How to Install a Suspended Fireplace?

Sculptural, elegant, and decidedly design-driven, the suspended fireplace stands out as a true sculptural feature within an interior. However, to ensure both performance and safety, installing such a unit requires precise expertise and strict technical rigor. The experts from the JC Bordelet Group explain what you need to know before embarking on such a project.

It draws every eye, defines spaces without closing them off, and radiates a warm, enveloping heat. The suspended fireplace captures the imagination of all interior design enthusiasts. Combining aesthetics, safety, and performance, we explain here what you need to know to successfully install a suspended fireplace.

Design, Technology, and Performance: What Is a Suspended Fireplace?

A suspended fireplace is a heating appliance that generally operates on wood (logs or pellets) or gas, depending on the model. Its defining feature lies in its ceiling-mounted installation, which allows it to be completely free from the floor. Most often centrally positioned, it can also be rotating. When installed in the center of a room, it offers a 360° view of the flame and distributes a homogeneous, enveloping warmth throughout the space.

Highly valued for its unique style, the suspended fireplace appeals to lovers of design and interior architecture. It naturally finds its place in contemporary, spacious, and light-filled interiors, where it creates a striking visual effect. Minimalist or resolutely modern, it adds character without weighing down the space. In a living room, it quickly becomes the beating heart of the area—an inviting spot for reading, relaxing, or gathering to talk and contemplate the flames.

The central suspended fireplace can also help structure the volumes of a large open-plan living area by creating a natural separation between the lounge and dining room, while heating the entire space.

Although substantial in size, its suspended design clears the floor and allows light to circulate, enhancing the sense of openness. Another major aesthetic advantage is the view of the fire, enhanced by large glass panels that offer a soothing and welcoming spectacle.

From a technical standpoint, the suspended fireplace delivers strong performance: its radiant heat is broad, even, and efficient. Its design also makes everyday maintenance easier—without a base or floor-mounted surround, cleaning remains simple and quick. In renovation projects as well as new builds, it is often possible to connect the appliance to an existing flue, provided it is suitable and compliant. In this case, professional advice is essential.

What You Need to Know Before Installing a Suspended Fireplace

Depending on the chosen model and materials, a suspended fireplace can weigh between 120 and 250 kg. This factor requires absolute vigilance during installation. Direct fixing into a concrete ceiling is one option, but the ideal solution remains installation above a floor slab or structural beams: solid and reliable, this approach allows for implementation without additional reinforcements. By contrast, in timber-frame houses or buildings with steel structures such as I-beams, a precise structural assessment is essential.

Custom-made fixing components, perfectly adapted to the ceiling configuration, can also be designed by JC Bordelet’s engineering department to ensure a safe installation with a refined aesthetic finish.

In all cases, the ceiling’s load-bearing capacity must be verified by a carpenter or a specialized engineering office. This step is crucial to ensure the durability and safety of the project. If installing a suspended fireplace is not possible, have you considered a floor-mounted fireplace instead?

Compliance with standards is also essential to guarantee a safe installation. Appliances must now meet the EN 16510-2-1:2022 standard. These certifications ensure manufacturing quality and operational safety. Minimum safety distances between the suspended fireplace and surrounding walls or furniture must also be respected. These distances vary depending on the model but generally range from 50 cm to 1.20 meters. Another key requirement is the presence of a suitable flue system in perfect condition and fully compliant with current regulations.

The involvement of a certified professional is mandatory for this type of project. This specialist will carry out a complete structural assessment of your home, ensure compliance with regulations, and coordinate any necessary reinforcements. By working with a JC Bordelet expert, you benefit from tailored support, from design through to final installation.

The Different Steps in Installing a Suspended Fireplace

Installing a suspended fireplace follows a precise process, adjusted according to the nature of the ceiling. On a concrete slab, direct fixing ensures excellent stability. In a timber structure, the professional systematically plans appropriate reinforcements to guarantee overall safety.

The flue and the fireplace body are then installed. The professional strictly adheres to smoke evacuation standards and implements a reinforced suspension system. Perfect alignment of the entire installation is carefully checked—not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to ensure the stability and thermal performance of the appliance.

Numerous tests complete the installation: verification of vertical alignment, inspection of the strength of fixings, and confirmation that safety distances around the suspended fireplace are respected. Heating tests are also carried out to ensure proper draft and efficient smoke evacuation.

At the end of this process, a certificate of conformity is issued. This official document confirms that the installation meets all technical and safety requirements and may be required by your home insurance provider.