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Designing a home is an exciting experience for you and your family, especially when you look at all the features and amenities you can add to the build to make your new home a special place. Building a home in a cooler climate makes indoor fireplaces essential for comfort and coziness, especially during Autumn and Winter.
An estimated 44 percent of single-family homes in the United States have at least one fireplace installed. Contemporary fireplaces are a great option if your goal is to add a focal point to your living room that produces enough heat to warm up small spaces.
The good news is that you’ve found the right place to learn more about your fireplace options for a more manageable home design process. Keep reading this article to learn more about fireplace designs today!
What Are the Types of Fireplaces for Your Home?
Indoor fireplaces are a remarkable feature to add to your new home since they create a relaxing and stunning atmosphere during the colder months. Most people picture a wood-burning fireplace when it comes to heating small spaces in the house, but there are other options for contemporary and traditional fireplaces.
It’s wise to explore your heating options before picking fireplace designs for your home. Here’s a closer look at the most popular options.
Wood-Burning Fireplace
A wood-burning fireplace is a classic option if you want a fireplace in your new home. It costs a chunk of change upfront but adds a rustic and comfortable appeal to your home’s living room. It’s best to get a wood-burning fireplace when building your home to save more money on the installation process.
Wood is also an affordable fuel source to heat small spaces. If you plan on harvesting your wood, you can heat your home for free. The amount of wood you’re burning comes down to the temperatures outside and the comfort you crave inside the house.
These contemporary fireplace options require more maintenance than other options, like a linear gas fireplace. Please get your chimney cleaned to avoid dangerous situations while heating your home. It’s also an additional expense to consider.
The good news is that you can pick out some stunning contemporary fireplaces. You’ll enjoy the sound and smell of burning firewood when you start a fire at home. Maximize your fireplace’s efficiency for a cozy and safe home.
Linear Gas Fireplace
Another excellent option for indoor fireplaces is the linear gas fireplace. The installation costs for these fireplaces are similar to a wood-burning fireplace. They’re also more expensive to run than a wood-burning fireplace since they require natural gas.
You can use several linear fireplace ideas in your home to create a contemporary fireplace. The top-of-the-line fireplaces will set you back $5,000. Expect to spend around $0.20 per hour running your gas fireplace during the colder months.
They’re also more efficient for heating small spaces than wood-burning fireplaces. Maintenance is easy; you’ll need to wipe the dust away from the fireplace and remove carbon buildup.
Safety is another perk of using a linear gas fireplace. Keep your kids away from the glass panels, as they tend to absorb heat when running the fireplace. You should also keep any flammable decorations away from the glass to avoid a house fire. Keep that in mind when decorating for the holidays in your home.
Gas fireplaces also offer greater control over the aesthetics of your home’s contemporary fireplace. You determine the size of the flame and the appearance of your home. Many modern homes choose gas fireplace designs due to their convenience and ease of use.
Electric Fireplaces
The most affordable option for heating small spaces in your home is the electric fireplace. Professional installation of the electric fireplace is only $200, making it a viable option when you’re working with a tight budget. If you plan to use your electric fireplace for decoration, then it only costs $0.02 per hour to run.
Generating maximum heat will cost around $0.18 per hour to run. Keep that in mind when estimating your energy bills during the winter. They’re the most efficient option for your heating needs, but they don’t offer the same aesthetic that gas and wood-burning fireplaces offer.
Maintenance is also simple since all you’ll need to do is change the lightbulbs. It’s also a safe option for heating a home since there aren’t actual flames producing heat. Keep kids, pets, and flammable objects away from the glass panels. That’s the only risk you run when you heat your home with electric fireplaces.
Contemporary Fireplaces vs. Traditional Fireplaces
The major debate when it comes to indoor fireplaces for your home is whether you need a contemporary fireplace or a traditional fireplace. The styling of your home plays a factor, as does the decorating you plan to do in your home. You must pair your interior design ideas with your fireplace designs to create a seamless living room area.
Here’s a closer look at the facts about each type of fireplace so you can make the right decision for your home design.
Traditional Fireplaces
Most traditional fireplaces are wood-burning fireplaces built around a mantle. They’re often larger than contemporary fireplaces, and they use robust materials like brick and stone to collect and disperse the heat in your home. A traditional fireplace is perfect if you have a Victorian home or an old farmhouse.
Contemporary Fireplaces
Contemporary fireplaces are perfect if you’re designing a modern home for your family. They use materials like shiny glass and metal rather than stone and brick for the design. Many fireplace designs push the boundaries to create that edgy and modern appearance in your living room.
You still get to enjoy the benefits of your linear gas fireplace, but it offers greater styling that sets your home apart from your neighbors. You’ll enjoy plenty of heat and functionality while adding that extra bit of flair to the picture.
Perks of Investing in Contemporary Fireplaces
Due to their build materials and size, you can style contemporary fireplaces in a different way than you could a traditional fireplace. Traditional fireplaces are stuck within a particular mold, while newer fireplaces provide greater design flexibility. You need to know the primary differences before you finalize a design for your indoor fireplaces.
Placement
A major benefit of choosing a contemporary fireplace for your home is the placement options you’ll work with. A traditional fireplace is stuck on the ground based around the hearth. These fireplaces are built on the ground, locking that area of your living room into a particular design.
Contemporary fireplaces allow you to elevate the fireplace off the ground so you can change your home’s styling with ease. Your living room will have a chic and unique appearance compared to other homes in your area.
Decor
Most traditional fireplaces look the same from one house to the next. That’s not the case when you buy a contemporary fireplace for your home. These modern fireplaces offer much better styling to tie into the rest of your modern home decor. An old-school fireplace will look tacky and out of place if you install it in a modern home design.
More designers are trending toward using modern designs for their homes. You should jump on board with that trend as it makes tying the overall design of your home together a simple task. It’s much easier to make a theme work in your home when you have a fireplace to match.
Shapes
The shapes you can choose from are endless when you decide to buy a contemporary fireplace for your new home. Unlike traditional fireplaces, you can choose an oval-shaped fireplace or a rectangular fireplace. It’s also possible to add different designs and textures to your new fireplace to create a unique atmosphere.
The best fireplace manufacturers will help you find a shape and design that fits your dream home’s aesthetic. They’ll also create a safety screen to fit that design to perfection.
Options Besides Logs
Contemporary fireplaces don’t look quite as good with logs, so it’s nice to have options beyond that traditional log look. Most homeowners choose glass, stones, or a beach look with their fireplace designs. Logs stand out for the wrong reasons in your modern home, so it’s best to choose an option that matches the overall look of your home.
Consider the area where you live to determine the best log replacement. Glass and stones are a great option, no matter where you live.
Start Shopping for Contemporary Fireplaces Today
Shopping for contemporary fireplaces is an essential step to take when you start making plans to design and build a home. It’s vital to know your heat fuel options, as traditional and contemporary fireplaces can use wood, gas, or electricity to heat small spaces in your home. Contemporary fireplace designs offer greater flexibility and an edgy, chic look to your home’s interior design.
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