A well-known English proverb says: “My home is my castle”. Really, all the ways are leading to a native house, a place where a person has an opportunity to relax, enjoy the things which he likes, communicate with the dearest and nearest, stay alone or meet friends.
A fireplace as harmony embodiment
A person invents many phrases to describe a place of living – "smooth water", "a reliable back", "a source of strength", but one of the most popular definitions of a house, a place, where a person feels comfortable, is "a fireplace".
It is used to think that in the old times a fireplace was an important part of any interior. It was a centre of a living-room where all the members of a family get together during the cold and foggy evenings in order to drink tea, smoke a cigar, tell tales and enjoy calm time in a family circle. The women were sitting at a fireplace and embroidering. The men were communicating at the same room. It was a centre of a family life. The nearest area at a fireplace was meant for only the oldest and more respectful members of a family. What pleasure could be better while sitting in a comfortable big arm-chair at a fireplace?
At the present times, a fireplace changes his meaning in an everyday family life. Now it plays more decorative role in a house or a flat. It is no more a warmest place in a house. But the meaning is left. Even now, in the epoch of the industries and developed facilities, the word "a fireplace" is used for the definition of home, harmony and warmth. It is meant to be a place where you are waited for every day, every time.