61 Amazing Wood Burning Stove Ideas [Hearths & Surrounds]

Written by: Paul Cathro

Updated on: January 11, 2023

Wood stove in red brick fireplace design

The right wood burning stove can transform the ambience of a room. With rustic elegance or contemporary class, the sight of a roaring fire is a hard one to top on a cold winter evening.

But why stop there?

A wood stove requires a suitable hearth that meets fire safety standards. A wood stove gets incredibly hot and a hearth is the protective shield between a wood burner and your floor.

That may sound like a terrible eyesore (and it can be) but it's actually an amazing opportunity to frame your gorgeous new wood stove and enhance the styling of your front room even more.

Wood burning stove installed with stone surround

Wood stove hearths must meet certain requirements for thickness, size, and material. These factors are dictated by your local (or national) building regulations.

This means there are some restrictions on how creative you can be, but in my opinion, it just makes the challenge more fun!

We've scoured the internet to find some amazing examples of wood stove hearth ideas and also wood stove surrounds. These examples made us very envious and we just had to share them with you!

So, if you're looking for some inspirational wood burning stove design ideas then you are very much in the right place!

Important Note: Please remember that wood stove installation regulations regarding hearths, surrounds, clearances, and flues can vary from country to country and state to state. Therefore, we can't guarantee that what you see here will be legal where you live. Please check your local regulations before planning an installation.

Corner Wood Stove Hearth Ideas

wood burning stove with black brick hearth in corner
Credit: @smalltownwashington

Brick is a great corner wood stove hearth idea as it’s pretty inexpensive and looks great when combined with a brick wood stove surround.

wood stove with tiled hearth
Credit: @mrshannahvieira

Ceramic tiles are the most popular choice for wood stove hearths. They are durable and heat resistant which makes them a great option. You can find some really pretty ceramic tiles to do the job, like the honeycomb design above. This tiled hearth goes really well with the roughly painted brick surround.

Rustic wood stove with patterned tile surround
Credit: @Poczta

Ceramic tiles work really well as wood stove surrounds too. I love the tiles on this wood stove design. Though they might be a bit ‘loud’ for some.

Wood burner on raised hearth
Credit: @TinaWoodward

This raised brick platform looks amazing and functions as a shelf too. A wood stove hearth can be as thick as you like as long as you leave sufficient room for a long enough flue.

wood burning stove
Credit: @apttherapy

This contemporary wood stove surround and hearth fit the style of the decor perfectly.

wood burning stove on raised white brick hearth
Credit: @sarahdarling1433

These painted bricks combine really well with the hardwood floor and white walls. I’m not sure I’d want my plants sitting so close to my heat source though!

wood stove in log cabin
Credit: @bhg

A rustic wood burner is a ‘must’ for a log cabin. The wood stove hearth appears to be almost flush with the floor here so the floor must be tiled or concrete.

Contemporary wood burning stove design idea
Credit: @meaghanmdoyle

Wood burner on black brick hearth
Credit: @taning1

Painted bricks are a great way to recycle old materials. It’s a relatively inexpensive contemporary corner wood stove hearth idea.

wood burner on stone hearth
Credit: @knowltonandco

Modern wood burner and concrete back wall
Credit: @rachieroo76

Simple and elegant. It looks like concrete has been used here and the stove surround fits perfectly with the minimal styling of the stove.

Wood stove on raised brick
Credit: @LGInteriorUK

I love the practicality of this raised hearth design. There’s ample space to store logs and even dry them with the heat from the stove. It also serves to put the view of the fire in line with your eye. Who needs a TV when you’ve got a window into the dancing flames of a wood fire?

Natural brick surrounding large wood stove
Credit: @koboshinshu

wood burning stove in canal boat
Credit: @wilddrivelife

This chunky hearth platform looks like it might be installed in a canal boat judging by the low ceiling. A thick hearth is essential in some installations to protect delicate flooring from extreme heat.

