No place like home -- Karen Wight

Fireplaces rank high on the list of desired features in a home. However,

creating the look and the mood you want involves making myriad choices:

wood burning, gas logs, hearths, mantels, screens, grates, andirons,

tools. It’s a lot of work to create a little ambience. But you’ve got to

have a place to hang those stockings, and Santa needs a landing pad, so

let’s explore the wide world of controlled pyrotechnics.

If you have an existing fireplace, some of the tough decisions have

already been made for you. If your fireplace is a masonry unit with gas,

you have the option of using it as a wood-burning fireplace or have gas

logs installed. Both have pros and cons. A wood-burning fireplace

requires that you buy wood. You also have to periodically clean the ashes

out of the firebox. But the charm, the mood a real fire creates is

unbeatable.

Another option is having gas logs installed. The products that are

available today are very high quality and have a much better look than

the fake logs of years past. Once you add some dark rocks and fiberglass

embers (they really do look like glowing embers when the fire is lit)

there is nothing that beats the convenience. And are you ready for this?

You can even have a remote controlled fire that ignites with the press

of a button (just like the TV). Does this have “husband” written all over

it, or what?

Now for some details. Inside the firebox you will need a grate, something

to set the logs on so the fire gets air circulation. A simple black iron

grate will do just fine; there are also some grates that are more

ornamental. My favorite is a grate that resembles a shallow iron crate

and has decorative legs. Details.

Next come the andirons. Andirons are not necessary for function, but

we’re past that function thing, we’re going for great. Andirons sit in

the firebox along with the fire grate and “frame” your fire. They can be

simple like brass balls, or as ornate as you can handle. They can be

inexpensive or sky’s-the-limit. My favorite and relatively inexpensive

sets of andirons are a pair of black owls with gold marble eyes. They are

funky with or without a fire, but get this: When the fire is roaring, the

marble eyes glow with the light from the fire. This is an added bonus and

an attention getter with guests.

The screen that sits on the hearth is a safety measure to ensure that hot

embers do not jump out onto your floor or rug. You need them and the

good-looking screens seem to have a hefty price. Be a good shopper. I

have found screens that are moderately priced and are stylish. But if

there is one place where you are going to splurge, it’s the screen.

Now it’s time to frame our fiery masterpiece. Mantles are usually eye

level and are approximately eight inches deep. If you choose to have

columns coming down to frame the fireplace, give them some details, such

as raised panels or molding squares, to make them interesting. If you

have a hearth, have the columns rest on the hearth and add some base

molding to give them a finished look. If you are creating a new fireplace

and are adding a hearth, make it seat height, approximately 18 inches.

This way you can create more seating, have the fire closer to eye level

and have better circulation of the heat generated from the fire.

Designing a mantle always seems to create paralysis. Follow the mood you

have created for your room and follow through with your style choices. If

you have a cabin motif, go rustic with a large roughhewn beam. If you are

traditional, use some moldings glued one to another to create a

layered-moulding effect. If you are contemporary, consider a piece of

honed stone. Whatever your choice, give yourself enough depth to place a

few items on the mantle to give your room additional charisma.

Fireplace tools are technically unnecessary if you have gas logs, but if

you have a fireplace, you need tools, even if they don’t get dirty. Carry

your theme throughout the hardware you purchase for your fireplace. Look

at the andirons, screen and fireplace tools together and make sure that

they blend well. They don’t have to match perfectly, actually I prefer if

they don’t, but they do need to look like they have something in common.

A well-designed fireplace is a lot of effort. It’s not a project that can

transpire in a day. Pull out pictures that you like from magazines or

brochures. Make a file. Draw a sketch. Look at friends’ mantles and

hardware. Like most projects, time in the planning stage is time well

spent or, as the old saying goes, “a little spark kindles a great fire.”

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident who owned Wight House Design

for 10 years. Her column runs Saturdays.

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