Joanna Gaines Leaves Farmhouse Behind With This Unique Midcentury Design Idea
In a departure from her signature shabby-chic farmhouse aesthetic, Joanna Gaines shows us her design versatility in Magnolia Network's "Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse" by utilizing a once-popular design fixture from the 1960s and '70s: the carousel fireplace. While innovative when the fireplace was first introduced and patented in 1968, the carousel fireplace is not as widely used today as it once was. However, now that Gaines incorporated the feature into the Waco lakehouse's rec room, as seen on her Instagram, this fireplace is sure to have a comeback. Adding a carousel fireplace into your own home is sure to kick its "cool factor" up a notch, but bear in mind that this particular MCM reno may cost you anywhere between $2,000 for a second-hand fixer-upper to a pricey $9,000 for simple color and material combinations, or a wallet-busting $18,000 for a copper-on-copper colorway.
It appears Gaines's home design aesthetic is going through a renaissance, showcasing how the designer's style is evolving to reflect a more versatile and modern palette. Leaving farmhouse firmly in her legacy, Gaines embraced the lakehouse's midcentury modern heritage and played with retro aesthetics, not just with this elevated fireplace addition, but also with this recreated, mid-century tile trend. By further exploring the heritage of the carousel fireplace, you too can implement some chic, vintage design into your own space and follow in Gaines' retro design groove.
How Gaines incorporated an old idea into a new look
Various fireplace designs imbued a futuristic, pop-art flavor into home decor during the mid-century, and by 1968, the carousel fireplace entered the scene. Its round glass body, sleek conical head, and unique swirling flames when lit, gained popularity for its space-aged, yet rustically approachable design. By the 1980s, house listings in newspapers and magazines routinely highlighted carousel fireplaces as a desirable feature of the homes for sale, not unlike popular design trends today that are meant to increase your home's real estate value.
In contemplating the lakehouse's design, Gaines revealed in the Magnolia blog, "it's not always necessary to reinvent the wheel," which is why she incorporated so many retro touches. "What's been there from the beginning has a beauty all its own." Ironically, Gaines' choice to restore the lakehouse's midcentury modern essence proves a shift in her own expanding design dossier. After a decade of farmhouses, "it only felt right that the cherry on top of our 10-year journey was a project unlike any other ..."
Though the carousel's popularity in the home design zeitgeist diminished into the 21st century, it's undergoing a similar re-inventing renaissance that Gaines' style is going through. After seeing how much of an aesthetic boost this fireplace can give a room — not to forget its functional benefits like radial heat and efficient burning — it's not unexpected that you want to add one to your own space. But fair warning, it may cost you.
How much does a carousel fireplace cost?
New carousel fireplaces from Malm, a design tastemaker in the 1960s that still produces products today, range from $6,000 for a petite 32-inch diameter fireplace to $18,000 for a larger 41 1/2-inch piece, particularly in the copper material and colorway. That lower price tag does come with caveats, namely that some of the less expensive versions aren't technically carousels at all, but are free-standing designs with a similar cone shape that are not entirely like those from the 1960s and 1970s. For the official carousel fireplace design, prices can increase, but if you're willing to compromise on size and/or colorways and materials, you can get much closer to the lower end of that range. However, mid-century modern lovers on a budget should opt for the antique route for a deal. True vintage carousels, while possibly needing clean-up work, can run as low as $1,200 on auction sites. Sellers on Etsy can range from around $1,700 to over $3,000.
Given its free-standing design which makes it ideal for those who love to entertain, its aesthetic value, and even its monetary addition to the home's value, the carousel fireplace is a beautiful mid-century touch that upgrades your space so you can decorate your home like Joanna Gaines. Her experimentation and new design approach shows that while she has a solid farmhouse foundation, Gaines is updating and upgrading her style, one midcentury modern lakehouse at a time.