Fire Spaces [antikvár]

Fire is a mesmerizing focal point for our lives and our homes. Staring into a safely contained fire soothes us on some primitive level that no doubt harl ens back to the dawn of mankind. For many of us, it is a meditation we rarely indulge in: relaxing completely in warmth, staring into glowing embers and dancing flames, and letting our minds go. Our troubles go. With friends and family, a fire Is stimulus for conversation, fuel for jokes and camaraderie. Pauses in conversation arent awkward, there's a fire to attend to, a focus for fleeting attentions. Everyone loves to play with fire. To toss twigs on, to shift burning logs, to push back hot embers. Toasting marshmallows is a cherished childhood memory, and a closely supervised parent-child project. As a child myself, our little-used fireplace was always lit on Christmas morning. In front of its glow, we experienced the magic of Santa-delivered surprises. Without a fireplace, how would Santa get inside, and where would we hang our stockings? hearth is an absolute essential, according to homebuilder statistics. Though the average American household lights a fire only three times a year, homebuilders don't dare leave out the fireplace - they can't sell a house without one. Even in sunny states, a fireplace is the key component of almost every living room. A sure way to impress people is to have not one, but two fireplaces, or more. And a home with fireplaces in unconventional places - the bedroom or bath, the kitchen, or the sunroom - is sure to draw rave reviews. As the images in this book will show, fireplaces adapt easily to any room in the home. The facings, mantels, and surrounds can be dressed up, down, or practically disappear to suit the needs of the homeowner. They're darlings for interior decorators, with a rich assortment of styles ranging from formal marble and carved stone facades, to sleek contemporary fire surrounds, to cozy, charming, country-style cast iron stoves. What's more, the fire spaces available to today's homeowners are much more versatile, and infinitely safer than those of yesteryear. High-tech innovations allow for fuel efficiency in addition to greatly increased heating capacity for the home (should you want it). Remote controls can be used to create gas fire with the flick of a button; self-feeders allow pellet stoves to burn for up to 24 hours without tending; vent-free technology allows a fire space to be set up in the middle of a room or against an inside wall - the possibilities are almost endless. Then there's the look! This book is all about the style of fire - the settings we build to house it, using elaborate mantels and spacious hearths, wrought-iron surrounds and shiny brass trim. Here, in hundreds of pictures, we explore how fire spaces can be adapted to formal rooms where we entertain, family spaces where we gather, and intimate spaces where we escape to read a good b