Proper design, not cost, is the key to successful fireplace design. It is not the intent of this book to lay out exact plans for you to follow, for each fireplace is an individual thing that must be designed to fit the house. Rather, it is meant to suggest and instruct ... to provide you with the basic information that will help you decide which type of fireplace will best suit your purpose and taste.

plan for appearance

A fireplace becomes the natural center of interest in a room, and sets the mood for decorating and furnishing. Its position in the room is an important point to consider. Locating your fireplace at the side of the room offers more leeway with respect to grouping for chairs and other fireside comforts. An end position in the room offers seclusion, and is a frequent choice. Corner locations, especially a projecting corner, are becoming more and more popular. Size is another important consideration. As a general rule, a fireplace of modest size looks and works best. The fireplace design size should be in proportion to the size of the room for example, a fireplace opening 30 to 36 inches wide is usually sufficient in a room with about 300 square feet of floor space.

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plan for heat

Your fireplace can be more than an ornament and a social center of attraction. It can also be an economical producer of abundant heat to save the expense of furnace operation in chilly fall and spring weather, or to supplement furnace heat in cold winter months. To get the most from your fireplace as a heating unit, a built-in Majestic Circulator will send warm air to every corner of the room. In sizing the fireplace design size to the room, remember that a small blaze in a large fireplace lacks heating efficiency. Whatever the width, the height of the opening should be about two-thirds to three-fourths of that dimension. Too high an opening will cause smoking and weak draft; too small an opening restricts the ability of the fireplace to produce heat effectively.

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