June 28, 2009, 5:46 pm
More than any other design of fireplace mantel, wood is by far the most time honored and endearing type of material to use. From the dedicated craftsman to the more fashion-oriented contemporary home owner, wood fireplace mantels carry a special presence and look about them. There are a variety of ways to utilize wood as your fireplace mantel designs calls for.
Some designs call for the wood to be a simple rectangular cut piece that spans the width of the fireplace itself. Maybe this piece is made of a distinguished old gnarled and knotty piece from some old tree. This would yield its very own character to the fireplace. Other designs call for the wood to be finely crafted with carvings and then incorporated into the fireplace surround and hearth itself. The timeless essence that wood creates will never go out of style, it just changes with the times.
June 28, 2009, 5:46 pm
The types of materials that one chooses for their fireplace is so personal, that no one style could be considered wrong. I mean, how could you fault someone for wanting to have a beautifully designed wood fireplace mantel or surround? The point is, you couldn’t. The same argument could be made for stone fireplace designs. There are so many beautiful choices in both natural and cultured stone products that designing an elegant fireplace surround is easy to accomplish.
The choice of stone is a good one for many reasons. To begin with, the natural material properties of stone leave it an obvious choice to never have to be concerned about fire damage. Next, because of stone’s properties, the way that it can be incorporated into the overall design of your fireplace surround and interior space is manageable as well. Finally, since stone will retain heat, it will be afford you a natural way to radiate heat back into your living space once the fire is actually out. It serves as a type of passive heat source much like having stone in a southern facing room in your home acts as a natural radiant solar heat source.
