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Features Of An Indoor Fireplace

The features of an indoor fireplace are that they create ambiance, warmth and coziness. A real sanctuary in which to relax and let the warmth soak into the cold bones. An indoor fireplace is a great accessory for home as it provides warmth and coziness with a fireplace at home. Warmth of fire in your own place is very elegant. Its excellence is bountiful when the climate is too cool. There is nothing more comfortable and soothing imagining yourself in front of a fireplace with a blanket and a good book. Like fireplace screens, electric fireplace inserts, fireplace tools and much more.

Let’s Take a Look At The Various Types Of Indoor Fireplace: –

Electric Fireplace– An electric fireplace is the most sought after choice for buyers, as it can add both warmth and elegance to a room. An electric fireplace is one of the best options as there is no actual flame, which makes the unit cost of energy efficient and hence also requires minimal installation with no flue requirements.

Gas Fireplace– A gas burning fireplace can provide a real fire look with just a flip of a switch. As the gas fireplace generally can tap into the natural gas line in your home or bottled propane gas. However, it requires installation, so you should make sure that you consult with the best gas heating specialists who can install the heaters and also repair and maintain the gas boiler all throughout the year.

Many newly built homes and condos are now available with an indoor fireplace installed mostly in the living room area or master bedroom. This amenity has now become one of the high selling points especially in areas where the winters are very cold or heating costs are high.

Lets Look At Some Of The Advantages Of Installing Indoor Fireplace –

Warmth– An indoor fireplace provides you with warmth during chilly nights. And it is advantageous to install one as it can reduce your overall electric heating bill as indoor fireplace usually just requires a little bit of kindling and wood.

Décor– the Indoor fireplace is enjoyable for people at home apart from providing warmth. It also enhances the home décor and improves overall ambiance of the room. It can become the focal point of any home décor and fireplace mantels are also decorated to match the season. They often require upkeep while the fire is being burned, and also when the fire has been burnt, some kind of maintenance is always required so that the area surrounding the fireplace remains safe. A fireplace can also be built custom- made. There is a provision by certain manufacturers that can build your custom fireplace.

An indoor fireplace is available in 3 different categories: –

Wood– Wood is one of the traditional fireplace fuel as its renewable resource, sustainable and is available plentiful across the world. It produces glowing, everlasting patterns of flames of fire.
Gas– Gas fireplace functions with the use of gas and gas are convenient and provide a continuous source of fuel and heat. They are great sources of heating your home. They can be constructed beautifully and can add warmth and coziness to home with realistic flames of fire.

Electric– New innovations in the electric fireplace where gas is not required to heat up the fireplace can offer same benefits as a gas fireplace and is capable of providing with adequate heating to heat up any room.

Indoor fireplace has certain advantages and is capable of keeping up with the contemporary lifestyle. However, it requires some regular maintenance. You can design your fireplace custom-made and make sure that it caters to your demands and requirements.

The best part is that, the designs of the indoor fireplaces go well with any kind of home décor and you can include these types of fireplaces also as part of your commercial property decoration.

Detailed Guidelines on Choosing Laminate Flooring

Guidelines on Laminate Flooring in a lounge

Here are some guidelines on laminate flooring for those living in colder climes, where stone and tile are not the best choices in flooring. Wood has always been the traditional flooring material in such areas but now you have an even better option that not only looks great but remains warm and gives you a lot more choices in colors, shapes and textures, this material for flooring is laminate. If you are giving your home a makeover or buying a new one, then you could give first preference to laminate floors. Before you go off and place your order get to know laminates and their advantages.

What is laminate plank flooring?

Laminate plank flooring is engineered hardwood. As opposed to real timber, this material is made from shaved veneers of hardwood glued together with resin under high pressure and temperature with a longitudinal grain pattern.?

