12 fireplace ideas - striking looks for your environment (2023)

FAQs

What is the current trend for fireplaces? ›

Minimalist simplicity is a major design trend in 2022, so clean finish fireplaces are in high demand. Instead of bulky stone hearths or elaborate details, homeowners want fireplaces they can finish right up to the glass.

When it comes to efficiency, gas fireplaces have wood-burning fireplaces and pellet fireplaces beat. The use of gas is just much more efficient than than having to burn wood or pellets, not to mention that a gas fireplace doesn't require electricity to run.

Give your fireplace an inviting and homey feel by flanking either with cozy furniture. A reclining chair, a vintage stool or an old trunk are the perfect elements to add a rustic touch to the hearth area.

Neutral shades are the best way to go since common fireplace colors are grays, taupes, cream whites, or white stone.

A wood-burning hearth is the standard fireplace used worldwide, as it has been for centuries. It's what comes to mind when most people envision a beautiful fire in a living room. Types of wood-burning fireplace systems are: Site-Built Masonry.

A wood-burning fireplace adds the most value to a house when it's a focal point in the main living space. That's likely where friends and family will gather most often. In addition to offering a cozy space to gather in, you can enjoy the supplemental warmth and ambiance of a traditional fireplace on chilly nights.

Water can actually spread the flames even further. Instead, use a foam, powder or carbon dioxide extinguisher. Class C Fires—Class C fires are those involving faulty electrical equipment.

A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantel, a chimney crane (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, an overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

To make your fireplace look warm and inviting, consider stringing garland or string lights across the mantel, adding a bevy of candlesticks to each end, or centering the mantel with a mirror perched in the middle. For something more practical, look at mounting a flat panel TV above the fireplace.

What wood lasts the longest in a fireplace? ›

For the serious fire lover, you may want to invest in hardwoods like madrone, live oak, ash, hickory, walnut and fruit trees like apple or cherry. Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you'll need to let them season more than a year.

Seasoned hardwoods make the best firewood. Hardwoods like oak, cherry and maple are denser than softwoods like pine or cedar. Due to their density, they burn longer and produce more heat or BTUs. When wood is “seasoned” it means that it has been cut and dried for at least 6 months.

There are two types of fireplaces that result in different chimneys: masonry fireplaces and prefabricated fireplaces. Masonry fireplaces are the traditional fireplace that you may envision made up of bricks, blocks or stone.

Go neutral

For those who wish to play it safe, choose neutral colors. The best thing about neutral colors such as white, ivory, gray, tan, and brown is that they match all color schemes. These shades offer a lively appearance. Some homeowners may also choose black for their fireplace for a contemporary look.

Hearth. The hearth refers to the floor area of stone directly in front of the firebox opening.

The colder part of a diffusion (incomplete combustion) flame will be red, transitioning to orange, yellow, and white as the temperature increases as evidenced by changes in the black-body radiation spectrum.

A fireplace can be a handsome and dramatic focal point of nearly any living space. It's one of those cozy home features that's a very desirable architectural detail for many homebuyers. Are brick fireplaces outdated? Short answer: NO.

Granite is the most popular choice for a stone fireplace surround. It is one of the most durable and long-lasting types of stone you can buy. Granite is extremely durable with its scratch-resistant surface. Granite is also very unlikely to crack or chip, and it has a good level of heat tolerance.

Best Overall: Gas Burning

While each type of fireplace has its own advantages that may work better for your needs, if you just want something that's simple to use, not too expensive or tricky to maintain and provides a good amount of heat output, a gas-burning fireplace is your winner.

Electric. The electric fireplace, which is typically the least expensive of all fireplaces to install, is safer overall because it does not use combustible gas or wood for heating. Installing an electric fireplace insert can run as little as $225 because no flue or chimney is necessary to operate the fireplace.

What is the most popular fireplace surround? ›

Perhaps the most popular option for a fireplace surround, granite is one of the most durable materials you can buy. It's extremely scratch resistant, unlikely to crack or chip, and it has good heat tolerance. Granite is suitable for gas or wood burning fireplaces.

According to HomeGuide, on average, a new metal prefabricated gas or wood-burning fireplace costs $2,900 installed, while an electric fireplace costs about $1,200. A masonry fireplace costs an average of $4,900 installed in an existing home with a 12-foot chimney.

In short, while fireplaces can be cozy and inviting during the cold winter months, they aren't a good bet when it comes to saving money on your electric bill. It's far more cost effective to use your fireplace as an enjoyable, but non-essential, supplemental heating source in your home.

If you have a fireplace centered on the main living room wall, use it as the focal point of the room and place large furniture around it in a half-circle shape. For instance, if you have a sectional, place it so that anyone sitting on the sectional will be able to see the fireplace.

