Fireplace accessories
Fireplace accessories come in many designs and styles. Each accessory for the unit has a specific use. Some of the items are absolute necessities while others may leave you scratching your head. There are even some fireplace accessories that are decorative in nature and are not meant for actual use.
Items that look nice but serve no particular function aren’t as odd as you may think. Some fireplace accessories are purely decorative in nature. I discovered this the hard way when staying with my aunt one winter. I figured that I would clean out the fireplace for her and start a nice, new fire in place of the ashes and burnt wood scraps.
While my aunt was pretty happy with my efforts she did mention that the fireplace accessories on the hearth were really designed for show and not for use. This left me scratching my head but I did finally understand why the fireplace accessories were made of shiny brass.
I just thought that she took really good care of the brass fireplace accessories. I really didn’t think much about whether or not they were supposed to be used. Good thing that I only used them once. There was really little sign that the items had been used at all. This did bring up another question about her fireplace accessories.
What did she use to clean the hearth and fireplace if the decorative items were off the list? She showed me a cast iron set of fireplace accessories that she kept in a cupboard right next to the hearth. I had no idea why she kept these beautiful tools hidden. I thought that they looked as great as the brass.
Her only answer was that she liked to hide dirt. I guess that having fireplace accessories designed for show on the hearth and ones for use in a cupboard was a good idea if you want to keep ashes out of sight no matter what.
Now that I have my own fireplace, I decided to forgo buying fireplace accessories for show. I like to put the tools on the hearth to good use. This could be due to simple laziness or it may just be because I am incurably cheap.
No matter what reasons I have I will always think fondly of my aunt’s brass fire tools. I just won’t ever own a set. I really think that the cast iron fireplace accessories are as attractive as the shiny brass, ashes and all.
