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It turned out to be very difficult to settle on a fireplace design for my family's new home. My husband wanted something rugged looking, like brick. I wanted something elegant and classic. I could just picture what it would look like with my bows and greenery for the holidays.

So after some civilized discussion that involved hair pulling and a knocked out tooth, we picked the perfect design. Here are some of the things you will need to think about BEFORE you decide on a design rather than after, like we did!

Budget:

Determining a budget for your fireplace is very important. You'll then be looking at all the fireplace designs that fit in your budget. Although we finally decided on something quite amazing that we both loved, it was a result of looking at designs that ended up being outside of our budget. Your first priority should be staying within your budget.

Placement:

Some fireplace designs won't work with the way your house is built. That hadn't occurred to us before we started our hunt for the perfect fireplace. While there were a few that we really liked, we weren't able to utilize them because they wouldn't fit properly in the space that we had designated for the fireplace. While beauty is a big thing, you have to take the size and shape into consideration.

Use:

Will you actually be using the fireplace, or do you just want it for show? If you don't plan on using the fireplace, there are lots of fireplace designs for you to choose from. On the other hand, if you're going to use it, then you need to think about the shape of it, the materials that are used, and of course fireplace safety.

You may get frustrated trying to choose the perfect design, but if you follow the tips above, it should be a cake walk!

Visit How To Build a Fire and discover what you need to know before you buy, build or choose your fireplace designs so you can turn your fireplace into a real conversation piece.