Everything you need to know about fireplaces, grills, hot tubs, and outdoor furniture. Five Puget Sound locations in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, and Silverdale.
The 11th Annual Everett Home & Garden Show runs
Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10, 2013. The largest Home & Garden show in
Snohomish County, it’s held at the Comcast Events Center in downtown Everett.
Rich’s is exhibiting at the show. You’ll find us smack dab
in the middle of the arena, in area #306-308 and 309-311. We’ll hope you’ll
stop by introduce yourself as you’re browsing the show.
Here's a map so you can find us easily (click inside image to enlarge):
Show Hours:
Fri: Noon - 8 PM
Sat: 10 AM - 7 PM
Sun: 10 AM - 5 PM
“Glass Media” is a term you’re going to hear increasingly, because ‘glass is the new log’ when it comes to fire pits and fireplace inserts.
This eco-friendly fireplace décor uses post-industrial glass that has been melted down and has a dye added to it. It can withstand temperatures of up to 1,300 degrees, making it ideal for use in fireplace inserts and fire pits.
Glass Media (also called fireplace glass and fire pit glass) can be used indoors and outdoors. But perhaps the most appealing aspect of glass media is that you can change the color and shape of glass depending on your mood or the color palette of your furnishings.
At Rich’s, we have 120 types of glass media available for you to order, and we stock the top colors and shapes in our showrooms.
Glass media comes in every color of the rainbow, from amber to crystal red to sky blue. A typical fire pit uses 30 pounds of glass media.
Here are pictures and descriptions of several types of glass media:
Eco Glass
Comes in 11 colors: amber, orange, red, white, yellow, green, black, plum, sapphire blue, sky blue, and smoke. Pictured: Crystal Red Eco Glass
Firebeads
These luminous beads glow and reflect the dancing flames from your fire pit or gas fireplace. The firebeads are approximately 1/2" and uniform in size. They come in 16 colors. Pictured: Aqua Blue Luster Firebeads
Fireglass
The ¼” bronze fireglass pictured below is a popular color in fire pits that use natural earth tones as the building material. It also complements rooms with hardwood floors or brown colored walls. The ¼” fireglass comes in 13 colors.
Reflective Fireglass
To add extra flare to your décor, you can add a second reflective color as a topper to accent the fireglass. For example, as an accent for the bronze fireglass above, you could add ¼” platinum reflective fireglass.
Platinum pairs well with almost any other color. It is a starfire-colored glass with a reflective mirror effect on one side. The reflective properties offer a brilliant sparkle under the midday sun or a reflection of fire while the flame is burning after dark.
Fireglass, ½”
If you prefer a larger size fireglass, it also comes in ½”. The Evergreen fireglass pictured below is an excellent choice in any landscaped area that has a lot of foliage, or in homes where green is the primary color. Half-inch fireglass comes in 9 colors, plus 8 reflective colors.
Stop by one of Rich’s five Puget Sound showrooms in Bellevue, Lynnwood, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale to check out our fire pits and glass media.
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The Seattle Home Show is coming to town! From Saturday, February 16 through Sunday, February 24, enjoy one of the world’s largest and longest-running home shows – the Seattle Home Show has been around since 1939!
If you’ve never been to the Seattle Home show, it’s a veritable feast for the senses, with exhibits featuring everything for the home – indoors and out.
Rich’s will be there, of course. At our exhibit, which is one of the Home Show’s largest, we’ll showcase the latest trends in stoves, fireplace inserts, and hot tubs. And we’ll offer the best deals of the year on inventory we’ve brought in especially for the Home Show.
You’ll find Rich’s at the south end of CenturyLink Field Event Center, in #305-307 and #421-423. See yellow mark on the map:
How to “do” the show
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Dress in layers
Bring a sack lunch and beverages (unless you want to purchase from the concessions stands)
Allot several hours to browse the exhibits, attend seminars, and sign up for contests and giveaways.
Exhibitors
Want to find a particular exhibitor? Click here to view the full exhibitor list.
Seminars
Take advantage of the many seminars offered throughout the Home Show.Click here to view the seminar schedule.
