Single fireplace screen:  This is where the idea of a fireplace screen started.  This is the design that started a safety movement in the home to keep fires where they need to be, in the hearth not on the floor.   Fireplace screens act as a barrier between the fire and the house. Wood fires have a tendency to pop and crackle.  This happens because of the natural oils in some of the woods and the dryness in others.  When a miniature explosion happens in the hearth embers will fly any which way, the worst being out onto the floor.  A one piece protection, a flat fireplace screen, that would be placed in the front of the fireplace hearth helps to prevent the worst from happening.   A home owner could still tend the fire to keep it going with little inconvenience.  Yes, the screen would need to be moved out of the way but the benefits of it being there outweigh moving it. 

 Fireplace door screen:  The next leap forward in design was the inclusion of a door to open in order to work with the fire.  This allowed the home owner access to the fire without moving the screen.  The adding of logs to the fire and working with the coals to keep the fire going was now a little easier.   Now the screen could be a more permanent fixture.  This design later turned into two doors with a wide fireplace screen.  This made the work even less stressful with the wider opening to labor with.  In the marketplace today the availability of no door, single door and two door fireplace screens are accessible.

Curved single fireplace screen:  This style has come about for two reasons:  one, the curvatures by design in a home with hearths that have an arc and need a curved fireplace screen; and two, adding a touch of décor to an otherwise dull looking safety precaution. 

Please remember a vintage fireplace screen or a modern fireplace screen will do the job equally well of keeping the fire in the hearth and the kids out.  Have a happy warm winter and a safe home.

James Dahlberg