How important is a fireplace and mantel? Take it from a man who tours hundreds of houses a year and whose sales depend on features that attract buyers: “Every room needs a centerpiece,” says David Kean, an interior designer and real estate agent with The John Aaroe Group, in Beverly Hills, Calif. According to Kean,…
This kitchen works for me. I could definitely cook next to a fireplace, couldn’t you? So who lives here? Here are some facts: • The house, in the rolling hills of Montana, was built to look old. • The stone around the fireplace and doorway is from Montana. • Some flooring planks were salvaged from…
Question: I have hated my brick fireplace since day one of living in my otherwise-fabulous home. I have considered removing the brick altogether and creating a brand-new one by placing stucco over it with a mantle, or painting the brick white and adding a rich, dark wooden mantle on top. Actually, a Williams-Sonoma home store…
<p><a onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘_blank’, ‘width=450,height=600,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0′); return false” href=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/11/sunsetfireplace.jpg”><img title=”Painted fireplace” height=”333″ alt=”Painted fireplace” src=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/images/2008/06/11/sunsetfireplace.jpg” width=”250″ border=”0″ style=”FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px” /></a><strong>Question</strong>: I have hated my brick fireplace since day one of living in my otherwise-fabulous home. I have considered removing the brick altogether and creating a brand-new one by placing stucco over it with a mantle,…
Ariane Wiltse is restoring a Katrina-damaged 1870s home in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, and she is sharing her journey with us. Here’s her latest installment:The Altar In the front room of my house, the room I tell visitors will one day serve as my library, sits a wood-burning fireplace with an Arts…
It’s your wood-burning fireplace, of course. And they’re slowing going out of style, much to the dismay of fire devotees (and I used to be one). Last weekend, I visited with a couple who took out their fireplace during a remodel. In this photo, you see a Santa Barbara home that also lost its fireplace…
A proposal to limit fireplace use, reported here last June, became reality Friday as the South Coast Air Quality Management District board voted unanimously "to impose hefty fines on homeowners who burn wood in fireplaces on high-pollution days during winter months — usually about two dozen days," according to the L.A. Times. Plus: "Builders will…
After visiting Susan Rose at her 1933 Eagle Rock home, I wondered how I would have handled the dilemma she faced with her fireplace. The problem stemmed from the fact that Susan wanted to add a new bedroom onto the side of the house where the fireplace already existed. (The other side of the living…
As the deep of winter descends here in Southern California (it’s what today? 70 degrees?), I thought I’d share some distinctly SoCal fireplaces I’ve had the pleasure of visiting (click on images to enlarge): Top left: Jay Falamaki shows off the plaster fireplace surround he created in his L.A. condo. The embellishments include ceramic tiles…
With winter supposedly coming our way, thoughts may turn to fireplace upgrades. Here are three fireplace remodels readers have been kind enough to share with me. I’d like to know which is your favorite, based on all criteria, including cost. 1. Craftsman: The top left fireplace is in San Diego, and the owner tells me…