Advantages:

This confers excellent strength, uniformity, durability as well as resistance to termites and moisture. It is also tough and durable.
The surface can have a plain color look or veneer laminate to mimic real hardwood in looks, texture and appearance.
For use in flooring the material has a backing layer, a composite fiberboard base and a printed design overlaid by hard wearing heat cured melamine or other phenolic resin. Resins are impervious to water and chemicals. They are also resistant to stains and scratches.
Engineered woods are less susceptible to warps, cracks and shrinking. Natural wood may have knots; a drawback absents in engineered laminate flooring.
Since wood is the primary material used in this flooring, it acts as insulation.
Available in kits as tiles with tongue and groove assembly, this flooring can be laid down easily and quickly over existing flooring.
Cleaning the laminated floors is easy as compared to other hard surfaces such as hardwood floors.

Types and Rating:

You can buy a variety of laminate flooring in thickness ranging from 7 mm to 12 mm which includes the core, topcoat and backing. Thicker is always better, but may not always be suitable. However, the material is given a rating that gives you an idea about its wear resistance. They are graded this way:

AC1: For areas with low traffic.
AC2: For areas with medium traffic.
AC3: For use in high footfall areas like drawing room, kitchen and foyers.
AC4: For use in all traffic areas.
AC5: For use in commercial areas with high traffic such as stores and offices.

Higher the AC rating, tougher the tile so it is good to select at least AC4 rated laminate floor tiles. You can select tiles with a sound absorbing underlayer. If tiles do not have such pads, then you can select a suitable underlayment as a moisture and sound barrier.

Texture:

Flooring with a smooth, uniform surface can look unnatural unless it is tiles, granite or marble. Wood always appears attractive with a texture. You can select laminate flooring in a range of textures:

Embossed in Register: In this the embossing is done along with the length of the grain to simulate the texture of real wood.
Embossed: This is plain embossing without any specific direction or pattern.
Hand scraped: Actually machine scraped, this type gives the feel of raw hardwood flooring.
High gloss: If you like mirror finish, this is the type with a polished smooth surface with high reflectivity.

Care:

Even the best laminate flooring made from selected hardwood material is not immune to damage. You will need to keep in mind the following:

Keep the floor free from dust and dirt to prevent scratches.
Clean spills immediately.
Use protective pads under furniture legs.
Do not slide heavy objects on the floor.
Use only specified cleaner and avoid the use of water.

Now you are ready to order your laminate flooring online as per your requirement and budget.

Casual Relaxed Living Rooms

The above photo shows a great example of what casual relaxed living rooms ought to look like. This one is of a spacious light filled living room with neat white leather furniture and warm timber under floor.

There are many types of living room styles, from formal, or semi formal through to relaxed, comfortable and somewhere your soul can feel completely at home in.

To create the casual and comfortable style for your living room, you ideally need to know what makes you happiest. Not everyone’s taste is going to be met by having a rigid set of guidelines that dictate what a casual living or family room area should look like or be decorated with.

What may appear quite formal to one person, may be the ultimate in relaxation or casual comfort to another and we certainly aren’t here to tell you (or show you) what types of living areas are the best. That really is up to you. We are presenting a range of decorated living room styles that we hope you will get some value from and perhaps even some inspiration when it comes creating your own unique casual living space.

Take particular care over the elements that will fill the room. If you like a timber floor, then go for a timber floor, even if that means you have to rip up some old carpet and polish the wood floor beneath, or perhaps even lay a laminate timber look floor. Floor rugs will also be an added feature for a timber floor that will provide a great deal of ambiance of the overall room. If on the other hand you like the warmth of carpet, then choose something that will make you feel comfortable.

Curtains or window blinds will be important. The more casual look can be achieved with flowing curtains, or perhaps no curtains at all (depending on how much privacy you desire)

Think also about the wall colors. Do you like your room to bright and light filled, or do you feel more relaxed in a darker toned room where its all about subdued lighting, particularly in the evening or night hours.

Then you need to think about the furniture you intend to use. Couches, sofas, settees, lounge suites, coffee tables, up-stand lamps, table lamps, side tables, paintings, or feature art pieces will all provide a stamp of personality that makes the room your own. These aspects are all really important, in fact they may be the most important when it comes to creating the look, the feel, and the style of the room that you know will enrich your soul and provide that comfortable homely space to relax.

Please enjoy our gallery of rich comfortable, casual and relaxing living rooms.

