When buying a Fireplace there are two kinds of customer, one is looking for crisp, precise, consistent colour to compliment specific decor, and, the other (like me) would prefer a piece of history to compliment home.

To me the beauty of natural stone lies within the history that forms it.  Each piece of natural stone is unique to another. Limestone is a sedimentary rock primarily made of the mineral calcite CaC03 (here comes the science bit) which originates from the floor bed of tropical seas and turns into stone by the accumulation of the constituent grains of calcite and marine sealife.  Most limestone is formed with the help of living organisms, when the organisms die their shells and bones settle to the seafloor.  Over millions of years, these sediments of shells, sand and mud harden into limestone - your limestone fireplace is millions of years old and is made up of fossils! how cool it that! 

If you choose to buy a limestone fireplace you do need to be realistic about colour and consistency.  The legs and mantel shelf of your Gallery Fireplaces are colour matched as close as possible and at point of production any legs and mantel shelves with large fossils  (i.e 10 pence size or larger)  are generally rejected, but tiny fossils will be inevitable - to me that is the beauty of natural stone!

And how does Father Christmas manage to keep his beard gleaming white after jumping down thousands/millions of chimeys in one night?!

Jokeing aside, keeping your chimney clean especially in winter is important.  A blocked chimney does not only create a lot of mess from soot fall and stop the fire working efficiently it can result in a chimney fire and contribute towards carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you are not sure who to contact you may find this link to The National Association of Chimey Sweeps useful.

If you do keep your chimney sweept but still experince a few problems with downdraft and soot and rain fall than there is something you can do, installation of a rain cap or chimney cowl will help protect the chimney pot from extreme weather conditions.

Gallery strikes again!

I haven’t actually seen  the film myself yet but some of the Gallery employees have and they give a mixture of reviews about it, some say plenty of great action, some say too much action, but they all say they noticed  a Gallery Arched inset in M’s bathroom (for a brief moment) Last time it was her living room,  now its her bathroom - she’s like a walking advert for Gallery.

This is the Bartello Agean Limestone Mantel with the Radley Cast Iron Insert shown in a highlighted finish (that’s black with polished details).  This Fireplace can be used for Solid Fuel, Gas or Electric so there is an option for everyone and would make for a beautiful Christmas Fireside setting im sure.

The Quantum of Solace IMDb rating is 7.2 out of 10 and to date there are 26,119 votes.

Only 5 weeks to go folks! Are you expected to prepare a Christmas feast for all the family and feeling slightly stressed about the prospect?  Relax a little and take some advice from James Martin  in his special Christmas Edition Magazine (how handy). Choose from a selection of Christmas Eve recipes, Christmas Day recipes, Boxing Day recipes, gorgeous Christmas Desserts, and best of all Christmas Cocktails

Obviously I can’t tell you too much about the magazine as I’m sure I will be infringing on some sort of copy right law but there is an interesting interview and a chance to win his new book ‘Driven’ in which he reveals how his hunger for success and love of speed has led him from a working class childhood in North Yorkshire (also my place of heritage, and not very working class in my opinion ) to the life in the fast lane as one of Britain’s best loved TV chefs.

This special edition magazine is available now from all good newsagents WH Smiths and Sainsburys, 

Oh and of course look out for the beautiful Gallery fireplace on page 153.

In furnishing any room their is a piece of furniture that should be considered first - the sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, the desk in the office. This piece in most cases should face the focal point of the room. The focal point can be a view window, television, or best of all a beautiful fireplace.  Keith Reading Designs recommends ‘The Large pieces should be evenly distributed so as not to put the room off balance. Leave room around them for the best affect. In selecting these pieces, keep the architectural shapes in the room in mind. To echo a curved bay window with a curved sectional sofa or curved desk is pleasing to the eye.’

Advise from the official bbc home website says:

‘ Make your fireplace your focal point’

v     Consider painting the chimney breast to contrast with the walls and to highlight the feature, or  for a more subtle effect paint the walls and chimney breast with the same colour or tone as the fireplace.

v     Mantleshelf - de-clutter. The mantle is a style focal point not a magnet for keys, loose change and post!

v     Accessorise - if there is an open fire, then a coal scuttle, log basket, tongs and poker may automatically theme a traditional fireside area. If you have an unused hearth or an electric or gas fire and you’re looking for a modern, minimalist look, a collection of large church candles will provide warmth, light and atmosphere. In summer, fresh flowers draw the eye.

v     Artwork/mirrors - to reinforce the fireplace as a focal point, hang your best artwork over the hearth or place a mirror in that spot. Be aware of the safety implications of viewing your reflection close to an open fire!

I already told you about the surge of interest for multi fuel and wood burning stoves and that the Firefox 5, Firefox 8 & Tiger stoves sales have gone through the roof, but I didnt tell you about the Firefox 12!

The Firefox 12 is the largest of the stove family (and it is pretty big) It has twin glazed doors and the buring area can take logs up to 20” long and it can output upto 12kw of controlled heat (thats a lot of heat).

Dont forget also that the Firefox 5, Firefox 8 and Tiger Stoves are still widley availble in gas versions which remain extremely popular. (The Firefox 12 is Multifuel only)