Add fireplaces, wall openings and kitchen pass-throughs
Add a fireplace as a focal point, a doorless opening between rooms, or a waist-high kitchen pass-through. All three sit in a wall and show up in 2D and 3D.
Fireplaces and doorless openings are wall fixtures with no swing arc. Both live in the Build panel on the left.
An opening can be a walk-through Doorway or a raised Pass-through — the counter-height serving hatch between a kitchen and a dining room. The pass-through steps below show it on the Galley Kitchen template.
Step by step
- 1
Fireplace
Build panel → Fireplace tile. Its menu offers Regular (on a wall), Corner (45° in a corner) and Dual (in an interior wall, open on both sides). Pick one, then tap the wall or corner. Set width, hearth height, and depth in the Inspector. Looking for a freestanding wood stove? That's in the furniture panel — see wood stoves and hearth.
A standard wall-mounted fireplace, placed on a wall and dimensioned. - 2
Opening
Build panel → Doors & Windows → Opening tile. Tap it, then tap the wall. Set the width. No door, no swing arc — just a passage.
An opening is a doorless passage — width set, no swing arc. - 3
Kitchen pass-through: start with an Opening
For a serving hatch between the kitchen and the dining or living room, scroll the Build panel to Doors & Windows and tap Opening. Then tap the wall the hatch goes in — an outside wall or an interior wall both work.
Doors & Windows → Opening. - 4
Switch it to Pass-through and set Mount and Height
With the opening selected, the settings bar under the plan shows Doorway and Pass-through. Tap Pass-through: the opening lifts off the floor to a 36" sill (counter height) and is 36" tall. - Mount — how high the bottom (the sill) sits above the floor. Match your counter: 36" is standard, 42" for a bar-height ledge. - Height — how tall the hatch is, measured up from the sill. - Width — 36", 48", 60", 72", or Other to type your own.
Pass-through selected: Height 36" and Mount (sill) 36". - 5
Check it in 2D and 3D
On the plan, a pass-through is drawn as a raised opening rather than a walkway, so nobody reading the plan mistakes it for a doorway. In 3D the wall stays solid below the hatch, with a sill along the bottom.
The pass-through in the Galley Kitchen's right-hand wall (highlighted). - 6
See the hatch from the dining side
Open 3D and orbit around to the outside of the kitchen wall: you look through the hatch at the counter and cabinets, with solid wall below.
In 3D the wall stays solid below the pass-through.
Tips
Keep the hearth clear
Smart Flow Check keeps furniture about 18 in off the fireplace face — the hearth zone. Float the sofa just outside that band.
An opening frames the view
A doorless opening reads as a wide passage between rooms. Set its width to the flow you want — 36 in for a walk-through, wider to connect two spaces.
Line the pass-through up with the counter
A pass-through's Mount is its sill height. Match it to the counter on the kitchen side (36 in is standard counter height) so plates slide straight across.
Want a freestanding wood stove?
A wood stove isn't a wall fixture — it's a piece you place in the room. Search wood stove in the furniture panel. See wood stoves and hearth.
Common mistakes
Blocking the fireplace
A piece inside the hearth zone trips Flow Check's 'blocks fireplace' warning. Move it clear of the face.
Using a door where you meant an opening
If you don't want a swing, use the Opening tile — it has no leaf and no swing arc to keep clear.
Drawing a pass-through as a window
A window puts glass in the hole. For an open serving hatch, use an Opening set to Pass-through — the hole stays open in 3D, with a sill along the bottom.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set the fireplace size?
Select it and set Width and Depth in the Inspector. Pick the style — regular, corner, or dual — from the Fireplace tile's menu when you place it.
What's the clearance in front of a fireplace?
Smart Flow Check keeps furniture about 18 in off the face. Anything inside that trips the 'blocks fireplace' warning.
What's the difference between an opening and a door?
An opening is a doorless passage — no leaf, no swing. A door has a swinging (or sliding) leaf and a swing arc Flow Check protects.
How do I make a kitchen pass-through (serving hatch)?
Place an Opening on the wall between the kitchen and the dining room (Build panel → Doors & Windows → Opening), select it and tap Pass-through. It lifts to a 36 in sill and is 36 in tall; type your own Mount (sill height from the floor) and Height (measured up from the sill). It works on outside walls and interior walls.
Can a pass-through sit at bar height instead of counter height?
Yes. Mount is just a number — type 42 in for a bar-height ledge, or whatever matches your counter.
Can I change how tall a normal doorway opening is?
Yes. Select the opening; with Doorway chosen, the Height field sets how tall it is from the floor.
Can I put a fireplace in a corner?
Yes — tap the Fireplace tile, choose Corner from its menu, then tap the corner where two walls meet.
Where are freestanding wood stoves?
In the furniture panel, not the Build panel: search wood stove, log burner or hearth. See wood stoves and hearth.
Start designing your room
Put this into practice in the floor planner: draw it, furnish it, walk through it in 3D — on web, iOS, and Android.
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