Editor's note: The following sponsored content was provided by Steinhafels.

It’s Dining Month at OnMilwaukee. While much of the focus is on all of the amazing restaurants and bars we have in the Milwaukee area, at Steinhafels, we like to show you some unique ways you can entertain in the home. In addition to our vast selection of dining room furniture, we also have a wide selection of fireplaces. What better way to transform your home into a cozy dining space than with a beautiful fireplace that will not only be a statement piece, but also provide extra heat during our long Wisconsin winter!

OnMilwaukee’s Carolynn Buser recently came out to our corporate store in Waukesha to check out some of the "hottest" fireplace styles on the market today. Assistant Accent Furniture Buyer Maddy Wray joined her and has some helpful tips if you are in the market for a unique new way to add extra style and heat to your home, without breaking the bank.

OnMilwaukee: When most people think fireplaces they think brick and mortar, the big mantel, but there are just so many options, you don’t have to buy the big house with the fireplace already in it. What are a few options, and how do they work?

Maddy Wray: Definitely. Steinhafels has a variety of fireplaces. We have over 30 styles to choose from, so we have a variety of options, different styles, colors, price-points – anything to fit your needs. For example, one of our higher end fireplaces is a barn door style console, with a pretty large firebox in it. It’s a great, on-trend item. Something you can use for a console in a hall. You can also use it as a TV stand. Great for a living room or basement. We brought it on last year, and it’s been hot ever since we got it on the floor.

The doors close right? So if you wanted to make it just look like a regular curio cabinet, you can do that as well?

Yes. And there are benefits to that too. There’s definitely concerns with safety, being a heated firebox, so there is a feature on this firebox that when the doors are closed, the heat is turned off. So if you have children or anything like that, there’s no concern for safety or overheating.

When did the home fireplace you could just add to your living room become a thing?

You know it’s funny. I’ve been here two years, and before I came, I never even thought of fireplaces being a category in the furniture business, and especially having as many options as we do. But they definitely are big for us, and something we sell year-round – especially in the state of Wisconsin, you know, being chilly all year round. We’ve got a lot of them that can be TV consoles or also a mantel for a bedroom or a basement. You’re not gonna put your TV on it, but it's a way to change up the style of the room and also to have some of that heat, warm it up.

Can you tell me a little bit about this: When you purchase something like this and put it into your home, is it going to help with your heating bill? What kind of heat do they actually put off?

A lot of them do have the adjustable thermostats, so you can change the temperature. They also have the heat turn off, so you can have the flame going without the heat. So if you’re looking for something that you can have a little more control of, we do have those options. Also, they are very very low cost to run – they cost pennies a day to run. So you can turn the heat down. If you have a family in a room, you can definitely warm the room up with a fireplace.

Are there different square footages?

Most of our fireplaces, probably about 80% of them, heat 1,000 square feet, and then the other styles heat 400 square feet. So you’d be surprised how much that really does heat a space up!

I love the fact these are true pieces of furniture that are going to add to your home.

Yeah. A lot of them are more so a statement piece, so if you’re looking for something to change up your living room but don’t want to spend a ton of money on all new furniture, a fireplace is a great way to go. And especially being in the state of Wisconsin, it can get quite chilly, and I am an advocate for coziness in fall time, so it’s something I really like!

Some other cool features to look for on any of our showroom floors: fireplaces with bluetooth speakers, remote controls and various sleek looks.

You can check out the entire Facebook Live interview with Maddy here:

What about if you already have a fireplace built into your home, but you want to switch things up and modernize its look? We have some tips for that as well. Steinhafels Decorating Solutions Interior Designer Colleen Rome loves to think outside the box, and help her clients take what they already have and give it some new life.

Before

Colleen works out of our Greenfield store and will soon be moving to our new store in the 84 South complex! Her advice for a drab old fireplace: whitewash!

Colleen explains, "Whitewash is so popular right now because it’s a modern rustic look. I’ve have had several clients take on this project with my guidance. There was a little hesitation from some of the husbands who think painting wood or stone is an absolute travesty!"

After

Colleen adds, "Every single client that has done it cannot believe the transformation of their room – from dark and drab to bright and beautiful!"

You can find all kinds of tips like this one in our blog.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to helping you pick the perfect fireplace, or any other furniture you need to help snazz up your entertainment space!