Heat & Glo®, Hearth & Home Technologies’ premier fireplace brand, recently launched Designers on Fire, a multimedia campaign that highlights signature projects from North America’s premier architects, interior specialists, and design/build companies. The integrated campaign, launched in July 2016, showcases professionally designed projects with distinctive spaces made possible by the selection, design, and placement of hearth products. It also highlights the professionals and companies providing the vision for each project.

Mike Swanson, marketing manager for the architect and designer segment at Hearth & Home Technologies, says, “We set out on a mission to find unique, innovative spaces that capture the beauty and functionality of a fireplace or stove. The selected professionals have various backgrounds, but all share the innate ability to create a statement room effectively with the use of a hearth product.”

The Designers on Fire campaign also helps guide trade professionals through the complex world of fireplace selection and placement by providing concrete examples of innovative hearth applications. “Showing a variety of hearth projects with descriptive details about the selection process shows just some of the many options and design possibilities that exist with fireplaces and stoves,” Swanson says. “This ignites inspiration and opens the door to new and different possibilities for the specification of hearth products.”

Each selected project is captured in a comprehensive case study with specifications, design details, tips, a look book, and a biography. Each is featured on the newly redesigned Heat & Glo pro website—which allows other professionals to get a behind-the-scenes look at the details and inspiration behind the project.

The designers and projects are also featured in social-media chats, blog outreach, and various consumer facing promotions. “Designers on Fire plays a valuable role in showcasing the myriad products and design applications available today, giving consumers new inspiration and allowing them to rethink what a typical fireplace installation may look like,” Swanson explains. “Heat & Glo products are gorgeous in their own right, but when you have architects and designers installing them in innovative ways, consumers’ eyes light up: They can’t believe how many options exist.”

Designers on Fire is also highlighting the latest developments in hearth technology and aesthetics. One emerging technology adopted by designers is that of fireplace heat management systems. This technology makes it possible to install a Heat & Glo fireplace in markets (warm climate areas) or spaces where fire is desired, but heat might not be.

“More and more consumers want the ambience of a fire without the supplemental warmth it provides,” Swanson says. “With heat-management technology, heat can be redirected at the flip of a switch. Some models allow the heat to be distributed into an adjacent room, and others allow the heat to be distributed directly outside the home. This opens the door to new and exciting fireplace-installation options.”

The program also reveals that contemporary linear fireplaces remain popular. A more recent development, however, is the pairing of contemporary models with traditional elements such as mantels, surrounds, or media. “Consumers are adding custom shelving and surrounds to modern fireplaces, using premium finishing material such as barn wood, to create truly timeless designs,” Swanson says.

Since Designers on Fire was launched, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from the featured designers, architects, and builders, who have received publicity for their own businesses. Specialty hearth retailers are also benefiting because they use the program to target design professionals in their communities who ultimately drive business to their stores.

“Designers on Fire becomes a resource tool for retailers and helps position them as trusted advisors to design professionals in their local communities,” Swanson says. “This is definitely a program that has a positive effect throughout our industry.”

The Designers on Fire campaign is just one component of Hearth & Home Technologies’ overarching commitment to the architect/designer community. In addition to showcasing beautiful designs through the Designers on Fire case studies, Heat & Glo also provides Revit®BIM models, CAD drawings, and customizable Construction Specifications Institute specifications, as well as continuing-education courses approved by the American Institute of Architects, the America Society of Interior Designers, and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

“The resources we’ve provided work in tandem to assist architects and designers with their planning and specification efforts for fireplaces and stoves,” Swanson says. “Hearth & Home Technologies is wholeheartedly committed to investing in robust programs that feature and support the important, influential community of architects and designers.”

Featured Designers on Fire projects: Peak 8 Penthouse, by Donna McAlear of New Mood Design, features a breathtaking vacation home nestled in the Rocky Mountains, with a Heath & Glo LUX gas fireplace. Anya Lane Contemporary Home, by Chris Walker of Christopher Developments, features a tranquil fusion of Asian–inspired architecture and contemporary West Coast design, with an indoor/outdoor gas fireplace. DuPont Circle, by Samantha Friedman of Samantha Friedman Interior Designs LLC, features a gas fireplace insert included in a sophisticated update of a century-old home.

Nantahala Mountain Cabin, by Magdalena Bach of Bach Design Studio, features a stunning vacation retreat that has a variety of interconnected spaces, with a multisided gas fireplace. Sommersby Traditional, by Michelle Hollenhorst of Regency Builders, features a contemporary classic, with a fireplace that provides an inviting atmosphere for a connected kitchen, dining, and living area. Custom Transitional, by Jennifer Crome of State Street Interiors, features a modern linear fireplace that blends traditional and contemporary elements. For more information on Designers on Fire and to view the projects, visit www.pro.heatnglo.com.