25 Interior Stone Fireplace Designs

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burnt with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow would not enter.

Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a sign of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

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

Related Images with 25 Interior Stone Fireplace Designs

Fireplace Designs and Design Ideas, Fireplace Photos BHG.com

On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some 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 various studies, fireplaces can pose a substantial health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.

Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

In the USA, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They need to be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture they discharge in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

Best 25+ Corner fireplaces ideas on Pinterest Corner stone fireplace, Corner fireplace

AccessoriesA vast assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

Gas Fireplace Photo Gallery Mendota Hearth

Contemporary Fireplaces I Designer Fireplaces I Luxury Fireplaces

Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been 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 most new fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround and the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

Contemporary Fireplaces I Designer Fireplaces I Luxury Fireplaces Video

Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced 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 just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal method to estimate the output of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no 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 designs