Whenever anyone broaches the topic of fireplaces, they are usually talking about fireplaces situated in the living room. This is where you’ll find 99% of household fireplaces and stoves, and for good reason – their function these days, after the invention of central heating, is more as a centrepiece than as a heating device, and they are the quintessential living room focal point.
But should you consider a fireplace in your bedroom?
It’s certainly not an absurd idea. With the popularisation of electric fireplaces, even bedrooms that aren’t located next to the chimney can have a fireplace installed. With that in mind, here are some pros and cons you may want to consider.
Pro: Extra heating
Central heating is a great invention, no doubt, but it usually has a major flaw. Instead of heating each room accordingly, it heats all rooms at the same time. In the winter with a full house, this is fine. But sometimes, turning on the central heating for a small amount of people in the same room is excessive and wasteful.
So straight away, a fireplace gives you the option to only heat the room you are in. The room is liable to get warm faster too. Throw that on top of the money and fuel saving, and the fact that you didn’t have to get out of bed to turn the central heating on, and this is a pretty solid advantage in favour of getting a bedroom fireplace.
Con: Exposed chimney
Some homes are laid out so that the chimney goes through a room on the second floor, instead of being blocked out by being placed entirely within walls. This opens up the option to have a gas fire installed, which is great, but comes with downsides. Unless you completely cover the upstairs opening with a fireplace, you leave yourself open to back draughts, wind blowing through the upstairs, and worst of all, something like a bird finding its way down the chimney. Covering it eliminates most of these problems, but there is still the chance that a small air current can get through.
Pro: Romance
The biggest plus point working in bedroom fireplaces favour is the options it brings to your bedrooms decor. Just as the downstairs fireplace is the focal point of the living room, the upstairs one can really help tie the room together. Plus, you can create the romantic ambiance that only a roaring fire can bring.
Con: Space
Another reason fireplaces have become such a staple of living rooms is that they usually have the room to spare. Bedrooms tend to be significantly
smaller, so space is at a premium. Putting a fireplace in the room is a very delicate balancing act, and if you overcommit before really getting your measurements right, it could be a big headache as opposed to a great new addition.
As you can see, the only reasons we can come up with against having a fireplace in your bedroom are practical based. If you have the room to spare, and can take precautions with any open chimneys, it is a great option to consider.