Are open fireplaces still 'trendy'?

Rain_Shadow

I grew up with open fires. All I remember was what a huge amount of fuss they were to get going and keep going and mess to clean out, and quite how much soot they could deposit in a room on occasions.

TedTheTopCat

I've chosen a wood burner over open fire every time I've moved into a new house. They are more efficient, cleaner & you can bank the fire down overnight. Finally, I keep a kettle on the stove - ready for a cuppa!

Chrishazle

We've recently put a heat operated fan on the top of our wood burner, it's surprisingly good at spreading the heat away into the room! Cost about £35 from Amazon. We also keep a couple of 19th century cast iron kettles on top of the stove - humidifiers when the fire is lit! Also handy source of hot water when we have a power cut.

dominoman

Yes - Same here. I bought one of those fans too and it works well.

Quite clever how they get powered by the heat difference between the stove and the air.

-taff

I've got an open fire, I just plug up the chimney with a balloon when it's not in use, so it doesn't suck up air....google chimney balloon.

andrewf75

I think open fires are nice, but much less efficient as everyone has said and also less practical. With a woodburner if you suddenly have to pop out or decide to go to bed you don't have safety worries over leaving the fire unattended.

I wouldn't worry about trends. Open fires and woodburners are timeless. Real fires will always be desirable. The only issue with trends is that people get woodburners who don't understand the work involved sourcing and storing suitable wood etc. As long as you understand that no-one ever regrets having a woodburner or open fire.