Snuggle up by the fire at your place

The crackle, the hypnotic flame, the smell — there’s so much to love about sitting in front of a fire in winter. Here’s everything you need to know about experiencing it at home.

The Vogue Navara model available from Mr Stoves.

THE crackle, the hypnotic flame, the smell — there’s so much to love about sitting in front of a fire in winter.

And it seems it’s an experience no longer just enjoyed by people living in cooler climates, with demand growing for fireplaces in suburbs across the region.

Brian Douglass of Mr Stoves has been manufacturing and installing heaters since 1990 and has noticed an increase in demand for wood and gas heaters.

“People are looking for a sustainable and affordable way to heat their home due to electricity prices rising,” Brian explains.

“Wood is the most economical and environmentally friendly way to heat. Gas is more expensive than wood, but still cheaper than electricity and has the added bonus of the same convenience that electric heating provides … it turns on with the push of a button.

The Vogue Pintel model at Mr Stoves.

“Wood and gas heaters add value to a home as well as creating ambience and a beautiful feature.” Brian’s seen plenty of styles come and go and says these days people want to see as much of the flame as possible.

“Heaters with bay windows and also really ornate potbelly-look slow combustion heaters used to be the most popular, then it changed to vertical fireplaces, and now the style we’ve noticed customers are looking for are units with the largest glass viewing area as possible, often in the landscape design,” he says.

“The units that are popular at the moment are square heaters with clean lines and a large glass visual, and also landscape heaters.

“The only traditional, classic style we find is popular at the moment is hamptons.”

So, what style does Brian have at his place? He has a modern heater called the Vogue Navara, which is a square heater with clean modern lines.

“To be honest, a majority of our customers come in with functionality as a priority and style as a secondary feature, therefore they go with our most functional units that are the best value for money,” he says.

“These are our Vogue units because we manufacture them in our factory in Darra and sell them factory direct.”

Helen de Rooij at Mt Nebo. Mr Stoves fireplace. Picture: Dominika Lis

One such customer is Mt Nebo’s Helen de Rooij, who recently had a Vogue fireplace installed, and is now enjoying the warmth it provides in not only the living room, but other rooms in the house she’s owned for 25 years.

Helen, pictured, has two other fireplaces in the house, but says the new one is the most efficient. “It’s a big house and the best room was always cold,” she says.

Helen’s son and his wife have come to Australia to live and she wanted to make the house more comfortable in the cooler months.

Helen did plenty of research before settling on the design, but is thrilled how it looks in her living room. She’s also pleased with how quickly and professionally it was installed.

So, what does she love about sitting in front of her fireplace?

“The view and the quiet and this warm light … it’s just lovely, you could fall asleep and drink many cups of tea,” Helen says.

Visit mrstoves.com.au or phone [phone]