5 Fireplace Designs that Add Spark to Your Living Space
A fireplace serves as a focal point in your living room. Even fireplaces that are placed in areas such as bedrooms bring a big statement to the space.
These fireplace transformations are surprisingly easy to do for a DIY project. You can find the items that you need at major home improvement stores, including large selections of stone and glass.
- Go Natural
If you enjoy rugged and masculine fireplace designs, consider combining white brick with timber serving as the mantle. A timber mantle is a classic design that provides a truly rustic look and feel, complementing many decor styles and adding a cozy feeling to your home.
Another beautiful and natural fireplace design option is stone. Stone comes in a variety of earthy hues, shapes, and sizes. You’ll find options such as stacked stone, river rock, cobblestone, and more. Take a look at the image below for more ideas on stone fireplaces:

This DIY video explains how you can install stone on your fireplace easily.
- Add Enchantment with Brick
Brick is a classic material for a fireplace design. Just like stone, there is essentially no shortage of colors for a brick fireplace. With so many historic homes here in Massachusetts, you might be a lucky homeowner who has a wall of exposed brick and fireplace combination in your living room. If the color isn’t to your exact preference, remember that you can accessorize with bold accents such as paintings and bright flowers.
- Go for Glass
Glass can make any fireplace look more modern and even expensive. You can use mosaic glass tiles that are intended for kitchen backsplashes. This is a smart choice since kitchen backsplashes are designed to withstand high amounts of heat since they are installed around ovens.

Here is another video for those who are looking on how to install mosaic tile around the fireplace.
- Try Out Tile
Tile is another popular and modern choice for fireplace designs. Before making your selection for a tile fireplace, make sure that the specific tile is able to withstand high heat if you plan to use your fireplace. Generally, most wall tile can be used on your fireplace.

- Marble Might Make Your Day
Lastly, marble is a clean and classic fireplace design that is bound to make guests look twice. This material is resistant to heat and fire and it’s easy to clean and maintain. With its versatility in color and style, marble is by far one of the most popular options for fireplace designs.
Get Ready for Your Annual Chimney Sweep and Inspection
Everyone loves the warm glow of a fireplace during the fall and winter, but you don’t want to forget about the importance of your annual chimney inspection. Contact us to keep your chimney and fireplace in tip-top shape, enjoying your fireplace for decades to come!
Remember, if you’re ever in doubt on the DIY approach to redesigning your fireplace, please seek the consult of a professional contractor!

The post 5 Fireplace Designs that Add Spark to Your Living Space appeared first on Boston's Best Chimney.
When it comes to chimneys, it is our personal and professional goal to make sure all of our customers are safe and comfortable this winter. We strive to further this goal by providing expert services to maintain and restore chimney systems to safety and efficiency. One of the most common services that older chimneys require at least once in their lifetime is a flue liner repair or replacement. At Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, we trust HeatShield for liner repairs—big and small.
A chimney that’s in good repair is a chimney that does its job safely and efficiently. When damage or other problems develop within the chimney system, the best move is to arrange for a professional inspection and then
External damage to the bricks and mortar of a chimney is fairly easy to spot: cracks are obvious, bricks are loose, often there are patches of crumbling scattered around on the roof. Various approaches can be used to repair damaged masonry such as:
Chimneys can be confusing structures when something goes wrong with them. Questions arise such as “Why is this happening?” “Did I cause it?” and “How do I go about getting the problem fixed?” Before you panic, keep two things in mind:
Solution: Have your chimney modified by an 
The safest fireplaces and chimneys are those that receive regular cleaning, repair and maintenance by certified technicians. If this service is neglected, it won’t take long for your chimney to experience a dangerous buildup of creosote and soot. Smoke-drafting obstructions, a common problem if you use your chimney without a chimney cap, also can lead to dangerous operating conditions.
In addition to removing creosote, chimney sweeps also remove obstructions in the flue caused by an accumulation of leaves, twigs, small-animal nests and the like. These obstructions will make smoke draft improperly and back up into the home, carrying with it deadly carbon monoxide.

