Why a Wood Stove is the Ultimate Functional Aesthetic Design Piece
Traditional Wood Stoves Add Functional Aesthetics to Your Home
When planning your home’s interior design, you have to compromise between aesthetics and functionality. Excluding décor that goes on the wall, any items you plan to use (like chairs, tables, and bookshelves) need to match your theme and serve their functional purpose at the same time.
For example, you might need to choose between a fireplace and a wood stove. If your home features modern décor, you might shy away from a wood stove in favor of creating a picture-perfect living area with a stonework fireplace. However, a fireplace doesn’t serve any functional purpose aside from an opportunity to toast marshmallows indoors.
When it comes to choosing between a fireplace and wood stove, here’s why a wood stove is the better choice.
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Wood is environmentally-friendly to burn
If you’re committed to living an environmentally-friendly life, using a wood stove to heat your home is superior to using central heat that runs on electricity or even gas. Wood is carbon neutral, which means burning wood produces less air pollution than using natural gas and propane.
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Wood stoves come in a variety of aesthetics
When you think of a wood stove, you might picture a small cast iron, pot belly stove sitting in the middle of a mostly barren cabin in the middle of nowhere. Thanks to Hollywood movies, that’s how most people picture wood stoves. However, wood stoves come in a variety of aesthetics, including designs that match modern décor.
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You can cook food on a wood stove during a power outage
A wood stove is the perfect emergency preparedness tool for cooking and boiling water. When the power goes out, you can only use a propane or butane stove until your fuel runs out. With a wood stove, as long as you have wood to build a fire, you can cook your food.
There are wood-powered ranges made for cooking
There are wood stoves designed specifically as ranges that come with an oven and a large cooking surface on top. Although, you can cook on any wood stove that has enough surface area on top for a cast iron pot or pan. Stick with a smaller wood stove if a wood-powered range doesn’t fit with your décor.
With proper ventilation you can even use a portable wood stove in a tent or camper van. However, it’s crucial to have an expert create your ventilation and approve usage. Due to the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning, never use a wood stove in an enclosed area without proper ventilation.
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Wood is cheaper than electricity
The cost of wood will vary depending on the season and type of wood, but overall, it’s much cheaper than running electric heat. For example, a cord of wood costs about $150 on average, but closer to $200 in the winter. To keep your wood stove going throughout the day and even overnight, one cord of wood will last about 10 weeks. You can make it last twice as long by putting out the fire early and weather-proofing your home to retain as much heat as possible.
Not all cords of wood are equal
When you buy your wood, make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. There are two different types of cords. There’s a full cord and a face cord (or rick cord). A face cord consists of 16” long logs stacked four feet high and eight feet long. A true full cord consists of four-foot logs stacked four feet high and eight feet long.
The difference is log length. You can’t fit four-foot logs in a wood stove, so make sure you buy face cords. Three face/rick cords are equal to one full cord of wood.
Wood stoves will always be timeless
There are so many types of wood stoves to choose from, you’ll be able to find one that matches your décor. You might want the antique look of decorative cast iron or you might go for a modern design with a glass door and a tight gasket seal.
Wood stoves have been around for hundreds of years and are still in high demand despite all of our technological advances. Wood stoves create an independence and level of sovereignty that bypasses dependence on electricity for staying warm and cooking food.
When technology fails, even for a few hours, you’ll be glad to have a wood stove that not only adds aesthetic appeal to your home, but supports you in times of need.
