The Heart of Your Home: Fabulous Fireplaces!
By Susana DeFatima Silva, MA, Co-Founder/Proprietor/Managing Partner Test of Tyme, LLC, #1022805
and Wendy Brickman, MA/MBA, Brickman Marketing
The nights on the Monterey Peninsula are chilly and wintertime is often the best time to gather around a beautiful fireplace and create wonderful long-lasting memories. During the rest of the year, your fireplace can also be an attractive focal point of your décor while providing comforting glowing warmth on cool spring and fall nights, too. Camaraderie and conversations around your fireplaces can create unforgettable memories so why not take time to think about your approach to fireplace design in your home, both indoors and outdoors.
Today, homeowners have a wide array of choices for the fireplaces in their homes. There are so many different ways to design your fireplace today and it still remains an important element in one or several rooms in your home. You will want to find the perfect place for your fireplace in each room, whether it is in the center of the wall creating symmetry, perhaps with bookcases on each side, or placed in a corner of the room.
A hand-carved wooden mantel with a unique custom design adds a special timeless Old World elegance to a room. A variety of beautiful woods can be utilized, including cherry, mahogany, oak and others, lacquered or stained if desired. Stone fireplace designs can be a good solution because of their rustic appeal and they also help to bring nature inside your home.
You can also create a well-styled and accessorized fireplace mantle with photos, artwork, plants and more. The more layers, the more attractive the finished product so why not layer varying sizes of framed or unframed art decoratively on the mantle. Another fireplace mantel decorating tip is to hang numerous sizes and shapes of mirrors instead of just one.
Outdoor fireplaces are also wonderful during nice weather in our area. Everyone loves to stay outside during the summertime and fully functional outdoor rooms are increasingly popular with fireplaces, pizza ovens, giant tv’s, couches, sound systems, special lighting and more. Comfortable seating makes for an inviting spot for everyone to enjoy the fire and there can be ledge seating depending on your fireplace design, both indoors or outdoors.
You don't need to go overboard with an outdoor fireplace -- especially if you have a great view or another focal point. A low but attractive fire pit can still provide plenty of ambience on a deck or patio.
Whether ornate, elegant, simple, modern or rustic, a fireplace continues to be a source of warmth and comfort in the home and it’s still one of the most desired elements in any house today. Enjoy!
If you can dream it...
Test of Tyme can custom-build it to make it a reality!
Call Test of Tyme at (831) 655-2008 or email tot@TestofTyme.com to schedule your own private consultation.
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