Decorating around a woodburner

A woodburner is a great focal point in any living room. Whether you want your stove to blend into your room or set the tone for the rest of the decor, decorating around a woodburner presents you with a wide range of options.

There’s no right way of decorating the way as long as what you decide to do is legal and safe. You can check the full criteria in Document J of the Building Regulations, but the main considerations are:

• You need to leave enough space around the woodburner.
• You need to place your stove on a suitable hearth.
• You need to make sure your stove is a safe distance from combustible materials.

Those safety considerations aside, there is almost no limit to what you can do when you’re decorating around a woodburner. Here are some popular options.

Putting your woodburner in a feature wall

Woodburners have a history that dates back more than 200 years, while flatscreen TVs are a more recent development. But they can cohabit in modern living rooms. As long as the distances involved comply with the law and the manufacturer’s guidance, you can install a wall-mounted TV above your stove as part of a feature wall.

Putting a wooden mantel above your woodburner

An ever-popular way of decorating around a woodburner is to place a wooden mantel above it. A wooden mantel seems to accentuate the rustic appeal of the stove itself. How rustic you want to go is up to you. Some people favour reclaimed wood that is full of lumps and bumps (and which perhaps could not be entrusted with your cup of tea), while other households favour a smoother piece of wood.

This look works on large fireplaces and smaller ones – it’s just a case of finding a suitably sized piece of wood.

As well as adding some nice decoration around your stove, a wooden mantelpiece is also a useful platform for further decor.

Putting your woodburner in a tiled fireplace recess

There’s no reason why you can’t get creative with the non-combustible materials around your woodburner. As long as the tiles you choose are suitable for use behind stoves, as the temperatures can crack some tiles. Why not pick out an eye-catching tile that enhances the decor of the entire room?

Putting your woodburner on a brick hearth

An alternative to tiles is to decorate your wood-burning stove with bricks. Again, you need to make sure you’re choosing something that is suitable for that use. As you can see, the result can be very effective.

It doesn’t have to be entirely brick. You could combine the bricks with a natural stone for a nice juxtaposition of urban and rural building traditions.

Insetting a cassette woodburner within a wall

For homes that don’t have a traditional fireplace, there is the option of insetting your woodburner within a recess in your wall. This means you’re able to place the stove within your room without impinging on floor space.

Whether this is easier or more complicated than a regular woodburner installation will depend on your home and the infrastructure that’s already in place. If you have an existing recess or chimney breast with which to work, this could a straightforward option that has eye-catching results.