A First? Cozy Storage
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The paneled enclosure for the living-room fireplace and chimney incorporates a pantry on one side and stereo cabinets on the other.
Classic Touches
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This fireplace features a cherry mantel and a painted surround designed with nautical rope molding and a bas-relief seashell. Notice how little the fireplace intrudes on the room.
Saving 10 Grand on a Fireplace
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Though the original design called for a masonry fireplace and an exterior stone chimney, the owners of this house saved $10,000 by using a soapstone surround and a drop-in firebox that vents through the roof.
Fire and Ice
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This is a fairly classic, elegant fireplace design. What sets it apart is the interplay between it and the cool tones that dominate the rest of the room.
Clean Lines
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Personally, we wouldn't stand tools against such a virginal and mannered fireplace. Maybe we take our love for fireplaces too serious. Naaah.
Room Design Balancing Act
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Can't you just see Nick and Nora of "Thin Man" fame trading sophisticated barbs in this room? Notice again the balance achieved between a fireplace and the rest of the room. The golden-yellow walls pull highlights from the mantel, and the mantel gives the walls serenity.
Big Fireplaces Don't Have to Loom
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This is probably the first and last time that that easy chair faced away from the fireplace. A simple design dominated by oversized squares keeps this large hearth from dominating the room.