My goodness it’s cold outside in Bucks and Montgomery County! If you’re like most of us, your fireplace has probably become a very popular gathering place in your home. If so, this is an especially good time of year to make sure your fireplace is equipped with the perfect screen.  Keep reading for our tips, ideas and suggestions for finding the absolute perfect screen for your home’s hearth.

Finding Your Style

Fireplace screens are a fantastic way to show off your personal style. And yes, there is a screen style for everyone. A traditional home, for instance, will want a traditional-style fireplace screen, and the choices are almost endless. There are traditional iron screens with filigree designs, scroll designs, leaves, bronze stars … you name it.

An iron screen is also a good choice for a rustic or country-style home. Upgrading to a rich bronze, meanwhile, will certainly be more expensive, but it will also make for an undeniably lovely centerpiece for your living room, family room or den.

The cabin or log home is always well complimented with a nature-themed fireplace screen. Screens with mountain views, bears, birds, squirrels, dogs or wolves are all popular. And as you cuddle up on the couch to enjoy your evening fire, a nature-themed screen also doubles as an especially dramatic work of folk art.

A fireplace screen can be as modern or contemporary as your own personal style.  A sleek, contemporary look in your home can easily be complimented with a geometric chrome fireplace screen.  Circles, connecting squares and sharp-angled screen designs work particularly well in contemporary homes that require a consistent decor.

A customized fireplace screen is the ultimate in showing off your style and making it unique at the same time. A screen emblazoned with your initials or a monogram, for instance, will be both traditional in style and unique to your home.  Or consider going one step further by having your entire last name spelled out in iron on your fireplace screen.

Some Screens Have It All

You expect your fireplace screen to keep your room and home safe from embers and sparks, but the truth is that it can do so much more. In fact, fireplace screens can be multi-functional.

• Consider selecting a tri-fold fireplace screen if you’d like more versatility in terms of moving the screen closer to the fire or folding it out lengthwise.

• A fireplace screen built as a unit with doors can be convenient. Often, these screens are designed to fit within the opening of the fireplace itself. The doors can open to expose the warmth of the fire, while the built-in screen protects the room from any popping sparks.

• Consider customized versions of screens with doors built to fit the aesthetics and style you want for your home.

There’s a Fireplace Screen for Every Budget

Whatever your budget, you should still be able to find the perfect fireplace screen for your home. Start by shopping for the designs and styles you like, and remember that stylish, quality screens are available in every price range.

If budget isn’t a concern, you’ve got options galore, especially if you want a truly unique screen. Go for an ornately scrolled screen, or maybe an elegant beveled-glass fireplace screen.  There are even screens that don’t look like screens, but resemble, say, standing gold branches instead. If you’re working with a designer, don’t be afraid to let them know that you want the unique and the unusual.

Safety First

Although your fireplace is the focal point in your favorite room, you must always practice safety first.  Having small children or pets in your home makes it an absolute must to have a fireplace screen that’s a barrier to fire.

With small children, it’s always safest to screen and gate off the entire hearth area. Your screen should be sturdy and always secured, so that children can’t get through it.  And make sure the screen is tall enough to deflect any toys that might be flung in its direction.

For more information about finding the fireplace screen of your dreams, contact Estates Chimney today, or visit our stores in Chalfont PA or Holland PA, where you can always see our fireplaces, stoves and grills in action.