Guides4Homeowners Useful Information & Guides
Wood burning stoves are great interior design choices for many rooms in the home. They’re full of character and can add a touch of luxury and elegance to any space. No matter where a wood-burning stove is placed, whether it be the kitchen, living room or bedroom, it can instantly transform the room and take the decor to a new level.
Wood-burning stoves are both a decorative and distinctive decor option, which also adds warmth and ambience into the room. Unlike fireplace inserts, wood-burning stoves tend not to be built into a wall and instead are freestanding, meaning that the space around the wood-burning stove can be decorated to create a focal point of the space.
The thing with wood burning stoves is that, traditionally, they tend to be used in rooms with traditional decor, meaning that coming up with decorating ideas to complement the room and the stove can be a little difficult. Here are 10 ideas for decorating around a wood-burning stove.
Traditional Decor
Many wood-burning stoves are found in traditional-style homes, so traditional decor is an obvious choice when it comes to decorating around a wood-burning stove. If you have pets or small children in the home, you should consider the heat zone, which is around 3 feet in any direction around the perimeter of the stove, plus a little more if they’re particularly inquisitive!
If your stove is in the kitchen, you could line the hearth with old, vintage utensils or, if you have a flat top stove, you could place an iron or ceramic kettle on top for a traditional look.
Conservatory Comfort
Conservatories are a wonderful addition to the home. They provide extra space for entertaining and relaxing, especially if you have a garden to admire from your conservatory. However, one issue which many people find is that they are colder than the rest of the home, meaning that they are not as utilised as they could be.
Wood-burning stoves are a fantastic addition to a conservatory as they heat up the space, meaning that you can make use of the room even in the winter, creating a snug and comforting space. When decorating around a wood-burning stove in your conservatory, why not aim to match your garden? Plants are safe to be placed around your stove, as long as they are out of the heat zone so that they don’t wilt.
Minimalist Chic
Wood-burning stoves don’t need to be big and elaborate. A minimalist approach is perfect for creating a contemporary and dramatic look, particularly when paired with a black and white finish. A white-painted brick surround looks wonderfully chic when combined with a black iron stove, whilst a thick black rug in front of a wood-burning stove is both comforting and minimalist. Compliment the look around the room with white or black designer furniture and soft furnishings.
Create a Hearth
Wood-burning stoves will benefit from both a functional and visually appealing hearth. A hearth is a heat-resistant area which surrounds the base of a fireplace or stove. Whilst the hearth is there to protect your floor and enclosing walls from heat and debris, it is also an opportunity for you to add some style.
If you want to create a cosy, log-burning look, choose a raised brick hearth as this works well with a cast-iron wood-burning stove. For a modern look, choose stone tiles for your hearth and glossy, polished tiles will complement a sleek and contemporary room.
Use Complementary Materials
With wood-burning stoves, it is important to choose complementary materials to match with the cast iron texture. Whilst you can’t wallpaper around a wood-burning stove or log burner (due to flammable material), you can use mantelpieces and accessories to add a decorative touch. Light wood accessories and woodwork well in lighter rooms, whilst dark woodworks in snug rooms, such as in a cottage.
Unusual Designs
Wood-burning stoves come in a number of different shapes and designs, so there is sure to be one to suit your room – no matter what you have in mind. From rustic Scandinavian design to sleek cylindrical-shaped burners, you might want to make a feature out of your unusually designed wood-burning stove.
Use Wood and Kindling
Since your wood-burning stove needs wood in order to be functional, why not consider using the fireplace and surrounding area as a contemporary wood-storage unit? Stack your chopped wood into a neat stack to fill up the cavity of your fireplace and, when your wood-burning stove needs additional wood, you can easily add a few pieces into the fire.
If you want to keep your fireplace looking tidy, then top up the piece of wood when you remove it from the pile. If you would rather the surrounding space looks tidy, you can use wicker baskets to store your kindling or larger wood pieces for a rustic design.
Simply Rustic
During the summer months, it is unlikely that you will be using your wood-burning stove so you should keep the surrounding decor simple. You might consider changing the room around in order to make your wood-burning stove an accessory, rather than a focal point of the room. You could also give your wood-burning stove a makeover with fireplace-safe paint.
If you have a dark-coloured wood-burning stove, then in order to contrast, you might want to choose a lighter colour for the surrounding area, such as beige or white. Add some finishing touches, such as vases with flowers or ornaments, to tie your decor together.
Bold Artwork
If your wood-burning stove is built into your chimney breast wall, then a good backdrop will make your stove look so much better, especially if you use bold artwork and prints. A good backdrop can hugely enhance your decor and appearance of your wood-burning stove, so you need to consider the wall before you add the artwork to it. Complimentary tiles will look stylish and chic, whilst a fresh coat of paint will really make your wood-burning stove stand out.
You might not have a mantelpiece above your wood-burning stove, so paintings or bold pieces of artwork will create a great focal point instead and create a sense of layering in the room. Choose bright colours or abstract prints which contrast with your colour scheme or decor, as this will create an eye-catching display in the room.
Open-Plan Decor
If you have an open-plan room or space, it can be hard to find the right furniture and decor to fill the room. Dealing with decorating an open-plan space can be daunting, as the space can seem empty or underutilised if you don’t make the most of it.
A lounge or kitchen/dining space can really benefit from the addition of a wood-burning stove, especially if you use the space for entertaining friends and family. A wood-burning stove can tie an open-plan room together and create an almost invisible border between the different spaces. Open-plan living is becoming more and more popular, largely due to scandi-style decor, and wood-burning stoves are a classic feature of this style.
If you want to create a cosy living space, which is also welcoming and stylish, that merges perfectly with your dining or kitchen area, then the addition of a wood-burning stove will create a wonderful space. With larger spaces, you should consider the material of your wood-burning stove, as some materials will retain heat for longer, such as cast iron and sandstone, and will make your wood-burning stove more efficient.
Conclusion
Not only is a wood-burning stove a great piece of homeware, it is also practical and functional and can fulfil your home’s heating requirements, whilst also creating a cosy focus point in a room. We tend to spend a lot of time in the rooms where a wood-burning stove is usually added, so it makes sense that the stove becomes a feature of the heart of the home. Decorating around a wood-burning stove doesn’t need to be complicated and there are plenty of different ways you can add style and function to the room of your choosing.
Before you get a wood-burning stove installed, there are some factors which you should consider. Look for a stove which complements the aesthetic of your home, but size and heat output should also be carefully considered.
Open-plan rooms will likely need a larger heat output, as the space is bigger to warm, whereas
smaller rooms, such as conservatories, need a smaller heat output. You should also ensure that there is proper air ventilation in the room where you plan on installing the wood-burning stove to ensure that enough oxygen is being supplied into the room to ensure proper stove combustion.
The material of the stove should also be considered, as this is an important choice which very much depends on the style and decor of your house, or future decorating plans, the space you have available and of course, your personal taste. Modern materials, such as sandstone, tile or glass-fronted stoves work well in contemporary homes, but will also contrast with rustic and traditional decor.
From cosy cottages to modern apartments, wood-burning stoves can be integrated into any home and using one as part of your decor can be easier than you think. With different design options, from glass doors to different colours, it’s easy to choose one which will better suit your aesthetic, whether to create a focal point in the room or to place in a corner for a cosy feel.