E-ticket purchasers get free parking at CenturyLink Field Event Center and Safeco Field Garage, plus a free cup of chowder at F.X. McRory's on 2nd & King,
Plus, you get a one-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens with ticket purchase.
Location
CenturyLink Field Event Center, 1000 Occidental Avenue South (between Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field)
Hours
Saturdays: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Sundays: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Mon – Fri: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Parking
Plenty of parking will be available at CenturyLink Field Event Center Parking Garage, CenturyLink Field North Lot and Safeco Field Garage.
Vehicles with four or more occupants can take advantage of “Four or More Park Free™” in designated parking areas. Free parking with E-ticket purchase.
You can take advantage of smokin’ hot deals on wood stoves,
pellet stoves and inserts via the Amazing Offers page on Rich’s website.
We regularly add limited-time offers to this page, so check
back often to see what’s new.
Here are five scorching hot deals we're offering right now:
Avalon Arbor Freestanding Wood Stove
SAVE $543!
Emphasizing beauty and harmony, the Arbor™ has the subtle
artistic detail of cast cherry blossoms and large double doors with 190 square
inches of ceramic glass. The top loading firebox offers incredibly easy wood
loading. For a medium size wood stove, the Arbor can hold up to 65 pounds of
wood.
Avalon Eden - Brown Gas Stove
SAVE $400!
The Eden™ cast iron gas stoves beautiful three-sided
fire-view is inspired by the natural arches of interlocking trees and branches.
And despite its size, the Eden boasts an incredibly large 416 square inches of
fire-viewing – which highlights the realistic wood-like fire from any angle in
the room. The Eden produces up to 22,000 BTUs, along with an exceptional
turn-down ratio of 70-percent.
Avalon Arbor Pellet Stove - Black
Save $558!
From its sculptured legs, picture frame fire viewing doors
to the blooming cast iron cherry blossoms that entwine themselves up the sides,
the Arbor pellet stove gives you a subtle organic flourish that will enhance
any home.
Lopi Northfield Oxford - Black Enamel Gas Stove
Save $510!
The Northfield™ cast iron gas stove’s classical Early
American design and three-side fireview more closely resembles a piece of fine
furniture than it does a gas stove. Despite its size, the Northfield boasts an
incredibly large 416 square inches of fire-viewing – which highlights the
realistic dancing-flame fire from any angle in the room.
The Northfield™ features the revolutionary GreenSmart gas
burner system and realistic Ember-Fyre burner. The GreenSmart system is the
latest in energy-efficiency gas technology that heats the home while saving on
energy usage and lowering heating bills.
Morso 5660 wood insert
Save over $700 while supplies last!
Designed to meet the simplicity
of modern, contemporary lifestyle, the Morsø 5660 wood insert offers the
discerning homeowner an unparalleled ‘window of fire’. Clean lines, a huge
window and a 4-sided ‘picture-frame’ make the 5660 Standard the epitome of
Scandinavian design and function.
Manufactured in fine grade cast
iron using 98% recycled material; it incorporates ‘state of the art’ non-catalytic
combustion technology for environmentally friendly operation.
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Get ready, folks… our doors open at 7 a.m. Saturday, February 2 for Rich’s one-day supersale.
Prices will be slashed on every fireplace insert and stove in stock, including our popular Avalon and Lopi brands (manufactured right here in the Seattle area).
If you’re looking for a wood fireplace insert that
features the world’s cleanest-burning technology, you’ll want to stop by Rich’s
to see the Avalon
Large Flush Wood Hybrid-Fyre™ insert.
This ultra-green insert fuses two combustion technologies
into one hybrid stove. Here’s how the hybrid technology works, in layman’s
terms:
The primary combustion occurs
in the firebox. Secondary tubes help re-burn the gases before they leave the
firebox. Those unburned gases are then passed through the catalytic combustor,
which further reduces emissions and carbon monoxide.
The advantages of this
hybrid insert: virtually no smoke exits the insert. Not only that, but this
insert boasts emissions of just 0.58 grams per hour. That reduction in
emissions means that there’s almost zero carbon monoxide output throughout all
burn cycles.
