About

About the Site ...
The primary purpose of this site is to save time for those individuals looking for fireplace design ideas. These fireplaces are arranged in categories which allow you to quickly view a variety of designs for which there will hopefully be 1 or 2 of particular interest ... which otherwise might take and hour or more of searching through numerous other websites for such design diversity. For a dollar or two, the downloaded design(s) provide an alternative to spending $20 - $30 for a fireplace book that may only have 1 or 2 designs of interest. These designs provide a printable document that you can illustrate to a local fireplace dealer or contractor the kind of fireplace aesthetics you are interested in, which can avert misunderstandings. With fireplaces being the focal point of a room, and with there being practical limits on the number of fireplaces a dealer can display in a showroom - this important design decision is best made with some additional research. We hope this site will be of use in that search for the "right" fireplace design for your home.

About the Designs ...
The categories include designs to suit a range of budgets including some designs with relatively low finishing costs (e.g. #300, #302, #115). The focus of these designs is on the overall appearance of the fireplace and not the type of fireplace (e.g. gas, wood burning, heat circulating etc). In the majority of cases, the designs could be modified to accommodate most types of fireplaces. With respect to designing a fireplace, keep in mind that often the room features adjacent the fireplace transform an ordinary fireplace into something special ... and not the fireplace alone. Perhaps of equal importance are those fireplace designs that have incorporated other room features into their design that may guide your design decision, as it relates to your room setting. It could well be that you like a particular fireplace design, or a fireplace mantel you have seen in a dealer showroom, but would prefer it in another setting (e.g. with a niche above the mantel; or with built-in shelving or cabinets; or with a long hearth extension for occasional seating etc.). It's these kinds of design features that add extra appeal and "year round" utility to a fireplace.

About the Categories ...
The fireplace designs are displayed in 4 general categories: Traditional; Brick or Stone; Contemporary; and, Top 25 Mix. While most of the Brick or Stone fireplaces would be characterized as traditional designs, they are in a separate category because many individuals have their minds set exclusively on a brick or stone fireplace. This site's home page opens with the Top 25 Mix category displayed that shows a mix of fireplaces from the other 3 design categories, so you can quickly view a sampling of designs and decide whether to spend more time looking through the other categories.