The fireplace is one of the elements of an "expensive", luxurious interior, although it was previously available in every home. On a burning fire, it seems, you can watch forever. From ancient times people gathered near such a hearth to warm themselves, to cook food. Houses in ancient times were heated by fire, with the help of it they made candles, soap, glassware, dyed fabrics, smoked fish, meat. Later, rich families even began hiring special people, whose duties included the maintenance of fire in the fireplace. There was a profession of a stove-maker - a man who builds fireplaces.

• electric fireplaces;
• wood burning;
• alcohol;
• peat;
• gas.

         

Fireplaces on firewood, like many others, are made with a closed or open firebox. Such a hearth is best laid even at the stage of building a house - it is important to properly make a chimney so that the wood does not burn out too quickly, the smoke does not go into the room. In the closed, a glass door is made, made with special technology, which prevents the appearance of soot. It itself is made of brick, cast iron, faced with stone or wood.

Gas is connected to a cylinder or a separate gas pipe, working on methane, propane-butane. They are noiseless, fireproof, also require a chimney. Electric plugs into the mains through an ordinary outlet. In fact, this is an ordinary heater, but stylized as a fireplace. He quickly heats up, takes up no more space than a plasma TV, sometimes is equipped with an air filter, he does not need a pipe. Biofirehouses work on alcohol or bioethanol. They well heat small rooms with "live" fire, almost without releasing harmful combustion products into the air. Peat bog peat baked or crumbed with peat, with coal.

There are also differences in the installation method:

• built-in;
• walled;
• island, including hanging;
• angular.

       

By the method of heat radiation, the design of the furnace itself distinguish one-sided, two-sided, three-sided.

By appointment, the fireplaces are divided into:

• brick;
• for barbecue;
• stoves-stoves;
• false shots;
• street.

The design can be created in any shape - square, round, cylindrical, pyramidal, polygonal, etc., depending on the type of interior, the functions performed.

Styles and colors for decoration

The hearth is selected individually for a certain style of the interior - with the modern variety of all sorts of finishing materials, it is not as difficult as it seems.

How do fireplaces made in different types of interior design look like:

• classical - is made of U-shaped, has a massive construction, is made out by plaster bas-reliefs, columns, wrought iron gratings, is surrounded with natural stone;
• country - is D-shaped, made of stone, well retaining heat - shell rock or sandstone, the pipe is formed with gypsum, the construction looks very simple;
• modern - takes space from floor to ceiling, has a square or rectangular shape, is executed in monophonic, most often black, white or red, most often performs only a decorative function;
• hi-tech is made mainly of modern materials - glass, metal, periclase, concrete, etc., it is made of any shape, sometimes asymmetric, can be two-sided;
• ecological - made of bricks, decorated with natural wood, plaster, has a coarse shape, usually installed in the garden;
• rococo - takes up a lot of space, is trimmed "under the old days", has multiple stucco molding, is decorated with mosaics, tiles, painted with gold.

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Variants of facing materials

Facing the fireplace can be anything - it all depends on the design idea. Since the standard design consists of a hearth and a portal, both elements are designed separately. Falshkam and electric consist of one portal, without a hearth. When choosing finishing materials, it is important to consider where the hearth is located - at home or on the street, for what kind of interior it is made out.

The most important factors are:

• furnace material - when the fire is collected in wood, the facing should withstand a temperature of up to 900 degrees, but for oak wood it is required that it easily tolerate 1000 degrees, for another solid fuel - 1200;
• location - if a summer veranda or garden is chosen for the installation site, a frost-resistant lining is needed, any materials suitable for the construction located in the house and having exclusively decorative purpose are suitable;
• moisture resistance - when the room is not heated, moisture resistant materials quickly crack, peel off;
• weight - for heavy construction on the first floor of a private house, an additional foundation is required, the second and higher floors of a heavy fireplace simply can not stand.

       

Than decorate fireplaces:

• stone;
• brick;
• Himalayan salt;
• plasterboard;
• expressive;
• tiles;
• glass;
• colored plaster;
• wood;
• lepnina;
• paint;
• foam blocks;
• forged parts;
• fiber cement panels;
• sheet iron.

Not all types of finishes are suitable for an operating, and not a fake fireplace, therefore, when purchasing a material, you should read the instructions.

