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Display of Custom Furniture Unlimited Style,
Size & Finish Options

Bob Schaerer
poses by a

stylish fireplace
in a bedroom in
Orchard Lake

248.669.0000

2121 Easy S*
Ohne at Yirww.aptions-furniture.corn

4,-

Village.

interested in

Warm Look

Fireplaces have evolved into decor.

Steve Raphael
Special to the Jewish News

B

enjamin Franklin must be
rolling over in his grave, won-
dering what has become of
his beloved stove.
The Franklin Stove, invented in 1742,
warmed the homes of Americans (it
wasn't used for cooking) in one form or
another for more than 200 years. The
stove doubled the heat generated while
using 25 percent less fuel than a tradi-
tional wood stove.
Thanks to central heating, style has
replaced substance, and today's fire-
place serves more as a decorative living
piece — and the more sophisticated
and elegant the better.
Bob Schaerer's customers pay any-
where from a few thousand dollars
to about $50,000 for what he calls a
"flame chamber:' a long and low fire-
place similar in format to the size of
flat-screen television sets.
Schaerer owns Schaerer Architextural
Interiors in Bloomfield Hills and boasts
a very upscale clientele.
American Fireplace & Barbecue
Distributors in Ferndale boasts some
chic customers as well, but owner Steve
Brown says he sells fireplaces for as low
as $600 to middle-income families.
"Fireplaces are hotter than ever
because of Michigan's struggling econ-
omy, and they don't have to be fancy or
costly:' he says. "People can't sell their

homes so they are remodeling them,
which includes adding or upgrading
existing fireplaces."
Fireplaces "are feel-good things ...
the focal point of every single room.
Nobody needs them, but everybody
likes them:' he adds.
The level of technological develop-
ment and structural design in fireplac-
es has totally transformed the wood-
burning appliances of yesterday into
modern, efficient and environmentally
friendly units, reports the Web site
fireplacesandwoodstoves.com , an inde-
pendent site unaffiliated with fireplace
manufacturers or retailers. It collects
information from industry associations
and independent experts.
Natural gas fireplaces are the most
popular and in many cases offer better
value overall, though electric, propane
and even wood are still used, the Web
site states. Electric and gas fireplaces
are the easiest fireplaces to use.
Prefabricated fireplaces are popular
because of their lower construction
costs and safer and more reliable
operation. Often made from brick or
stone, these fireplaces can be designed
to meet exact specifications for size,
depth and facing material.
Ventless fireplaces are a technologi-
cal marvel. Whether freestanding or
installed into an existing fireplace,
these units are more energy efficient
than a furnace. The product "gives out

Warm Look on page

A44

sellin

The gallery is actively purchasing works
on paper, paintings and sculpture by the
artists listed at right, as well as other
20th Century Masters.

Please call to set up an appointment.

Milton Avery

Alexander Calder

Al Held

Hans Hofmann

Lester Johnson

Alex Katz

Clement Meadmore

Louise Nevelson

Philip Pearlstein

Donald Sultan

Andy Warhol

Tom Wesselmann

David Klein Gallery

163 Townsend, Birmingham, Michigan
248.433.3700 1 info@dkgallery.com 1 visit us at dkgallery.com
HOURS: MONDAY—SATURDAY I I - 5:30

1443810

Michael Goldenberg
Painting, Inc

Commercial & Residential
Exterior/Interior
248.5411.7804

1443760

November 20 2008

A43

