There couldn’t have been a more fitting setting for a fireside chat than the beautiful New York City showroom of HearthCabinet.
We recently had the pleasure of joining the HearthCabinet team for an intimate evening of conversation about all things Toledo Geller. From how we first met and started our interior design firm to career highlights, memorable projects, lessons learned, and a few of the lows along the way, we covered quite a bit of ground. After over two decades in business together, we certainly have no shortage of stories to tell!
A Longstanding Love Affair with HearthCabinet
Our relationship with HearthCabinet actually goes back more than a decade, to when the majority of our interior design projects were in New York City.
We were working on a lot of what we affectionately call “white box” apartments. Beautiful spaces, often with incredible views, but not always a whole lot of architectural character. We were constantly looking for ways to introduce a sense of history, personality, and architectural detail into these interiors.
Enter HearthCabinet.
The idea that we could introduce a beautiful fireplace and mantel into a New York City apartment without needing a chimney, venting, or gas line was incredibly exciting to us. Suddenly, we could create a focal point in a room that felt like it had always been there.
We began specifying HearthCabinet ventless fireplaces in project after project, and honestly, we’ve never stopped.
Today, although much of our residential interior design work has expanded into New Jersey and the surrounding suburbs, we continue to use them. They’re such a clever way to introduce architectural interest, warmth, and personality into a room without the complexities of installing a traditional fireplace.
And because HearthCabinet fireplaces use self-contained alcohol-fuel cartridges rather than gas or wood, they offer a great deal of flexibility in spaces where a conventional fireplace simply isn’t practical.
Beautiful Fireplaces, Clever Technology & Good Conversation
The showroom itself was the perfect backdrop for the evening, filled with beautiful fireplace installations, mantels, and endless inspiration.
Another highlight was seeing the incredible Reflectel Mirror TVs, which were also on display. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re exactly what they sound like: gorgeous framed mirrors that secretly double as televisions. When the TV is off, you see a beautiful mirror. Turn it on, and the television appears.
For anyone who has ever struggled with incorporating a big black television screen into a beautifully designed room (especially above a fireplace – cringe!), it’s a pretty brilliant solution.
It was such a treat to spend the evening sharing stories, revisiting some favorite memories, and connecting with fellow design enthusiasts in a space filled with products we’ve loved and specified for years.
A big thank-you to the entire HearthCabinet team for inviting us and hosting such a lovely evening. Here’s to many more years of beautiful fireplaces, thoughtful interiors, and good conversation!