Modern living room with relaxed lounge suite, and coffee table, timber floor and adjoining dining area

Relaxed sitting living room with leather sofas and modern coffee table and chairs

Modern living room with fireplace and relaxed lounging sofas and coffee tables

Snow white living room interior with white leather sofas, polished white tile floor, large pot plants and a modern look.

Modern Living Room with a mix of purple and white furnishing colors, a stunning coffee table and beautiful lighting

Modern interior lounge room with nice lime green furniture and almost sixties type of decor

Modern relaxed bright living room with wood floor, neat patterned rug and a corner sofa

Luxury home living room with relaxed sofas, central coffee table and a welcoming fireplace.

Luxury home living room with contemporary decor, white sofas with exquisite gold and brown cushions, tile flooring and a relaxing ambiance

Luxurious large living room with a large corner sofa, warming nd comfortable fireplace and a spectacular outdoor view

Expansive living room with brick fireplace, luxurious padded leather corner lounge suite with single seater and a relaxing comfortable setting

Living room in luxury home with an eclectic mix of furnishings and exuding an almost regal but comfortable look

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Living Rooms with Coffee Tables

Living Rooms with Coffee Tables are an essential part of creating that ambiance and look and this Architectural apartment living room above with its contemporary black topped coffee table and white leather lounge furniture is a fine example of how the combination create a great visual.

Coffee tables are often an after thought for most living rooms. Sure we know we know a living room is ‘semi-empty’ without one, or even lacking that finishing touch, but how focused are we really when it comes to selecting the most appropriate table for our overall design decor?

There are so many different styles, shapes, materials, finishes and functions for our beloved coffee table that when it comes to choosing one for your home, you’ll know exactly what you want, or you’ll have no idea. Choosing the right table is first and foremost about your specific needs and your decor.

Living room decor with slinky sleek timber topped coffee table.

Thinking of your own situation, you’ll want to select a coffee table that fits with your family situation; for example, if you have young toddlers or children and your furniture gets a hard time, then you’ll need to choose something that is going to be hardwearing, not overly expensive (in the scheme of things) and will still look good.

Modern grey coffee table in a minimalist styled living room.

If on the other hand, you’re into minimalism, then you’ll be looking for something sleek and contemporary and perhaps made from modern materials.

Consider the materials you’d like your table to be made from. Do you want a metallic table, a wooden table, a plastic table, or even a glass one? Or perhaps a combination of these?

View of a modern living room with low height contemporary coffee table.

Whatever the style you like, make sure that it looks good in your living room. If you’re able to, ask a furniture store to let you take a table on appro for a few days to see whether or not its fits your style, or if that isn’t an option, take lots of photos, ensuring you get as best a color match as is possible. (It can sometimes be difficult to get photos to show the exact color of something) Then when you get home, try and imagine the piece in place.

This spacious penthouse living room with tiled floor and luxurious sofas has an interesting solid mirror glass coffee table

Spacious living room with large square central timber top coffee table

Rustic decor in a modern living room with contemporary designed coffee table

Red and brown living room with simple minimalist coffee table.

A living room space with two modern leather sofas and a formed artistic glass coffee table

Modern living room with timber flooring and designer coffee table

Contemporary living room with white sofas and contrasting low height black coffee table

Intimate living room with designer lounge suite and contemporary coffee table

Lounge room with frosted glass top coffee table

Modern living room interior with corner lounge suite sofa and white coffee table

Living room with hardwood floor and dark wooden coffee table

Modern living room with standard square shaped timber coffee table

Traditional living room style with wrought iron and glass coffee table

Living room in ornate style with luxurious sofa and ornately decorated timber coffee table

Large living room with traditionally elegant decor and ornate coffee table

Contemporary furnished penthouse apartment with circular glass topped coffee table

Family living room with corner sofa and timber topped minimalist style coffee table

Living room in an apartment with simple sofa and glass topped oval shaped coffee table

The above image shows a contemporary living room with darker timber hardwood flooring, creamy/mustard color furniture and a large square shaped rattan coffee table.

