Fireplace Decorating and Planning Ideas (Paperback)

by Judith P. Knuth (Editor), Better Homes and Gardens (Author), Paula Marshall (Author) "FIREPLACES ARE CHAMELEON-LIKE, CHANGING character to reflect their surroundings..." (more)
Key Phrases: fireplace units, seating pieces, flue fire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Advice on furniture choices and arrangement for any room with a fireplace.

Ideas for decorating the mantel and hearth throughout the year.

Special section on selecting and maintaining fireplaces and stoves.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes & Gardens Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696211025
• ISBN-13: 978-0696211027
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #347,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Fireplace Book on the Market, February 18, 2002

By	Imperial Topaz (Marrakesh, Morocco) - See all my reviews

To say that I was pleased with this book would be the understatement of the year! When I first looked through it, I was pleased by the 150 color photographs, but thought I liked some of them and not others. However, when I read the easy-to-read text, I have to say that I actually LEARNED something important from each and every illustration, of which each is well discussed in the text. Most imortantly, the book covers all the important questions to ask yourself when trying to choose which kind of fireplace, as well as all the pertinent information about each type. It also talks about fireplace care and maintenance, and how to prevent dangerous creosote buildup in your chimney. Lastly, the book covers decorating rooms with fireplaces and various types of mantle, discussing imortant design and decorating principles throughout. In addition, this paperback book is printed on lovely paper--it was a pleasure to read in every way. One of the most "well-worth-the-money" books I have ever seen.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 24, 2001

By	Alix Leonard (LA, CA) - See all my reviews

We just finished adding a new fireplace to our living room. The project sounded simple until the builder began asking questions about the details of the final look and finish last fall. We didn't know where to begin to get ideas. I searched for "fireplaces" at amazon and found this book, which is excellent. There is a lot of information in the book but just as important as that are all the big color photos of all kinds of fireplaces. We were able to mark all the ones we liked and then show the builder exactly what we had in mine. In our case, he was going to build a big boxy thing right up to the ceiling, but we showed several examples of chimneys that stepped back from the fire box. Inspired by the cover and another shot inside the book, we also decided to angle the sides of the chimney enclosure and add textured plaster for an old world look. The book also helped us create a better furniture arrangement to focus on the fire and to "direct traffic" around the furniture grouping.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book of its kind, November 22, 2000

By A Customer

Given the fact that I just bought the Fireplace book and loved it, I was personally annoyed by the review that found fault with the book. We looked and could not find any other books that were as comprehensive as this one,which is all about how to work a fireplace into one's overall room design. I personally found the room arranging ideas helpful, and I also have rearranged objects on our mantel, using ideas from the book. My husband is using ideas from the book to figure out where to put the fireplace into the master suite that we are adding on.The fireplaces shown range from modern to trraditional, country, Victorian, and everything in between. Some are old, some new, some woodburning, some gas. I even learned about new editor-approved electric fires that mimic the real thing. I also liked the fireplace makeovers, because we hope to change the style of ours (which more than 20 years old) in the near future.