Sitting around the fireside on a cold winter's night is purely wonderful. The hypnotic blaze helps take the bite out of the room while creating ambience. For many years, fireplaces have supplied heat and,for years before that, a place to prepare meals as well. Fireplaces have never lost their celebrity and, in fact, have made considerable advances in popularity. During my 50 plus years, their popularity has steadily traveled south though winters are stunted and summers are gargantuan. Though home heating technologies have (evolved over the years, fireplaces are still in vogue|Although the latest advances have been made in climate control for our homes, fireplaces persist in being stylish.

With improvements in home heating the reason for fireplaces has clearly diverged. Fireplaces are no longer simply for providing heat. They are no longer used for preparing meals Stoves have been around for many decades. So why do we have this ever growing love for fireplaces? My guess is that fireplaces offer mood when they're lit. And when they are not, they maintain interest, focus and character to a room as well as charm. Fireplaces and the mantels that frame them, have been one of the distinctive architectural details that add to the flavor of our homes like embellished stairways, arched entry ways, or ornamental range hoods. In these examples, there is a wonderful marriage, in many cases, of function and art.

"Wonderful marriage" is a conditional statement because not all marriages of art and function are made in heaven. I recently had the opportunity to observe a home that was probably eighty percent done and saw some mighty awful unions. There was a kitchen island that had incredibly large and ornate brackets supporting the counter top. The fireplace also had magnanimous stone pillars supporting the mantel board. The best thing that could be said is: "Bigger is not necessarily better". Thankfully, there are many decent examples of form and function-just not in that home.

Over the years millworks suppliers have specialized in mantel shelves and surrounds. Necessity is the mother of invention. And since the "media" of cabinetmakers is wood, most mantels are made of wood-which is fine by me since wood is my "media". Thick wooden slabs, under laid with crown molding supported by ornate brackets and fluted pilasters are a common form for many cabinet makers. Not so common are the hand carved assortment still made available by master carvers in other countries. The quality of these carved masterpieces is unequaled by the latest twenty firstcentury technological marvels. The slight nuance and minor defects are a signature that says "hand carved" and ehances the charm and unique character. Mass production techniques will in my humble opinion, never equal the skill of the masters. These artisans can undercut and form sharp interior cuts that are not possible with high tech methods.

Certainly fireplaces and the mantels them are here to stay. Like a marriage made in heaven, mantels and fireplaces have passed the test of time As long as there are homeowners and designers that can appreciate the charm and homey pleasure afforded by them, we should not expect their demise. More likely they will continue to grace the homes in the cold North as well as the hot and humid South.