1. Use a Screen: to prevent sparks or embers from falling out of the fireplace, a screen is a necessary safety tool. There are many options, including integrated sliding curtains that offer a minimalist option for keeping everything where it should be.

Interior Design by Space Exploration, Photography by Nicole Franzen.

2. Warm Your Chimney: before lighting firewood, be sure to open the damper and let the warm air from the room enter the chimney. If not, the cold air will block the heat, preventing the smoke from being properly filtered out.

Interior Design by Joris Van Apers.

3. Use a Grate or Andirons: offering better air flow around the firewood, you will have an easier time lighting, maintaining and creating a long lasting even fire. Andirons and grates also offer better safety from positioning the firewood in place and preventing it from rolling out once lit.

Interior Design by Jeremiah Brent.

4. Use Seasoned Firewood Only: This means wood that has been cut and dried for at least 6 months. Green or unseasoned firewood will create a lot of smoke while burning and are a dirtier option.

Interior Design by Jaimee Rose Interiors.

5. Clean Your Fireplace Once a Year: as you use your fireplace a chemical called creosote builds up around the flue and hearth that can not just be harmful to your health but can be a fire hazard. Cleaning once a year will prevent this kind of buildup. 

Interior Design by Workshop/APD Architecture, Photography by Donna Dotan.

6. Electric Fireplaces are the Most Efficient, Followed by Gas, then Wood Burning: there’s something undeniably romantic and pleasing about the experience of a wood burning fireplace. But it’s not always the appropriate option. Electric stoves are best for kids because they are cool to the touch. They are also the most efficient, offering the best heat conversion, followed by gas fireplaces.

Interior Design by Mi Casa.