paradiso section of Dante and Virgil’s poetic journey — this hôtel particulier boasts the largest private garden in Avignon, which makes it an island of verdant tranquility despite its location in the heart of the medieval city center. The suites in this beautifully preserved old house are luxurious, eclectic, and historically informed.

Solo Palacio

Quirós, Spain

Set in the lush green mountains of Asturias, Solo Palacio is an unusual hotel, to say the least. The building is a 16th-century palace, but the concept is wabi-sabi, as in the Japanese idea of taking pleasure in imperfection and impermanence. Accordingly, the estate has been restored, but not to perfection; and while the experience is a luxurious one, everything feels unpretentiously rough-edged and charmingly handmade.

The Manner Soho

New York City, NY, USA

This address on Thompson Street has long been part of boutique-hotel history, but The Manner is a fresh start. There’s no trace of the minimalist look that used to rule Downtown hotels, instead you’ll find colorful and richly textured interiors, and an atmosphere that calls to mind a particularly glamorous residence. It’s more discreet than opulent, though the hulking bronze brutalist fireplace in the Apartment lounge is bound to attract attention.

The Madrona

Healdsburg, CA, USA

The Madrona may be new, but the Mansion, the hotel’s ornate centerpiece, certainly isn’t — this 1881 mansion was built in Aesthetic Movement style, and its extravagant silhouette isn’t the only surprise for arriving guests; the interiors are eclectic, incorporating period elements as well as modern interventions, a very fine art collection, a boatload of antiques and curios, and some exceedingly elegant fireplaces.

Jaskółka Dom i Spa

Szklarska Poręba, Poland

Perched on a high mountain slope, the verandas of Jaskółka Dom i Spa face an expanse of pine forests and snowcapped peaks. This landmark inn opened in 1894 and served a variety of purposes over the years, before undergoing extensive renovations and reopening as a luxury boutique accommodation. The interiors are just as impressive as the views, but for our money, their eccentric take on the wood stove fireplace is most impressive of all.

Zannier Le Chalet

Megève, France

Checking into Le Chalet Zannier feels like a special occasion. There are just twelve rooms — it’s often booked in its entirety by families or groups — so you’ll have to plan ahead. The reward is the alpine paradise of your dreams, lavish yet wonderfully cozy. The decor mixes minimalism with rustic chic: vaulted ceilings made with beams of rough-hewn wood, white linen sofas, stone fireplaces, hand-thrown pottery.

Antonia’s Pearls

Cornwall, UK

The seaside village of Charlestown is one of Cornwall’s most picturesque destinations, and sees its fair share of tourism, especially in the summer months. One way to avoid any hint of a crowd is to duck into one of Antonia’s Pearls, a collection of cottages, a cabin, a studio, and a Georgian townhouse restored by owners and operators Antonia and David in a style that’s chic, unpretentious, and memorably eclectic.

Nine Orchard

New York City, NY, USA

In Dimes Square there’s a buzz that’s reminiscent of some of Downtown’s earlier golden ages — and, in Nine Orchard itself, there’s a hotel with enough character and personality to become a proper neighborhood institution. With its ornate façade and public spaces, what was once the Jarmulowsky Bank building retains much of its century-old grandeur. In the second-floor lounge, the turquoise fireplace steals the show.

Hotel Brosundet

Alesund, Norway

The picturesque port town of Ålesund, Norway isn’t exactly one of the world’s style capitals, but it’s got a very hip family-owned boutique hotel in the form of the atmospheric Hotel Brosundet. The classic building’s wood beams and original architecture remain in place, updated with contemporary interiors and cozy furniture — the lobby’s towering fireplace is a particularly inviting space.

Charlotte Street Hotel

London, UK

The setting for this Firmdale property is Bloomsbury, and the Charlotte Street Hotel’s interiors pay plentiful tribute to the neighborhood’s cultural heritage, displaying original artworks by the storied Bloomsbury Set themselves. But it’s not all high art and self-improvement here. All of the Firmdale hotels are decadent, in their way, from the faultless comforts of the lavish bedrooms and marble bathrooms to the playfully dramatic fireplaces.

Tourists

North Adams, MA, USA

MASS MoCA, the contemporary art museum in the Berkshires, has given the formerly industrial town of North Adams a second life as a booming cultural destination. Outside the town center, on the road to neighboring Williamstown, you’ll find another piece of reclaimed Berkshires heritage: TOURISTS, a Sixties motor lodge reborn as a very modern, very hip little country boutique hotel.

Sextantio

Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Italy

To give it its full name, it’s Sextantio Albergo Diffuso; roughly speaking, the Sextantio Distributed Hotel. It’s a sixteenth-century village, the Abbruzzese mountain village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, complete with villagers as residents, and packed in between them, distributed amongst the various houses and buildings of the village, are 29 hotel rooms. Some come with fireplaces that take you straight back to the 1500s.