For many families, their fireplaces add an air of comfort to their homes. When given the choice, people who design and build their own homes (as opposed to purchasing a home already built) will usually choose to include at least one fireplace. Of course, just because you have chosen to include a fireplace in your new house, there is no rule that says you absolutely have to include the same kind that your friends and neighbors houses have. Fireplace design is one of the areas of home design where you have a large variety of directions you can go in--all of which will add a unique touch to your home.
Before you get caught up in the plethora of different options in fireplace designs, you should first decide which of the two types of fireplaces you want to install in your home; wood burning or fuel burning (sometimes these are called gas burning). Both of these categories offer you plenty of authentic looking options, but there are pros and cons associated with both types.
Wood burning fireplaces have been known to cause homes to smell smoky, but a fuel burning fireplace won't give off any kind of smell at all, unless your home has a gas leak. If the smell of burning wood is something that you enjoy then a wood burning unit is your best option as the other types do not provide you with any real alternatives that will give you the smell you enjoy. Of course, gas fireplaces tend to be cleaner and more convenient.
You should also think about how you want your fireplace to look when deciding which of the major categories you want for your fireplace design. Some people enjoy a traditional/authentic looking design while others prefer the sleeker, more contemporary designs. This decision will revolve largely around the plans for the rest of your home and where your fireplace will be placed within the walls of your home.
A traditional or authentic looking fireplace will fit in to almost every home's decorating scheme. A contemporary design is harder to blend in, though this does depend largely upon the decorating scheme and overall appearance of the rest of your home. With a contemporary fireplace design you will need to decide if that particular look will fit in with the rest of your home's architectural design. You won't want to choose a particularly contemporary design that could easily go out of style in a few months or years.
Once you've made these basic decisions, you can then begin turning your design ideas into a fully functioning fireplace that you can enjoy for years to come.
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