24 Hardwood Flooring Ideas for Living Rooms

Hardwood flooring ideas for living rooms with rich cherry hardwood floor

This feature page highlights a range of hardwood flooring ideas for living rooms along with some tips and advice on how and what to choose. When it comes to deciding on flooring in a living room and particularly if you are looking for hardwood flooring ideas, then it pays to go into some detail about the hardwood floor options available to you. Because whilst hardwood floors may look fantastic, there’s more to it than meets the eye, and a little bit of research will help you make the best decision about the most suitable type of flooring for your situation.

Three Types of Hardwood Flooring Ideas Open to You As Options.

Firstly, there is the genuine article, the solid wood flooring. This is constructed from 100% hardwood that is milled from trees. It is natural and as a natural product, not only looks good, but will also responds according to its settings, such as moisture, and temperatures, meaning that it can shrink or expand, or crack and warp. Another advantage with solid hardwood flooring is that you are able to sand it, and refinish it as and when necessary, so effectively it has a renewable life of years. This wood floor type is not suitable for basements (below ground level) or in wet areas like bathrooms.

Secondly, there is what they term Engineered Hardwood. This product is still made from the same hardwood timbers, however it is constructed in layers, like plywood, and the various layers are glued together. The manufacturing process gives the ‘Engineered Wood’ better stability when compared with the solid wood option. The incidents of shrinkage or expansion with changing humidity levels is significantly reduced making it an option for basement areas (but still not bathrooms)

The above image shows a beautiful apartment with a stunning outdoor rural view, light colored wooden tongue and groove hardwood flooring, and simple decor furnishings.

Thirdly, there is the laminated wood flooring option. This is definitely ‘fake’ flooring, despite the fact that it may look or appear like the real thing, it isn’t. Its usually an image of the hardwood look, that is covered by a melamine layer and applied on top of a high density fibre board. Don’t be put off by the fact that its fake, if that’s the look you want. These products are well made these days and genuinely look good on a floor, but you just need to avail yourself of the advantages and disadvantages if you are considering a product of this type before you leap forth and splash out on a whole house lot of laminated flooring.

Budget is always going to be a deciding factor, so make the best decision you can that balances both budget with look and practicalities. Ensure you understand the pro’s and con’s of what you can install, how it should be installed, where you can and can’t install the product and what the costs, maintenance and ongoing life of your wood floor is likely to be

A beautiful classic styled living room with open French doors to a front porch and a park view. Rich polished honey colored hardwood flooring ideas make for a really lovely and interesting conceptual floor finish in many modern homes. This living room floor blends well with the white door and window frames as well as the golden colored furnishings and wall color

A modern casual living room with dark chocolate colored hardwood timber floor, a large cream colored floor rug, chocolate colored sofa, and colored walls create a real sense of style in this living room

This contemporary living room is finished in earthy tones, and looks resplendent with its honey colored timber flooring, tan/cream floor rug, rattan coffee table and cushion laden sofas

This modern living room stands out with its high wood-lined cathedral ceilings stained in a luxurious chocolate stain and contrasted against the beautiful honey glow of the timber floor, the fancy fabric ottoman, floor rug and luxurious fabric covered sofa all set in an expansive lounge room set up for all seasons

The above image shows a stunning beautiful modern living room interior, complete with large and small windows, neutral wall colors, modern contemporary sofa and coffee table and the most amazing honey rich colored timber flooring

This modern living room with its wall mounted TV and hifi equipment, long display unit, full length windows and a modern tan leather sofa sit upon a highly grained hardwood floor along with a matching animal skin

Another example of an expansive modern living room with light colored wooden flooring along with contemporary furniture and furnishings. The featured light fitting is particularly interesting

Here we see a modern house living-room with a contemporary white leather sofa, wooden sideboard cabinet and coffee table, large floor rug, stunning lighting, and all finished off with a beautiful parquet wooden floor

This very dark hard wood floor in a living room area contrasts beautifully against the creamy white of the sofa and chair and the neutral toned walls. An array of cushions in terracotta and cream tones blend everything together nicely

A beautiful living room with a dark colored hard wood floor that contrasts amazingly well with the two toned earthy colored wall and the creamy colored L shaped leather sofa and matching cushions and furnishings

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