Bring Some Warmth to Your Home This Winter
We all love to get cosy on a cold winters night but often fireplaces are forgotten over time and neglected as simply a relic. However, at Michael Reeves Design, we believe you can bring life to your fireplace and make it another feature of your home rather than something you’d rather not have to look at.
Let’s walk through some ideas for your fireplace that will help to create a cosier space this winter. After all, what is more warm and inviting than the calling of an open fire. We can’t help but feel warmer when we see flames flickering and they create the perfect ambient glow for the atmosphere you want during winter.
A Wood Burning Stove
Maybe you’ve left the alcove where a fireplace once sat to cover over with dust or it has simple become just another place to store items that you don’t use often. So, what about a log burning stove? This can turn your fireplace from somewhere of distain into the centrepiece of a room. Of course, you will need a contractor who has the experience of fitting one safely for you, as there are many regulations surrounding fire safety and you don’t want to be victim to a horrible accident. A wood burning stove can help create the perfect country living room feeling and will be enjoyed by anyone who spends time in your home.
Add Ornamental Pieces to Your Mantel
Happy with your fireplace but not sure what to do with the mantelpiece? Well, it can be utilised as an effective display for ornaments and accessories especially in rooms without much shelving like your bedroom, where shelving isn’t necessarily considered stylish. The items that you choose to adorn your mantel should be objects that make a statement and draw the eye as soon as you enter the room. This can be anything from oversized lettering to brass instruments and other metallic pieces.
Create a Display for Ornaments
What if you don’t want to use your fireplace as a fireplace? This is obviously the case for some homeowners as they can be a fire risk or create unpleasant smells if open fires aren’t your cup of tea. So, how about stripping the alcove down to basics with a monochrome colour scheme and use the space to display ornamental vases. You can get creative with different sizes, colours and shapes.
Dress Your Mantel with Your Favourite Objects
In the days of old, the centrepiece of the living room wasn’t the television, it was the fireplace. You may find yourself yearning for these simpler times and this can be done with a few simple additions. By now, most fireplaces are neglected or have been ripped out but they are coming back into style and this means there are plenty of accessories you can add to make it something you cherish. Mantels often reflect the period of time they were built in and this is reflected throughout the decades. You can use your bare mantel to display some of your favourite objects that you have collected over the years or you could even pick up some brand new pieces.
Make Use of the Unused Space
As previously mentioned, many fireplaces no longer serve their intended purpose or have been repurposed. So, what can you do with a fireplace to make it useful while maintaining its rustic appeal instead of being an unwanted space or being plastered over. Many taller fireplace alcoves make the perfect space for some shelving to store books, small boxes or ornamental pieces. If you’re feeling very adventurous you could even convert it into a wine rack.
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