50+ Absolutely fabulous Christmas mantel decorating ideas

Historical fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burned with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier place on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a sign of wealth, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the plan.

Historically they were utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or alternative flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge in the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

Fireplace Decorating Ideas for Mantel and Above Founterior

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire puppies, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

50+ Absolutely fabulous Christmas mantel decorating ideas

10 Best Mantel Decorating Ideas For A Fabulous Fireplace [PHOTOS!]

Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround and the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

10 Best Mantel Decorating Ideas For A Fabulous Fireplace [PHOTOS!] Video

Some fireplace units include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the air. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel decorating ideas