Cozy Reimagined – Fireplace Professionals
The coziest gift you can give your home and your family this holiday season is a fireplace makeover. If you’re dreaming of relaxing by a crackling fire this winter, or having a mantle for hanging Christmas stockings, now is the time to call Fireplace Professionals.
According to Fireplace Professionals, November is the perfect time for fireplace renovation projects before holiday entertaining begins. Based in Sioux Falls, Fireplace Professionals has the region’s largest fireplace showroom that includes a vast selection of fireplaces, stoves, inserts, and surrounds, where customers can explore design style options and feel the quality materials they could have on their fireplace.
Fireplace Professionals also serves the entire state of South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. When the weather turns cooler, general manager Tony Leggett notes that the change of seasons inspires many locals to consider fireplace makeovers or upgrades.
“A fireplace is something that is a respite in the winter, during those times when going outside isn’t as welcoming,” Tony adds. “A fireplace is a place to relax around, but it doesn’t have to look the same every year.”
A new mantle and surround can transform the aesthetic of a fireplace. Even small changes can improve a fireplace’s appearance, such as updating glass doors on a wood-burning fireplace. Swapping shiny brass for a modern style of metal trim and updating screens can give an existing fireplace a makeover.
“There’s a lot to choose from in that regard,” Tony shares. “We can really transform the look of your fireplace just by changing the glass doors.”
Even the sizes of some fireplaces can be changed to fit your style or your family’s needs. When it comes to design, Fireplace Professionals welcomes customers’ creativity.
“A fireplace is generally somewhat of a dramatic statement for a room in the first place. It’s somewhat of a focal point,” Tony notes. “Many people look at the rest of the room and see if the fireplace complements the room that it’s in or if it needs to be changed so that it will complement the room.”
If a fireplace surround hasn’t been changed in a few decades, the shell of the fireplace can be used, and the surround can get a makeover. Some materials, like stone and brick, are timeless, but perhaps you’re ready to upgrade yours. A traditional brick fireplace, for example, can be transformed in multiple ways. Brick can be painted, or covered with stone, sheetrock, stucco, or other surfaces, for example.
“There’s a zillion ideas without even changing the brick,” Tony explains.
Inspiration for fireplace styles can come from Fireplace Professionals’ showroom, houses on the local Parade of Homes, home decorating television shows, magazines, decorating websites, and blogs. “Taking pictures of your fireplace and asking artificial intelligence can give you ideas, too,” Tony states.
“The sky’s the limit in terms of what can be done. Let your mind go wild,” he affirms. “What a lot of people have been doing for a few years is getting on Pinterest, Instagram, or even Google images and finding ideas online that make sense to them.”
“If people bring in an idea like that to us, we’ve got something to work with. Don’t be afraid to bring any crazy ideas. We’ll think they’re fun,” Tony adds.
While you’re giving your fireplace’s appearance a makeover, consider changing the way it functions so it’s more energy efficient and effortless to use. Perhaps you want the ease of a remote-controlled electric or gas insert instead of a wood-burning fireplace. Electric or gas inserts can modernize or upgrade fireplaces.
“Maybe you want to change the way you use the fireplace, make the fireplace capable of doing more for the room,” Tony shares. “You can keep the look of the old fireplace or the spot where it used to be and turn it into a high-efficiency fireplace with a fan on it and one that will extract as much heat from the fuel you’re burning as possible. They’re usually around 80 percent efficient and allow you to turn the flames up and down. They’re so user-friendly. You can set them on a thermostat.”
If you’re keeping and upgrading a wood-burning fireplace or installing a new one, do research about good seasoned firewood and the best fire starters to use. When decorating for the holidays, remember to keep items that can burn easily, such as those made of wood, paper, or plastic, three feet or more from the face of the fireplace, Tony said, and avoid throwing wrapping paper onto fireplaces.
After you’ve decided on the changes you want to make, fireplace transformations often can be completed in a day, Tony notes.
Fireplace Professionals offers customers more than 35 years of expertise. From expert installation to precise repairs, the company’s technicians bring years of hands-on expertise to every project.
“Pre-planning is the big thing, to have someone come do that ahead of time, but the actual installation is pretty non-invasive,” Tony states. “The installation process can be as short as a morning if all the materials are chosen, and many times by afternoon, we’re all finished.”
“Especially if they’re new to the home, make sure you have a few practice fires (whether gas, electric, or wood-burning) just to make sure it’s working properly. If you have any questions or reservations about the fireplace you’re using, call us. That’s what we’re here for,” Tony affirms.