Fireplace Designs - Don't Make The Mistakes I Did

It turned out to be very difficult to settle on a fireplace design for my family's new home. My husband wanted something rugged looking, like brick. I wanted something elegant and classic. I could just imagine hanging my greenery and bows there for the holidays.

So after some civilized discussion that involved hair pulling and a knocked out tooth, we picked the perfect design. Now, to avoid the same mistakes we made, here are some things you'll want to consider BEFORE you decide on a design.

Budget:

Determining a budget for your fireplace is very important. You'll then be looking at all the fireplace designs that fit in your budget. The designs that we were looking at ended up being out of our budget, but we finally decided on something that we both loved and that we thought looked amazing. Keeping with your budget should be your first priority.

Placement:

Because of the way your house is built, it may not be able to accommodate certain fireplace designs. That was something neither of us had thought about before we started shopping for fireplaces. Even though we saw a number of them that we really liked, it wasn't possible to use them. They weren't going to fit properly in the space we had decided the fireplace would go. Even though aesthetics are important, you need to take shape and size into account.

Use:

Will you actually be using the fireplace, or do you just want it for show? If you will not be using the fireplace, there are many fireplace designs that you are able to go with. On the other hand, if you're going to use it, then you need to think about the shape of it, the materials that are used, and of course fireplace safety.

It's possible you'll get frustrated when you're trying to choose the perfect design, but if you use these tips, it should be easy!

Visit How To Build a Fire and discover what you need to know before you buy, build or choose your fireplace designs so you can turn your fireplace into a real conversation piece.

- Jessica P