An interior design blog with furniture reviews, interior decorating tips, DIY projects, and home furniture guides.

Posts Tagged ‘electric fireplace’

Seeing More Red

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

It is the color of roses; the color ascribed to the heart; and of course it is the predominate color associated with Valentine’s Day. Since it is such a rich and vibrant color, it is the ideal choice for spicing up the rooms of our homes. A red club chair in a corner of the living room will brighten up the space. A red storage bench, like the Modus Upholstered Milano Storage Bench in Red Leatherette in a bedroom or hallway will add a punch of color as well as functionality. While a little red might go a long way, red is truly a passionate color and when cleverly integrated into a room, it can make the space bold yet warm.

Adding a splash of red to a den, living room or family room may be as simple as draping the Daniadown Arizona Red Throw over the arm of the sofa. It will also make the sofa a cozy place to snuggle when watching TV or a favorite movie.

And speaking of staying at home with that special someone isn’t this just the coolest loveseat you’ve ever seen? The Elite Home Theater Seating Curved Loveseat Cuddle Couch is designed especially for two and offers optional cozy features like a swivel tray, cup holder and matching ottoman that allow you to customize it to your movie watching specifications. And the best part is that this home theater loveseat comes in red.

Or if a standard loveseat appeals to you more, how about the Global Furniture USA Edwards Red Leather Loveseat? It displays a modern or contemporary style that has a chic and trendy, yet comfortable appearance.

The combination of style and color will make this loveseat the natural focal point of any room it’s in.

Turn a monochromatic or earth-toned sofa into a conversation piece by pairing it with the Powell Color Story Crimson Red End Table. Placing an red end table, sofa table or accent chest in a neutral-tone furnished room not only brings color into the space but also adds texture to the décor.

Because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, adding a red fireplace to a living room or family room wouldn’t be a bad idea. While the Southern Enterprises Tennyson Mahogany Fireplace with Bookcases isn’t strictly red, mahogany wood is known for its rich red hues. The same goes for mahogany wood finishes. Even though it doesn’t shout red, this fireplace will warm up a room, both literally and visually.

Naughty or Nice: what to expect from your fireplace on Christmas Eve

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

1 Black Electric Stove Heater

It doesn’t matter what you believe, how old you are or how commercialized you think the holidays have become, there is just something about a jolly and benevolent person with a long white beard in a red and white suit handing out presents that appeals to most of us. For all of the bad press the media gets, the one thing they do right, in my opinion, is to broadcast Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve as part of the weather report as he makes his way from the North Pole to the homes of boys and girls across North America. On an intellectual level of course I know that Santa Claus is a mythical fabrication. But on some other level that I have no words for, Santa Claus embodies the best of us as human beings – our kindness, compassion, a desire to make a better world and hope.

So, whether or not I’ve been naughty or nice during the year, there is still something inside me that expects a visit from old St. Nick. After returning from university and moving into my very own apartment for the first time, I mentioned in a rather wistful voice to my parents that Christmas won’t be the same now that Santa Claus can’t come down the chimney because of where I’ll be living. My parents assured me that Santa had his ways; and besides, I had an electric fireplace, a much welcomed hand-me-down from my grandmother as a house warming (literally) gift.

Okay, I’ll bite – how does St. Nick get past a fireplace that doesn’t have a chimney? I was assured that I didn’t need to know the details; that Santa Claus would arrive as per usual no matter where I was living. Sure enough, when I returned from a Christmas Eve house party I had attended, a bulging, overstuffed stocking hung from the fireplace mantel and there were presents underneath my little Charlie-Brown-like tree (a cast-off artificial Christmas tree all bent out of shape that had I rescued from a friend who was upgrading). It appeared that Santa Claus had indeed managed to overcome the obstacle of a chimney-less electric fireplace.

I am sure that there are other people out there like me who wonder how Santa delivered a stocking and brightly wrapped presents to my first apartment without the help of either a chimney or a wood burning fireplace. After researching the topic extensively, I discovered that he uses various methods to circumnavigate the ever-growing popularity of electric fireplaces all over the world.

As it happens, there are four main ways Santa Claus works his Christmas magic.

  • Very carefully – the first tried and true method involves utmost caution due to the enclosed nature of the firebox.
  • He’s actually very skinny. The padding isn’t real; it’s just for show. How do you think he got down chimneys of wood burning fireplaces for the past several centuries?
  • He enters by the window next to the electric fireplace.
  • The same as he always does, by placing his finger on the side of his nose and levitating.

The truth of how St. Nick broke into my apartment to hang up my Christmas stocking from the mantel of my electric fireplace is a little more prosaic. Earlier that year, when I took a couple of weeks off to go to the beach with friends, I gave an extra key to my parents to take care of my plants while I was away. Still, I don’t suppose it does me any harm to believe, even after all these years that he somehow managed to get down a chimney that wasn’t there. After all, he is Santa Claus.

Must have Fireplace Accessories for the Perfect Date

Friday, October 9th, 2009

There’s no denying it, a wood-burning fireplace is an object of envy in any home. Step into a living room or family room that has a fireplace and you instantly feel welcomed and comfortable.

Rejuvenate an old fireplace with a lovely new insert.Stepping into a bedroom that has a fireplace is the ultimate romantic or luxurious experience. A wood-burning fireplace is also a great secondary heat source. Well-chosen fireplace accessories not only help you to maintain it and keep it safe, they can add a sophisticated, decorative touch to the room.
 
Since I love fireplaces but live in an apartment, my idea of a perfect date would be with someone who had a fireplace he would be willing to share. What better backdrop could you possibly have for dinner and a movie without leaving the comfort of home? A leather sofa with lots of accent pillows and plenty of room for two, strategically placed near the fire would provide the ideal spot for curling up and gazing into the flames. Slow jazz on the stereo, anything by Pat Metheny (no words, just pure jazz guitar). 

I couldn’t have a perfect date without wine. Sipping red wine in a wine glass large enough to capture the light from the fire is a great way to start a cozy conversation and to discover interesting details about the other person that I didn’t know before. Candles are a must; a subtle way of echoing the flames of the fire throughout the room and making the most of the romantic mood. 

I enjoy cooking, but making a meal together is an ideal way to find out what he likes and doesn’t like. It also gives me a chance to see just how handy he is in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be a five-star recipe: even those of us who are more take-out than cook-in have a favorite pasta dish that we’ve mastered for when we have friends or guests over for dinner.

If the dining room didn’t have a view of the fireplace, I’d persuade my date to take our glasses of wine back into the living room by the fire. I would transform the coffee table into a romantic place to dine by placing oversized glass candlesticks (again, they would “throw” light around the room) in the middle of the table along with matching dinnerware and a basket of warm dinner rolls. 

Once dinner’s done, it’s back to snuggling on the couch with the rest of the wine. Pat Metheny has now been officially replaced by a “chick” flick. (Cars and buildings being blown up on the TV screen tend to interrupt the feeling of romance!) After the movie, it’s settling down on the hearth rug as close to him and the fire as possible. 

There no doubt that a wood burning fireplace is the focal point of my ideal date. How do you imagine your perfect date? Write me if you’d like to share your design ideas that make a room romance-friendly.