A rock

It is considered the best solution for any style, all types of premises, garden design. This finish not only looks good, but will be as durable as possible. High temperature, humidity it is not terrible, but the weight of the fireplace is large enough. The construction of a large size requires the manufacture of a separate foundation, which is made at least ten centimeters more than the base.

Usually the following types of stone are used:

• marble;
• travertine;
• onyx;
• malachite;
• granite
• coil;
• sandstone;
• таланхохрит.

       

Artificial stone weighs much less, looks like natural, is made more often from gypsum in combination with stone crumbs, pigments. It is easy to handle, cuts well. The laying starts from the bottom corner after the surface is leveled. But the fake stone of most species is not able to withstand high temperatures, high humidity - its suitability for certain jobs should be clarified when purchasing.

Tree

Used for the design of electrical and falshkamen, as it can easily catch fire. For rooms with high humidity, it also does not fit - crack, deform. Caring for wooden surfaces is a constant, otherwise they will quickly lose their normal appearance. The material is impregnated with special compositions that prevent molding, damage to insects, rodents, covered with stain, varnish.

The most popular are the following types of wood:

• oak, beech;
• nut;
• cherry;
• махагонь;
• palisandr;
• pine, spruce;
• Karelian birch;
• maple.

       

Such hearth has a beautiful texture, becoming a unique piece of interior, decorated with carvings, bulky chiseled elements, inlaid.

Tile

Ceramic tiles for decoration are used quite often - a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, patterns allows it to design the designs of most of the now known styles. Before installation, the surface is carefully leveled, and the solution is made as homogeneous as possible - if a stone or rubbish falls under one of the tiles, it will lie unevenly, which will significantly spoil the appearance. Further, the marking of the surface to be treated is made. Details require a qualitative fit, and various types of tiles are fastened with solutions of different composition. For some types of interior suitable rectangular tiles, simulating red, white or multi-colored brick.

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tiles

The most luxurious interiors are decorated with tiles. Once palaces, temples, houses of rich inhabitants of large cities were decorated like this. The composition of the material has terracotta clay, which is suitable for all types of fireplace, but these must have a furnace made of cast iron. Elements are produced glazed, shiny, as if from glass and without glaze - reminiscent of simple earthenware. According to the stylistic design of the tiles are vintage, modern, classical, etc., have high decorative, sufficient durability.

Plaster

Decorative plaster is easy to apply on its own, but to make the structure look neat, it requires a preliminary leveling of the surface, covering the ground. Often several types of plasters of different colors are used, and strokes are carried out chaotically. The material does not withstand excessively high temperatures, therefore it is used for fake fireplaces or those that are worn only occasionally by unstable materials.

       

Lepness

Lepness выполняется из гипса либо пенополистирола. Последний вариант подойдет только для электрических каминов или их имитации. Делаются колонны, полуколонны, розетки, ниши, пилястры, уголки, ажурные детали и др. Иногда изготавливаются целые лепные барельефы, изображающие различные сюжеты, которые позже окрашиваются специальными красками или оставляются белыми.

Steel and forging

Cast iron and steel elements, accessories are suitable for all types of structures. Metal is made of doors, grates, all the fireplace - high temperature is not terrible for him, and anti-corrosion coating protects from increased humidity. Real fireplaces with "live" fire are also supplied with a forged poker, tongs, a scoop, a firewood stand. Patterns or entire storyboards on the doors, screen are made using plasma cutting or are also forged by the craftsman manually on request.

Most often on the doors are:

• contours of animals, birds, fish;
• silhouettes of people;
• geometric figures;
• plots from literary works;
• urban, rural landscapes;
• musical instruments, notes.

       

Of the minuses of this decoration, note the high cost, since almost all the decor is done manually or using an expensive device with a laser.

Refractory coating

The fireplace, decorated with glass elements, perfectly fits into any modern interior. Glass is used fireproof - withstand up to 1000 degrees, covered with a special composition, preventing the appearance of soot. It reflects a part of the thermal radiation inside the structure, it is released smooth, convex, can have patterns. Such a fireplace warms up the room slowly, but you can look at the fire close to it, not being afraid that the spark will get on clothes, furniture, carpet. Heat-resistant paints are also used here. They have a silicone base, after application they form a protective film on the surface, which can withstand temperatures of up to 650 degrees. Before painting, the surface to be treated is leveled, cleaned of grease, old plaster. After painting with a brush, cans, hand painting.

