Do You Have A Wonderful Fireplace?

If you have a beautiful fireplace and would like to send photos, please do so. I would love to see how you enjoy being around a fire. I would love to see how you embellish you fireplace mantels and surrounds.

Did you build your fireplace or was it already there? What drove your decision to use the materials that you used on your fireplace, i.e. brick, stone, precast concrete, wood, metal, tile.....list goes on and on?

A fireplace adds soul and great spirit to your home so share yours with us. You can send photos and text to embellishedfireplace@gmail.com.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Melanie

Iron Firebowls

Sitting around a fire at night with friends and good conversation is a way that I like to spend time.

If you don't have an outdoor fireplace, fire bowls are a great way to add beauty to your space. The iron fire bowl pictured here was created by Acacia Metals. You can see their work at www.acaciacustommetals.com. You will see work on my site often. They create beautiful custom firescreens, fireplace doors....anything and everything.

Another site you will want to look is John T. Unger's.......http://www,johntunger,com. I was fascinated by his fire bowls as they look more like pieces of sculpture with fire coming out of the middle. Please visit his website and take a peek. I would love to hear what you think....share your thoughts.

Embellished by Nature

How could you ever imagine a simple stuccoed fireplace looking as inviting and spectacular as the one pictured here. Honestly, no additional embellishments needed. Love the lantern!

This beautiful setting is featured in this month's Cottage Style magazine. Photographer Reed Davis.

Eddie Ross, Designer

I just finished perusing Eddie Ross's website. If you aren't familiar with Eddie's work, please do yourself a favor and visit him at www.eddieross.com. You will be inspired and may find some ideas for embellishing your fireplaces at home.

If you watched the HGTV's Christmas special where designers decorated celebrity homes, I'm sure you saw Kathy Lee Gifford's home and I think you will agree that Eddie did a fabulous job.

I also noticed that he had lunch with Mary Emmerling.......lucky guy! Listing her accomplishments in the design world would take a while but trust me, if you have not followed her career, please visit a bookstore and take a look at her books or google her.

I would love to hear your comments!!!

Callie's Charleston Biscuits

If you are in the market for a delicious treat to have with friends in front of your fireplace, check out Callie's Charleston Biscuits......................

http://www.calliesbiscuits.com/. You will find more than biscuits on this website and after you check out all the goodies, stories and recipes, be sure to visit their blog for more great food recipes. I just printed a recipe for "Ruffled Potatoes" that I hope to try this week.......it's supposed to be cool at my house this weekend so I think I will enjoy them in front of my fireplace pictured here!

Some folks say that the kitchen is the heart of the home but I believe that friends and family love to gather around a roaring fire with good things to eat and many good memories to keep in their hearts forever.

Look of Limestone in Concrete

I know......I blog often about precast concrete. I can't help it, after all, I do work with it. This fireplace surround looks like limestone but it is, in fact, precast concrete. The actual product is GFRC or Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete. The concrete is mixed with glass fiber and sprayed into the mold verses poured. The finished product is very smooth and so gorgeous...don't you agree?

Old Stone Fireplace........or is it Precast Concrete?

There is something so charming and endearing about being in a beautifully decorated room with a fireplace that looks like it has been around for centuries. An old stone fireplace maybe? Nope...it's precast concrete. Stone is certainly wonderful but sometimes not in budget, especially these days, but you can have the look you want, for much less.

Spectacular Outdoor Fireplace Space

All I can say is Wow. Sitting in a valley surrounded by statuesque saguaro cactus , this outdoor living area is certainly something to see.

Precast concrete not only embellishes the fireplace surround but also the outdoor kitchen area.

Color can be added to concrete to achieve the desired color but this concrete was all faux painted with a mix of paint and sealer.

So gorgeous........how about dinner in front of that fireplace.....on this patio!!

Carved Limestone

Carved Limestone is a beautiful thing. This limestone fireplace surround was carved in Mexico and installed in a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Phil Shelton has been providing Phoenix and the surrounding valley with carved limestone and canterra for many, many years. He also has the most fabulous variety of mexican tile I have ever seen. You want it handpainted with your custom design.....no problem.

To see more of Phil's wonderful products, please visit http://www.handcraftedtile.net/.

Worldly Embellishments

If you are looking for something beautiful to embellish your fireplace mantle, please take a look at Tierra Del Largato in Scottsdale, Arizona http://www.tierradellagarto.com/. They have treasures from all around the world.

If you happen to be in Scottsdale, you must pay them a visit.

Want Your Own Custom Color?

That's exactly what this customer wanted when she had her precast concrete fireplace surround faux painted. AND.............what a statement she's made with that stunning cross on top of the mantel. The perfect embellishment for this perfectly magnificent fireplace.

Pretty Tile Fireplace

Tile comes is so many different colors, sizes, patterns, shapes......the list goes on and on.

I L-O-V-E what the home owner did on this outdoor fireplace surround. She sent photos of her outdoor area to Mexi-Tile and their in-house designer helped her put together this

Oh So Pretty surround.

Featured Artist

I want to mention the name of the artist who painted the painting in yesterday's post. His name is Thom Ross and I would feel very lucky to have a piece of his artwork hanging over my fireplace. The color in this painting named "In Pursuit of Gregorio Cortez" is playful and happy. Love it, love it, love it!!

Deserves a Closeup

I think this fireplace definitely deserves a closeup. Look at the detail of this colored precast concrete. It's just stunning and the design is just timeless.

Working with precast concrete is like working with building blocks and when the budget gets tight, precast concrete helps make those building or remodeling expenses go down a little bit easier. The creative possibilities with this material are absolutely endless.

As you can see in this photo, precast concrete gives you the look of real stone but doesn't come with that high price tag of real stone. Not that I don't adore real stone, I do........but sometimes the budget just can't handle it and sometimes clients prefer the look a concrete fireplace surround.

Concrete can also be produced in just a few weeks where you may wait several months for carved stone.

Breathtaking Precast Concrete Fireplace

Most of the time I work directly with clients in designing a fireplace for their home or business but other times I work with creative designers to bring their vision to life for their clients.

For this majestic fireplace, Debi Lorraine, from Timeless Designs, Scottsdale, Arizona, worked her magic. I have seen hundreds of beautiful fireplaces but this has to be one of most spectacular. Yes.......this fireplace surround is almost three stories tall and I can just about stand up in the firebox.

I have been very fortunate to have worked with Debi on several projects. For more information about Debi please visit http://www.timelessdesignsinteriors.com/.

I could definitely enjoy my morning cup of coffee right in front of this fireplace.

Timeless Stone Fireplace

Stone........ even if this fireplace wasn't embellished with that fun painting hanging above, it would still be gorgeous. Built in the 60's, this home was recently remodeled with the help of designer Christopher Coffin from Scottsdale, Arizona.......everything was remodelled except this timeless stone fireplace that stayed in place.

If you would like to see more of Christopher Coffin's work, please visit http://www.christophercoffin.com/.

Iron Fireplace Screen

Sometimes all you need is a beautiful screen. I would never get tired of looking at this stone. What a focal point.

Custom screen made by Acacia Custom Metal Works in Phoenix, Arizona.

Relaxing Bath

How cute is this little fireplace?? The mantle looks like wood but it is actually a piece of stone. It's so great with the brick...don't you think. All you need are bubbles.