A well-designed fireplace is an architectural feature that can lead the way to defining your home’s style. With the emphasis placed on our interior’s environmental footprint, and how well it works to keep us comfortable while saving energy, we do not need to lose the visual beauty of flickering flames. Roaring wood-burning fireplaces that suck the air out of a room have been reconfigured so that air heating and ventilation are far more economical. Gas and propane fires boast flames that can dance through pebbles and around faux logs. Styles range from the traditional farmhouse wood-burning stove to the sleek horizontal strip of a stainless steel bio-flame ethanol burner.
You can stretch the number of months spent outdoors enjoying your backyard and patio with the aid of heaters and fireplaces. There is also the option of combining indoor and outdoor pleasures with a fireplace that can be enjoyed from both sides of your living space.
Two specific products from Town and Country Fireplaces provide the best for both worlds. With its ingenious design and construction, HeliFire 360 offers limitless possibilities for applications. The slender luxurious flame can be installed vertically or horizontally, indoors or out, see-thru or one-sided. The unique style is mesmerizing and sets a well-appointed contemporary tone.
Also designed for indoor/outdoor installation, the WS54 wide-screen gas fireplace can be customized to your specifications with a selection of reflective black, coffee bean brown, copper or titanium porcelain panels and overhead LED interior lighting.
Visit townandcountryfireplaces.com to learn more about the custom options and what you need to know about adherence to building codes.
Dear Debbie: We are in the midst of planning the exit/re-entry setup for our two college-age kids. What do you suggest as an economical approach to basic furniture needs? They will be living in dorms or sharing apartments with other students.
Mary and Mike
I am sure you are both prepared for a lot of moving in and out over the next several years. There is no quick fix for this stage, and it can be unsettling, as your home requirements expand and contract with the inevitable coming and going of children and their friends.
Beds are most important — a good mattress will last long after school is finished, so it’s a wise investment. Work spaces can be as inventive as materials allow. Paint a piece of plywood or MDF large enough to hold a computer, notes and a good light. Sit it on four storage boxes, two per side. Storage is always in short supply, and stackable boxes are easy to move around. Coat trees and laundry hangers are also easy to move and can be set up in any small space.
There are always great sales at this time of year. Check out deals on dishes, flatware and pots and pans. Encourage preparing fast, healthy meals and send along recipes that work on a budget. Then spend a few dollars on posters, or any kind of wall art that will make a strange space feel like home.
Debbie Travis’s House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Email house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit debbietravis.com
