Special Report
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Fan the Flames Even though 95% of UK homes are centrallyheated and a fire isn’t necessary, there is something mesmerising and cosy about a flickering flame. An open fire or a wood burner will give the best aesthetic, but both options come with a number of
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downsides: wood-burning is the single biggest source of small-particle air pollution in the UK, you need to store wood and coal, there’s the mess and you will need to do a certain amount of maintenance e.g. chimney sweeping. Modern technology to the rescue then! Traditional If you have a fireplace and chimney breast, the fire surround is going to be an important feature in your room. This should reflect the style of your house, with Victorian and Georgian styles best suited to homes from that period, and less fussy contemporary styles better in more recently built homes. There are many homes with chimneys in the UK so the corresponding large number of fireplace buyers means there’s a plethora of options. You can certainly gain inspiration from looking at choices on the internet, but for such a prominent feature in your living room, a visit to a fireplace retailer is a must. For the fire itself, both gas and electric options are available to replicate the real fire look and many are incredibly realistic, with some even making crackling sounds and emitting steam to replicate smoke. Modern The beauty of modern electric fires is that you don’t
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