Boiling water can extinguishes fire more quickly. The hot water sprinkled on the burning material is not only for cooling, but also for reducing the oxygen around it with converted steam. Cold water to absorb a lot of heat.

Grease fires are among the most difficult type of fire to put out. Attempting to extinguish it with water can make the fire grow, as water and oil do not mix. Grease fires are often associated with kitchen fires and they occur when the oil gets too hot when cooking.

As its name suggests, an eternal flame is a fire that burns for an indefinite amount of time. It can be ignited intentionally or when lightning strikes a natural gas leak, peat, or a coal seam.

One of the easiest match-free ways to start a fire is to use flint and steel. Flint and steel kits can be purchased relatively inexpensively and are easy to start a fire with if you have a tinder kit, especially if your tinder kit includes charcloth.

Dryer Lint & Egg Cartons

The classic homemade fire starter is a wad of dryer lint placed in each empty storage department of a cardboard egg carton with melted wax, or better yet, melted paraffin wax poured over top. It's an easy project and brings back days of making crafts in public school.

How do you make fire when there's nothing? ›

Step 1: Place a small piece of char cloth or tinder on top of the piece of flint and hold the two together in one hand. Step 2: Strike down at a 30-degree angle using the steel striker to produce sparks. The spark should land on the char cloth or tinder and begin to smolder.

Change Your Surroundings-adding white walls instead of painting the fireplace brick, add DIY shelves, a simple hearth or mantel makeover may be all you need to make your fireplace feel new. Cover With Tile or Stone-you could use real stone or Airstone for a modern touch.

Ethanol Fireplaces (The Best of the Best)

When it comes to the most eco-friendly fireplace, there is no surprise that ethanol fireplaces are at the top. These fireplaces are known not only for their aesthetically pleasing look but also for their minimal impact on the environment.

A Fireplace Provides Natural Heat

A fireplace does a great job of providing amazing natural heat. Just sitting in front of the fireplace is relaxing and can really warm you up after a day out in the cold or in the rain. In addition, fire does a good job of heating up a room, no matter what size.

Energy efficiency and keeping heating costs low is on every homeowner's mind these days as utility costs are skyrocketing. Having a hearth in the main living area of the home and in the bedrooms can keep your utility bills low by providing substantial heat that won't tax your heating system.

Contrasting tile or stone is a great way to accentuate your fireplace—and laying it in a herringbone pattern is a serious step up. We love how this light colored tile really "pops" against the dark painted mantel. And best of all, it's a highly adaptable look that can read as classic or modern, depending on your taste.

For a more modern approach, using natural materials such as glass, slate or concrete will give your fireplace a more polished look. Symmetry is also an important design aspect since this is a corner fireplace after all. You want a balanced appearance so take note of doors, windows and the overall symmetry of the room.

If you have a fireplace centered on the main living room wall, use it as the focal point of the room and place large furniture around it in a half-circle shape. For instance, if you have a sectional, place it so that anyone sitting on the sectional will be able to see the fireplace.

You'll need extra-long wooden safety strike matches, dry wood or twigs for kindling, sheets of newspaper for tinder, seasoned firewood, an iron fireplace grate and a poker. Before building the fire, check that your fireplace damper, which is the vent, is fully open.

How can I make my fireplace more cozy? ›

Do's and Don'ts for Living Room Layouts with a Fireplace

Use coffee tables and ottomans to create pathways, not block them. DO place an accent chair beside the fireplace, creating an inviting and warm fireplace seat for you or a guest. DON'T put a rug too close to the fireplace.

For an easy fireplace mantel decorating idea, hang a mirror in the middle and a sconce on either side. Anchor the mantel with a larger vase in front of the mirror and fill in with smaller accessories, such as vases, candlesticks, and decorative objects. Pick up on colors and materials found elsewhere in the room.

Living Room Layout Ideas for a Fireplace

The fireplace is the natural focal point of a living room. Flank each side with seating, which could be two sofas or a sofa and a pair of chairs, and place a large coffee table in the middle. Leave the side opposite the fireplace open to allow entrance into the seating area.

What kind of wood SHOULD NOT be burned in the fireplace? Don't burn driftwood in your fireplace. Driftwood is loaded with salt, and the chlorine in salt mixes with wood compounds during burning to release a toxic chemical, one that's been linked to cancer. Don't burn treated, painted, or sealed wood in your fireplace.

Any type of paper with colored print. Paper with colored print, such as wrapping paper, magazines, cereal boxes, and pizza boxes, may release noxious, corrosive, or carcinogenic gases when burned. Plywood, particle board, or chipboard. Manufactured wood products release toxic fumes and carcinogens when burned.

A great way to decorate the walls on either side of the fireplace would be to use wallpaper with a specific pattern and style to create an accent feature, add artwork or family photos to it, install bookshelves, use wall lights, mount a fancy mirror, place floor lamps or large planters in front of it, or place a ...