Mid-Century, Modern Free-Standing Fireplaces - Hot with Style

Are you rabid about Danish Modern style? Do you wait in anticipation for your subscription to Atomic Home to arrive at your door and then devour it over and over again? Do you day dream and maybe even put in a little REM time dreaming about having the HOTTEST Mid Century Modern home within your rabidly infected Mid Century group of friends? If so, one of the best ways to do this is by finding and installing an incredible freestanding fireplace in one of the many fabulistic colors of the post war era. If you are not familiar with the term freestanding fireplace, let this article be your introduction to primo mid century modern style, design, and character.

Freestanding fireplaces took on a whole new life Post World War II. Prior to World War II, cast iron wood stoves and built-in fireplaces were common home heating or supplemental heating systems. When life started to go back to normal after the war, the fields of architecture and interior and exterior design started to explode with more and more futuristic designs for buildings, homes, furniture, factories, and home interiors.

With this explosion came the development, and then arrival, of the era of the retro super cool freestanding fireplace. Freestanding fireplaces are just what their name says they are...they are fireplaces that stand on their own three or four feet, pedestal, or some other funky, yet functional, stabilizing system for standing independently.

Typically they are made of fired on porcelain enamel and often come in brilliant colors and outstanding shapes and designs. They can be assembled to be used for burning wood or gas. These beautiful fireplaces are tough and easy to care for once they are installed but, they are vulnerable to damage during shipping. Three manufacturer names seem to stand out among the makers of these retro fireplaces. They are Preway, Malm, and Majestic. Malm began manufacturing fireplaces in 1960 and is still producing models that were popular in the middle of the century as well as continuing to expand their lines. The following link (http://www.malmfireplaces.com/) will quickly take you to where you can see more of these incredible fireplaces.The Preway Company has been out of business for around 20 years.

Find a vintage Preway cone fireplaces and you have a treasure. The Majestic Company is still producing fireplaces but they are nothing like they made in the '60s and '70s. Again, if you find a vintage Majestic freestanding fireplace, you have a treasure.The photographs of freestanding fireplaces accompanying this article are just a taste of what is available if you want to go on a treasure hunt looking for Mid Century Modern freestanding fireplaces. Don't be surprised if you find your hunt taking you into uncharted waters.

There were a vast number of free standing fireplaces designed and made. When you have done a little fireplace hunting on your own you will agree - when it came to creativity no one did it better than the genius designers of the '50s through '70s.