A fireplace, as the symbol of hearth and home, is able to infill the living room with special coziness. Giving zest to the design and serving as the main decoration of your interior, it catches the eye of every guest of your parlor.

Fireplaces have adapted to the harsh environment of modern design, becoming its organic element. Long gone are the days when the only function of a fireplace was heating. Doubters who projected a complete surrender of real fire in homes were wrong. Even the most urban designs of USA and UK apartments sometimes crave for such naturalness.

Types of fireplaces for living room.

A traditional, wood-consuming fireplace is an idea suitable only for private cottages, where rooms are spacious and floors are reliable. But thanks to the advance of progress, occupants of urban apartments can now also enjoy all the warmth and aesthetic pleasure the dancing flames can provide. The following are the four common types of fireplaces:

  • Electric fireplaces are used in US apartments, where the traditional wood burning type is impossible to install. They’re safe, aesthetically pleasing and easy to exploit.
  • Wood burning fireplaces are the eternal classics and the foundation stone of a living room’s coziness. The type requires a chimney and a place for storing wood and tools and is suitable for living rooms of at least 200 sq. ft.
  • Gas fireplaces differ from the previous type only with the method of starting the flame and the option of temperature regulation.
  • Faux fireplaces serve only as a decorative element of the interior and deliver no heat.

How to position the fireplace.

Four variants of fireplace installation are available:

  • Corner fireplaces are great for not so spacious living rooms. In 2020, they’ve been used as a sophisticated decoration in many design styles, from country to modern.
  • Wall-mounted fireplaces are the common, classic variant.
  • Island fireplaces take place in the middle of the room. They provide the best heat emission, but are unpractical for parlors of small dimensions.
  • Built-in fireplaces are positioned inside niches or columns to save space in a small living room.

There are several nuances to be considered when installing a fireplace in the living room. Don’t put it adjacent to an external wall, unless you want to heat the street. The best position for a fireplace is near the wall that goes perpendicularly to the windowed one. Arrange your furniture to create a corner of coziness around the fireplace.

Fireplace finish.

Select the finishing material for the mantel and chimney before you proceed to choosing accessories for the shelf. For the fireplace to look appropriate in your living room interior, the finish should include at least one color of the general scheme. Wood, tile and face brick are used most often in the United States today. Various types of stone are also popular, including:

  • granite;
  • shell rock;
  • marble;
  • travertine;
  • sandstone;
  • limestone.

Let the fireplace design be the decisive factor, if you haven’t chosen the style of your living room yet. A fireplace is especially welcome in a classic interior, but it will also look appropriate in the following styles:

  • Classic;
  • Contemporary;
  • Country;
  • English;
  • Hi-Tech.

A classic living room requires the fireplace to be finished with marble or high-quality wood. Another necessary element is a wooden or marble mantel shelf with elegant candle holder or figurines. The contemporary style prefers combinations of metal, stone and marble. Decorations should be minimal, but colors and shapes may vary widely within one living room. For a hi-tech fireplace design, glass, plastic and steel are employed.

Arranging furniture and decorating the fireplace.

The furniture should support the style of the fireplace and comply with your needs. If you enjoy quality chats near the fire, place a sofa and an arm-chair in front of the fireplace and a coffee table between them. Bookcases, cases of drawers or cabinets can take place on both sides of the mantel. The distance between pieces of furniture is important; for optimal coziness, it should be no more that the length of a stretched arm.

TV fans are recommended to arrange the TV and the fireplace at perpendicular walls in order to create two separate zones. If you install the fireplace just under the TV, anyone who takes his seat on the sofa will be torn between the spectacle of dancing flames and the motion pictures.

Symmetry or asymmetry of the mantel shelf is an important point. If the shelf is arranged and decorated in a symmetric manner, the fireplace seems lighter, while the whole living room interior appears more classic. For the country or contemporary style, asymmetrically decorated fireplace area is typical. This adds a special charm to the interior, as the fireplace organizes the space, sets the rhythm. So, keep in mind the basic idea of decorating the mantel shelf: symmetry makes a restrained, classic appearance, while asymmetry is good for a dynamic interior.

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