Great Balls Of Fire

I'm marveling over fire balls, and I don't mean the kind that leave your tongue red. I'm referring to the ones you see in fireplaces. I've noticed these recurring in the interiors by a group of my favorite architects and designers. They're perfect for adding a subtle modern touch in otherwise classic interiors.

The nice thing about fire balls is that they are practical. You can actually have a gas fire with them. My other favored fireplace filler, birch logs, aren't so practical. They're typically used just for display.

Fire balls are made of ceramic, consistent with their more traditional log cousins, and are available in various sizes and colors. My preference is for each of the balls to share the same color and diameter and to be stacked pyramid-style, as seen in the following photos.

The stunning office of uber-talented architect Ruard Veltman, a McAlpine Tankersley alum. The office warrants a post of its own, but for now enjoy this most inspiring picture of the lobby area.

Here is another Ruard Veltman design. The room reminds me of one I'd see in the Belgian Beta-Plus books. It's not over decorated, leaving the architecture to stand on its own.

The fire balls are difficult to see in this picture of an interior by Susan Ferrier, but if you click the picture and enlarge it, you can see them. As usual, the beauty of Susan's design speaks for itself.

A transitional interior from Bobby McAlpine veiled by traditional decorating elements.

Yet another McAlpine interior. If you look closely, you'll notice the room has a pecky cypress ceiling, another favored design element of mine that I recently covered.

A beautiful inglenook fireplace by Tracery Interiors. Thanks go to Things That Inspire for educating me about these fireplaces and bringing my attention to another amazing Tracery interior.

The fireplace from the Rosemary Beach home of Stan Benecki and Melanie Turner. Of course it's a favorite - Bobby McAlpine was in charge of architecture and Melanie handled the interiors.

Another Melanie Turner design in a renovated home near Chastain Park in Atlanta.

These interiors illustrate the masterful juxtaposition of the contemporary and the classic by which I'm so enraptured. Fire balls just happen to be a common thread amongst them.

Given that most of the architects and designers featured here have worked together in the past, I wonder who is responsible for introducing and popularizing this design feature. My guess is Bobby McAlpine or Ruard Veltman.