And as the selections below show, even if you have a fireplace already in situ as part of the fabric of your home, a beautiful grate, new surround or club fender can take it up yet further.
Amid its fine collection of antique and authentic reproduction fireplaces, Jamb also offers handcrafted accessories, including the moulded and polished steel.
Wentworth register grate, £3,840 — 020–7730 2122; www.jamb.co.uk
Refined bolection moulding adds elegance to The Milo fireplace, as does its construction in Grigio Gold marble.
£9,250 from Chesneys — 020–7627 1410; www.chesneys.co.uk
The Louis XV-style cast-stone chimneypiece from Haddonstone features a shaped apron and shell decoration.
£1,895 including kerbs and hearth — 01604 770711; www.haddonstone.com
Acres Farm has been making bespoke fenders in its Berkshire workshops for more than 40 years. The Square Dip-style club fender in polished solid brass in a design by Guy Goodfellow Interiors.
From £3,500 — 0118–974 4305; www.acresfarm.co.uk
The Kilim fender, £1,250, adds joyful colour to any room, as well as extra ad hoc seating.
Susie Watson Designs — 0344 980 8185; www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk
And finally, for something truly unique and authentically old, there is this piece among the treasure trove of antique fireplaces to be found at Westland London. It's a grand 17th-century Italian bolection design, carved from Rosso Verona marble.
£22,200 — 020–7739 8094; www.westlandlondon.com
Open fires v wood-burning stoves: The grate debate
Wood-burning stove or open fire? Arabella Youens examines the pros and cons of both options.
More heat, less fuel: How modern tech has lit up a new era of log-burning stoves
It’s not only the energy crisis that is creating unprecedented demand for log-burners: clean-burn technology, app-based controls and new designs
Credit: Graham Aktins-Hughes / Renassiance London
Fine fireplace surrounds and accessories to bring extra warmth to your fire
Amelia Thorpe picks some of the finest fireplace surrounds and accessories for your home.
Choosing the perfect fireplace: 'If you get the fireplace right, the rest of the room will fall into place'
Fireplaces in richly coloured hues are all the rage, says our interiors expert Giles Kime.
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Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
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Dawn Chorus: The beavers who built a £1 million project for free, and Alexa Chung's new Barbour collection
