Fireplaces used to be an essential element of any Canadian home, providing light and warmth to households in the dark, cold months, and were often found in almost every room. Although they were sometimes grand, they were used for more practical reasons than many fireplaces in modern homes, which have transformed into features that help define spaces and add a stunning visual element to any room.
That said, many Canadians do, of course, use their fireplaces to keep warm or to offer a festive element during seasonal celebrations, but with so many different surrounds, hearths, and mantels available, these fireplaces can be equally as stunning as they are practical.
Suppose your fireplace isn’t quite hitting the mark in the style department. In that case, you might consider upgrading to a concrete fireplace mantel, which offers all the fire resistance and heat retention of a stone or masonry mantel and is available in a wide range of colours, sizes, styles, and finishes.
Here are 10 tips you can follow to create a customized concrete fireplace that will light up any room:
1. Carefully consider architectural details.
You might want to consider adding some sort of foliage to your new fireplace, such as ferns, leaves, or any other plants growing in or around your property. Or you may want to make your fireplace blend seamlessly with the rest of the room by incorporating some common architectural details.
2. Think about your home’s interior design.
Look at how you’ve designed your home and decide whether you want your new fireplace to match it perfectly, complement it, or offer a completely new stylistic look.
3. Ask yourself whether your home needs more fireplaces.
There are no rules about how many fireplaces a home can have, so why not add them to your kitchen or bedroom, or even have a two-sided fireplace installed so that it can be enjoyed not just in one room but in two?
4. Decide what your fireplace will be used for.
Can you see yourself sitting in front of the fire on a cold, snowy evening, toasting marshmallows and warming your toes? If so, this may affect the positioning of the fireplace and its construction, and you’ll of course need to decide whether you want a natural wood fire or a gas burner. Or will you use it for decorative purposes only? In which case there are fewer practical issues to concern yourself with. Or perhaps you want a traditional mantel on which you can place family photographs or hang festive stockings?
5. Stick to a budget.
It’s worth noting that precast concrete fireplace mantels and surrounds with curves will likely increase the cost, so if budget is an issue, consider using a design featuring clean straight lines.
6. Try to visualize the fireplace in your home.
It’s a good idea to use cardboard cutouts to help you determine where your new fireplace should sit in your home (if you haven’t already got one that you are upgrading) and how big or small it should be.
7. Do plenty of research.
Look at lots of different fireplace options so that you can be sure you’re choosing the right one, and share your findings with your contractor.
8. Select a firebox and have it inserted.
Having the firebox inserted before the fireplace is installed makes life easier for everyone, certainly for your chosen contractor.
9. Have a mock-up made
When you’ve finalized the design of your new fireplace, ask your contractor to create a mock-up and provide you with colour samples to choose from.
10. Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of options.
There are hundreds of options available when it comes to fireplace surrounds and mantels, and this can be overwhelming. To help simplify things, ask your experienced contractor for guidance.
With concrete fireplace mantels and surrounds, you can turn an ordinary room into a showstopper, and with so many options for customization, the chances of you having the same fireplace as your neighbour (or anyone else in Calgary for that matter!) are slim to none!