Stain Remover, Leather Cleaner, & U/V Protection for Furniture

Furniture and Otherwise

Sitting around the fireplace on a cold frosty evening is simply wonderful. The roaring fire helps take the bite out of the air while creating atmosphere. For many years, fireplaces have provided heat and a place to prepare meals as well. Fireplaces have never lost their celebrity and, in fact, have made substantial advances in popularity. During my five decades, their popularity has steadily traveled south though winters are stunted and summers are gargantuan. Though home heating technologies have (evolved over the years, fireplaces are still in vogue|Although the latest advances have been made in climate control for our living spaces, fireplaces persist in being stylish. With improvements in home heating the reason for fireplaces has clearly diverged. They are definitely not about simply heating your home. Nor is it about cooking. Stoves have been around for some time. So why this ever increasing fondness for fireplaces? My spectulation is that fireplaces provide ambience when they're aglow. And when they are not, they promote interest, a focal point and character to a room. Should I add "charm" as well? It would seem that fireplaces, and the mantels that frame them, have been one of the definitive architectural elements that adorn our homes much like embellished stairways, arched entry ways, or ornamental range hoods. In these examples, there is a wonderful marriage, in many cases, of function and art. "Wonderful marriage" is a conditional statement because not all marriages of art and function are wonderful marriages. I lately had the occasion to observe a home that was about 80 percent finished and saw some really awful unions. There was an island cabinet that had incredibly oversize and ornate corbels supporting the counter top. The fireplace also had oversized stone columns undergirding the mantel shelf. The best thing that could be said is: "More is not necessarily better". Thankfully, there are many beautiful cases of form and function-just not in that home. Over the years millworks companies have become adept at building fireplace mantels. Demand is usually one step ahead of supply Because most cabinet makers craft with wood, most mantels are fashioned from wood. Thick wooden slabs, under laid with crown moulding supported by ornate brackets and fluted legs are a familiar style for many millworks suppliers. Not so common are the hand carved kind still offered by master carvers in other countries. The distinction of these carved masterpieces is unparalleled by the latest twenty firstcentury technological marvels. The small variations and minor imperfections are a signature that says "hand carved" and ehances the charm and unique quality. Mass production techniques will in my humble opinion, never attain to the techniques of the masters. Carvers can undercut and form sharp interior cuts that are presently not possible with high tech tooling. Certainly fireplaces and the mantels them are here for good. This is a marriage made in heaven. As long as there are homeowners and designers that can appreciate the charm and homey pleasure afforded by them, we should not expect their demise. More likely they will continue to grace the homes in the cold North as well as the hot and humid South.