Why the log burning stove is still in fashion

November 18, 2015

Author: Alyssa Holroyd

There are some household products that transcend fashion fads to become part of the furniture. The Seventies Magimix still sits on many a kitchen worktop and the Le Creuset pot is enjoying a multi-coloured revival. The same goes for the wood burning stove.

This decade’s must-have piece of kit is undergoing a design revolution as homeowners experiment with shape, colour and location.

Our perception of log burning stoves has changed dramatically over the last decade, says Paul Chesney, founder of the luxury stove and fireplace maker Chesney’s. "Ten years ago people who bought stoves lived in the country, and you wouldn’t have even thought about it in the city." However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ approval of stoves in city locations, even smoke-free areas, "has enlarged the market". And now, he says, they are appearing in smart city neighbourhoods.

Vincent Thurkettle agrees. Forget radiators, says the author of The Wood Fire Handbook, who was formerly a forester with the Forestry Commission, "you can’t cuddle up to a radiator." A fire "adds an intangible spirit to the room, a homeliness."

Log burners "give people a feeling of being a little bit more in touch with nature," agrees Anthony Bailey, author of The Woodburner Handbook. "There’s a connection with the energy you’re producing. A log burner is like a buffer of warmth."

If you are buying one for the first time, however, there are just a few tips to heed. It’s important to get the size of your burner right and take expert advice. Thurkettle suggests buying a size larger than you think you need. "You can always light a smaller fire in a big stove, but you can’t light a big fire in a small stove."

Once you’ve chosen the size, you can pick the shape, brand and colour. Black is not the only option: Chesney’s second most popular log burner is ivory.

Designs are becoming increasingly varied, too, moving beyond the traditional or the vintage retro to stoves that even hang from the ceiling, or come in rainbow shades of enamel.

Among style hunters, there is a growing market for a more European model, Chesney says. These are often rounded, rather than the squat Victorian cube, and have long curved, chimneys that come out of the back.

Chesney’s’ classic Beaumont stove is his bestseller, while the more modern Shoreditch is the "go-to stove for a modern city apartment," he says.

"We tend to sell the smaller stoves in London because the houses are smaller, so the central heating is pretty effective. They tend to be a backup source of heat."

If you are redesigning a room, however, says interior designer Gemma Gordon-Duff, there are new possibilities for where you put your stove. It doesn’t have to be on a wall.

There are dual aspect stoves that can be installed in the middle of a large room to break it up, either freestanding or dangling. These heat the whole room and divide the living space, which offers an increasingly appealing flexibility as interior design moves away from open plan living and back towards compartmentalised spaces. "If you’ve got a kitchen space that goes into a family snug, then a dual aspect fire is great."

If you’re looking to sell, you might find your log burner an asset, too, says Bertie Russell of London agents Russell Simpson, who are selling a penthouse in Cheyne Court, Chelsea, with a statement fireplace. "The beautiful traditional log fire is the centrepiece, and brings a classic touch to a modern home. We have had really strong response on the impact the log fire has on the entire room, it is a big selling point."

So, you’ve chosen your stove, picked a colour and had it installed. Now, all you need to do is learn how to light it.