The Large Flush Wood Hybrid-Fyre™ insert burns wood, a renewable
resource and the most inexpensive fuel. The insert is capable of heating up to
2,500 sq. feet, with up to a 12-hour burn time.
The
large fire box is 3.0 cubic feet and will accommodate a 24-inch log. The insert
features a bypass damper for smoke-free firestarting and reloading.
The
insert will fit into many fireplace openings and is approved for both masonry
and zero-clearance fireplaces.
There are two decorative faces available for this insert: the Cypress™ face with built-in Accent lights, and the Universal™ face with vertical grills.
Stop by one of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Bellevue, Lynnwood, Tacoma, Southcenter or Silverdale to learn more about the Avalon Large Flush Wood Hybrid-Fyre™ insert.
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Visit Rich's Website
For more details about our products and for directions to our showrooms, visit richshome.com.
We provide tips and Internet-only specials on our Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.
Subscribe to Rich's Blog
Subscribe to our blog via your feed reader or receive our latest posts in your e-mail Inbox. Simply click “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” or fill out the form located in the right-hand sidebar of our blog.
Visit Rich's Website
For more details about our products and for directions to our showrooms, visit richshome.com. Rich's has five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale. Hope to see you soon!
Remember when stoves and fireplace inserts came in one color…black?
Then came variations on black:
Black with gold accents.
Black with brass accents.
Black with nickel accents.
While the traditional black is still the most popular look in free-standing gas stoves and fireplace inserts, we’re seeing huge shifts in stove faces and finishes. Here are some design trends to look forward to in 2013:
SHADOWBOX
The sleek shadowbox face makes a statement with its streamlined, clean look.
On a gas fireplace, the shadowbox looks like a picture frame. The “frame” surrounds all four sides of the fireplace, creating a “shadow” effect around the firebox.
On a fireplace insert, the shadowbox serves as a trim piece, giving the insert a finished look.
Shadowbox with satin finish
FINISHES
Mix-and-match faces and finishes will continue be a trend in 2013. Many gas fireplaces and inserts offer multiple face options in a choice of textured finishes.
Neo-Classic face with brushed nickel finish
Metropolitan face with black painted finish
Charcoal Painted Finish on the FPX 864 TRV Gas Fireplace
Popular finishes you’ll be seeing in 2013:
Carbon patina (black tone, hand-rubbed at the factory)
Pewter
Black satin
Bronze patina (Pictured below : Artisan face with hand-rubbed bronze patina finish)
Brushed nickel (pictured below)
MEDIA
Gas fireplaces offer much more than traditional logs. Complementing the sleek shadowbox face, you can choose contemporary options such as glass media or fyre stones (pictured below).
Driftwood fire art is an excellent middle-of-the-road option that’s increasing in popularity every year.
Feeling chilled?
Stop by one of Rich’s 5 showrooms and ask to see our gas fireplaces in action. You’ll get toasty in no time. We promise. Rich’s is located in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, and Silverdale.
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It’s called the 616. That’s because this new gas insert from Avalon boasts 616 square inches of viewing area, with ceramic glass that goes almost all the way to the bottom of the hearth.
This extra-large insert fits into most fireplace openings and converts an existing masonry or metal fireplace into an efficient heater while preserving the look of a traditional fireplace.
The 616 heats 600 to 2,000 square feet and has a maximum output of 39,000 BTU.
GreenSmart Comfort
This insert includes several standard features – features that are optional on many other stoves. It includes fans, three accent lights, a three-stage burner and a GreenSmart remote.
The remote allows you to run the fireplace in “Smart Thermostat Mode,” which automatically adjusts the flame height based on the temperature setting. This means that the flame will modulate up or down as opposed to shutting off or on like normal thermostats, thus conserving fuel and maximizing heating ability.
The GreenSmart Comfort Control™ allows the middle and front burner to operate independently of the rear burner. If you don’t need to heat your home but want to enjoy the ambiance of the flames, you can turn off the rear burner with the push of a button.