Wood Stoves Installed in Fireplaces

Open fireplaces are notoriously inefficient when it comes to heating your home. That’s why you see more and more wood stoves replacing them. What’s more, you’ve got a ready-made hearth and the chimney just requires a bit of modification.

wood burning stove installed in refurbished fireplace
Credit: @paperroominteriors

Decorating around a wood-burning stove can be tricky as you don’t want to install a potential fire hazard. This minimalist design is beautiful. An old fireplace has been converted in a really elegant way.

wood burning stove
Credit: @cletile

The fishbone brick pattern of the wall behind the wood stove is a great idea that’s perfectly executed in this example.

wood burning stove
Credit: @fireclaytile

Did I mention I liked ceramic tiles? This wood stove fireplace idea is just amazing!

wood burning stove surrounded by black and white tiles
Credit: @linsdrabwell

Wood stove installed in modern fireplace design
Credit: @fifimcgeee

Modern wood stove in fireplace
Credit: @littlehouseonthecorner

Wood burner installed in fireplace
Credit: @stovaxgazco

Wood stove on concrete tiles in fireplace
Credit: @williamrobertfr

Wood burner with blue tiled wall surround
Credit: @imaginfires

wood burning stove and logs in fireplace
Credit: @designhunter

Contemporary Wood Stove Ideas

wood stove attached to brick wall
Credit: @CassieGallaway

wood burning stove and large log pile shelf
Credit: @cottagelife

white wood burning stove and logs underneath
Credit: @whitelanedecor

Modern wood burning stove
Credit: @apttherapy

Contemporary wood stove design
Credit: @douglasjonesnl

Modern ceramic tile wood stove surround
Credit: @dailymail

wood burning stove on concrete hearth with logs underneath
Credit: @thelocalproject

I touched on the efficient use of space that a raised hearth can provide earlier. Here’s a great example that makes the most of available space. Log storage is often a cumbersome problem but why not just store it underneath your wood burner? This concrete wood stove hearth looks amazing and gives plenty of space to dry logs underneath. There’s also a warm place to sit and read a book on a cold winter night.

wood burning stove
Credit: @dwellmagazine

wood burning stove
Credit: @simplyscandimag

wood burning stove
Credit: @shopkariella

wood burning stove
Credit: @yourdiyfamily

wood burning stove
Credit: @homedit

Credit: @SalamanderStoves

wood burning stove
Credit: @alienjunkyard

wood burning stove
Credit: @skidstahus

wood burning stove
Credit: @clemcher

Contemporary wood stove design
Credit: @Firetube

wood burning stove
Credit: @brovellidesign

Rustic Wood Stove Hearth Ideas

Rustic wood burning stove and red brick hearth idea
Credit: @b_wythoff

Rustic wood stove on old stone hearth
Credit: @CarlyProtzman

Corner wood stove hearth idea
Credit: @Bess

Old red wood stove on red brick hearth design
Credit: @VermontCastings

Old wood stove in cabin
Credit: @ApartmentTherapy

wood burning stove
Credit: @cliffwalizer

wood burning stove on ceramic tiles
Credit: @applog

wood burning stove
Credit: @hunkerhome

wood burning stove in wood cabin
Credit: @dailymail

wood stove on solid stone hearth
Credit: @lindaparkes2

wood burning stove on brick hearth
Credit: @sfgirlbybay

Old wood stove on old stone hearth
Credit: @essenziale

Rustic wood stove with solid hearth
Credit: @trendymood

Rustic wood burning stove in hallway
Credit: @dabblinganddecorating

Wood Stove with Cooktop Ideas

Wood burning stove with oven
Credit: @DeanForge

Modern wood stove with oven and cook top
Credit: @Brunner

Wood burning oven and stove
Credit: @GrillsnOvens

Corner wood stove and hearth with cook top
Credit: @Steve-RhondaHicks

Do you have a wood stove idea in your home that you’re really proud of? Leave us a message and a picture down below and we’ll add it to the list!

About the Author Paul Cathro


Paul is an ex-HVAC engineer with 5 years 'in the trade'.

He acquired tinyhousehugeideas.com in 2022 and aims to make it the internet's most comprehensive HVAC resource for small homes in the next few years.


You can learn more about Paul's story here.

Browse his published work on the website here.

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