How To Choose The Best Fireplace Designs For Your Home?

Author : ak     Date : 30-Nov-2007

Fireplace Designs

In winter, everyone loves to stay near the fireplace! Don’t you? As the season approaches, our daytime & outdoor activity reduce and we spend more time in the house. Having a unique fireplace design will certainly make all the difference during winter. All the family love the ambience created by great fireplace designs, whether it be Electric fireplaces Gas fireplaces or Wood burning stoves they are sure to be the highlight of any home.

What Types of fireplaces Are Available?
Fireplaces have many types based on the type of fuel they burn:

  • Electric,
  • Gas,
  • Wood burning,
  • Stoves,
  • Inserts,
  • Modern/contemporary,
  • Traditional, etc
Each of these is beneficial in their own way. You can also classify fireplaces based on the decorative design, like metal, stone etc.

Benefits?
Popular fireplace designs will certainly boost the value of your house and are beneficial in providing an extra heat source, which can decrease fuel consumption in the house.
Adding fireplaces in key places and using them as heating zone devices provide tremendous benefit, when you live in a mild climate, as it replaces the need for a centralized heating system.
Moreover, a fireplace would produce an efficient heat, as the concept is to heat the areas that you are mostly around rather than heating the entire house with a central heating system.
Use of seasoned wood (wood with moisture content of less than 20 percent) in fireplaces burns much cleaner than green (high moisture content) wood.
Apart from the above listed benefits. Unique fireplace designs can add more than warmth to a room, they can also enhance the ambiance.
The fireplace reflects the heart and soul of its owners, and can turn a plain room into an inviting retreat.
It can also be a zone for kids, thinkers, readers or just to talk.
Yet, one of the most exciting characteristics of the fireplace is its role in providing a glow and lighted reflection to the furniture, artwork, lamps, and draperies in a pleasing harmonious decor within a room.

How To Choose The Best Fireplace Designs?
When selecting a fireplace there is no right or wrong choice. Choose a fireplace design that is going to reflect your personal style, and that is going to blend in readily to your house decor. When making a selection, consider budget, size, appearance, ease of operation, efficiency, heat output, and structural limitations.

Here are some useful tips to be considered in selecting firplace designs:

Safety and security: Before selecting a fireplace, there are several factors to take into account. Always remember that the safety of your family and property is the most important consideration.

Determine the zones to heat: taking the measurement and considering the inventory (stock-furniture and other equipments) of the rooms to select an appropriate area, where to concentrate a fireplace that would provide more comfort.

Consider the size: When choosing the fireplace, due considerations should be given to the size of the fire area (in terms of height and width), because if the fire area is small, than buying wood and cutting it into small pieces would be very costly and also difficult. So choose a large firebox/fireplace.

Selecting fuel: Natural gas, propane, wood, can be used to fuel your fireplace, so choose a fuel that you are comfortable with. In addition make a fire that fits your fireplace, because a fire that’s too large or too hot not only wastes fuel, but can crack your fireplace and chimney.

How To Maintain A Fireplace?
Like any home appliance, it should be safe, properly maintained.

  • Safety is the most important factor to be considered while and after installing a fireplace, especially in winter, when it will be used more often.
  • Do a regular checkup in keeping your fireplace clean.
  • Make sure you read the safety guidelines provided in the manual.
  • See that the fireplace is properly ventilated and is provided with sufficient air.
  • Dispose all the excess and unwanted coals, when you putout the fire, etc.

There are many more tips and details descriptions of various types provided in the following sections. We believe this information will be helpful in choosing the right fireplace designs for your homes.


Your Buyer's Guide

Fireplace Designs  How To Choose The Best Fireplace Designs For Your Home?
Types of fireplaces  What Types Of Fireplaces Are Available?
     - Electric fireplaces
     - Gas fireplaces
     - Wood burning Stoves
     - Stove fireplaces
     - Inserts
     - Modern fireplaces
     - Traditional fireplaces
How to choose fireplace  How To Select & Customize Your Fireplace?
     - Base of a fireplace
     - Firebox for fireplaces
     - Mantle for fireplaces
     - Trims for fireplaces
Top brands of fireplaces  Recommended Brands For Fireplaces
     - Majestic fireplaces
     - Symphony fireplaces
     - Heat and glo fireplaces
Where to buy fireplace  Where To Buy A Fireplace?

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