Decorating Your Fireplace

National Chimney Cleaners of Fairfield County, CT, and Morris County, NJ, would like to share a few tips on getting the most out of your fireplace.

Your fireplace can be a decorative amenity

There are all kinds of ways to “dress up” a fireplace and make it attractive and interesting during the months you know you’re not going to use it. The allure of a blazing fire certainly creates a fine centerpiece for your room.

Before transforming your fireplace

Before you unleash your inner designer on your fireplace, you should do two things:

Have your chimney cleaned and your chimney and fireplace professionally inspected. This is not a do-it-yourself-job, so hire a company with experience and proper licenses.
Clean out your firebox with a vacuum and a good spray cleaner and rags. If soot and creosote are built up on surfaces, scrape off the gunk.

Professional chimney sweeping (cleaning) is needed for several reasons, including to remove creosote and prevent future chimney fires, and to get rid of that typical “chimney smell,” which usually gets a lot worse during the summer months. An inspection is important to be able to learn of chimney or fireplace structural issues or component damage before the problems become severe and expensive to repair.

Decorative ideas for your fireplace

With a clean fireplace and a safe chimney, you’re ready to get to work. Here are some ideas to get you started.

For the firebox

You can add a variety of things to the open space of your firebox, including:

Floral arrangements
Artwork
Vases and small statues
Decorative lighting
Kids’ toys
Candle arrangements
Portraits and photographs

Around the fireplace

If you have a fireplace mantel, you can use it to hold many of the items suggested above. Mantels are also perfect places for fancy clocks, candelabras and very large portraits or tapestries. Items on the mantel can be extensions of what you have going on in the firebox, or they can be unique, year-round pieces.

Your walls

Some people like to create seasonal settings in and around their fireplaces. You can add hanging art, banners, shelving for quirky items and anything else that matches your decorative tastes. If you’re not thrilled with your walls, consider adding a handsome fireplace surround, which you can purchase pre-built in many attractive designs.

Get the most out of your fireplace

These suggestions can get you started with your own ideas for beautifying your fireplace area. National Chimney Cleaners can help with the important maintenance, repairs, inspections and cleaning for your chimney/fireplace system. If you live in Morris County, NJ, or Fairfield County, CT, reach a chimney expert at 800-631-6177. You can also get in touch with our handy contact form.

Use an Experienced, Established Chimney Sweep Company!

Don’t take chances with uninsured, novice, roofers, unregistered business, no workman’s comp.
Our pros have to know what they’re doing when they put their heads up a chimney and to do that, chimney sweeps obtain specialized training and have years of experience in the field.