       

Decor around the fireplace and the adjoining wall

Any fireplace is important to fit beautifully into the interior, original landscaping around it. The place near the fireplace, above it is decorated in several ways:

• live flowers in pots, pots - they are placed on the mantelpiece or next to it, the most thermophilic ones are chosen;
• dry bouquets, wreaths - it is necessary to ensure that they are located beyond the reach of fire;
• wire - for an artificial fireplace, a grate is made of it, which is painted with various colors;
• polyurethane - an imitation of stucco for the walls, various patterns of "antique";
• mirror - it is placed on the wall or fixed to the mantelpiece;
• candles - inside the falshkina place thick candles that can be flavored;
• photographs in frames, souvenirs, statuettes - they are placed on a shelf above the fireplace, in niches on the wall;
• Wall-papers - they are pasted behind a design, the fireplace settles down on their background;
• a picture inside - portals of electric fireplaces are sometimes decorated with images that periodically replace each other;
• embroidered panels, knitted toys;
• pictures within.

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Ideas for registration for holidays and other events

Even the simplest fireplace can easily be decorated with improvised materials, this usually does not require any special knowledge and skills. For each holiday, its kind of decor is chosen, which changes when the event is over or the time of another is coming. For example, for Valentine's Day the design is decorated with a bunch of hearts, a panel with confessions of love, Halloween - a pumpkin with slits in the form of a face, with a lighted candle inside. By the 8th of March or on February 23 the corresponding figures are made from improvised materials, the decoration is carried out in red-pink or blue-blue tones. Graduation of a university or other educational institution, leaving for a deserved rest, housewarming, the birth of a baby is decorated depending on the tastes of the originator or his relatives.

To the wedding

White candles in candelabras, porcelain pigeons, paper hearts and flowers will make the holiday luxurious. The fireplace itself symbolizes the home, a good idea will make it the center of the wedding interior. Often used bouquets of white roses, crafts made of polystyrene, light garlands of paper, photos of newlyweds, panels with their names, ribbons of pastel colors with written wishes of happiness.

By Birthday

A photo or a whole series of a birthday photo will be placed on a mantelpiece, next to his favorite drinks. A garland of paper colored flags, aluminum foil, a lot of air balloons, words of congratulations on the fireplace will immediately create a sense of celebration. Decorative candles, flowers, soft toys, objects related to the activity of the congratulated will become an original addition. Also colorful postcards will decorate the interior.

To spring

Spring fills the house with freshness, because the spring-summer focus is decorated with primroses in vases, tulips or daffodils grown independently in pots by fluffy willows, artificial plants, wreaths of grass. A birdhouse, bird figures, photographs of the awakening nature are placed on the mantelpiece, next to it there is a beautiful garden inventory. Decorating the fireplace with small panels from the slices of the tree, with images of blooming cherry blossom, willow branches will create an organic interior. For the summer design, a sea theme with shells, models of sailboats, photographs of sunsets over the water is suitable.

For Christmas and New Year

Decoration of spruce, pine branches will come very handy for the New Year holiday. They decorate with Christmas toys, painted cones, foam plastic snow, gold paint from a can. On the perimeter there are LED garlands, tinsel, baskets are put on the shelves, mandarins, sweets are put there, decorative little socks hang over the hearth in which Father Frost should put gifts. Bright cardboard boxes are placed on a shelf or nearby, paper stars, snowflakes, Christmas angels complete the picture.

By Easter

An indispensable attribute of this celebration is the egg. Painted chicken or homemade styrofoam eggs in wicker baskets or newspaper baskets are placed on a mantelpiece, in the same place are placed cakes, Easter hares, porcelain angels, spring greens in vases. Paper, fabric garlands with the image of eggs, decorations from colored cardboard, textile balls, embroidered elements complement the interior.

         

Conclusion

The hearth is rightfully considered the main symbol of a strong family, wealth in the house. Once with his help heated the house, cooked food. Now such an object performs primarily a decorative function, and therefore it becomes very beautiful, it is selected individually for different types of interiors. Decor of the fireplace with their own hands makes many owners of this hearth - on the Internet every day laid out a variety of master classes on this topic, and some owners even turn for help to professionals.