The GreenSmart split-flow burners offer a more efficient way to heat the room by only burning the amount of fuel necessary to keep a constant temperature. It’s a smarter, greener way to enjoy your fireplace!
Three Burner Options
The accent lights on the 616 not only illuminate the back of the firebox from behind the back log, but also from the top of the firebox. You can choose from among six firebacks and three media options to best fit the architectural style of your home:
The Driftwood Fire Art comes with glowing embers:
The Fyre-Stone Rock Kit:
The Traditional Log Set comes with beautifully detailed logs and glowing embers:
Six Fireback Options
Personalize the interior of the insert with one of the following firebacks:
Black painted
Straight brick
Herringbone brick
Handmade brick
Black enamel
Stainless steel
Pictured, left to right: Handmade brick, herringbone, stainless steel
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For more details about our products and for directions to our showrooms, visit richshome.com.
They’re sleek, stylish, and eco-friendly. Wall-mounted fireplaces are the latest fashion in interior home design, and they’re catching on like – well – wildfire.
Here are nine good reasons why you might want to invest in a wall-mount fireplace:
1. Space-Saving
If you don’t want the bulk of a free-standing wood, gas, or pellet stove, a wall-mount fireplace is an excellent alterative. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so whether you live in a large home or an apartment, it’s easy to find a model that fits comfortably on your available wall space.
2. Easy to Install
Similar to installing a wall-mounted flat screen TV, you simply install the wall bracket that’s included with your fireplace near an electrical outlet, plug it in, and you’re good to go. Some models, such as the Chalet (from Dimplex) pictured below, include a pedestal base so you can display the fireplace on a flat surface such as a dresser or buffet table. A portable fireplace… now, that’s the ticket!
3. Stylish
Electric fireplaces feature clean, contemporary lines. The interior – called the “media bed” or “ember bed” – may be a combination of driftwood and river rock (Chalet, above); crushed glass embers (Dusk, pictured below); sand or pebbles.
4. Realistic Flames
The patented LED Dimplex flame technology creates the illusion of a true wood-burning fire.
5. Zone Heating
The Dimplex fireplaces we sell at Rich’s, such as the Strata (pictured below) include a powerful fan-forced heater that can provide supplemental heat to a room. Or, you can switch the heater off and enjoy the ambiance of the flames. A three-stage remote control allows you to control the heat and flame with the touch of a button.
6. Eco-Friendly
No matches. No refueling. No smoke. No chimney cleaning. Not to mention that electric fireplaces produce 90% less carbon dioxide than an average direct vent gas fireplace.
7. Economical
Electric fireplaces plug in to standard household outlets – no re-wiring is needed. And they cost just pennies per hour to operate (based on national average residential electricity rates).
8. Durable
Cabinet-quality wood veneers, hand-applied finishes, and superior hardware ensure that your Dimplex electric fireplace will withstand a lot of wear and tear.
9. Safe
The glass front of an electric fireplace remains cool to the touch, making it an ideal choice for families with young children.
We stock an excellent variety of electric fireplaces at Rich’s. Come in to one of our five Puget Sound showrooms and ask for a demonstration.
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I have a hard time visualizing what a specific fireplace or insert will look like in my home. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered a handy “design your perfect fire” tool at the Fireplace Xtrordinair website.
It’s easy and fun to use this free online tool. Here’s how it works:
Choose the fuel you’ll use:
Wood
Gas
Electric
Select the size of space you’ll want to heat:
Small room
Large room
Whole house
Ambiance only
Fireplace vs Insert
Decide whether you’ll need a fireplace or a fireplace insert (if you’re retrofitting an existing fireplace to improve its efficiency, you’ll need an insert).
Choose a style:
Traditional (Early American to neoclassical to French countryside)
Transitional (a fusion of traditional and contemporary, giving you a variety of design options)
Modern (simple, sleek, streamlined, and subdued)
Testing 1,2,3
I tested the tool, selecting a transitional gas fireplace insert for a large room. The site displayed three models that fit my criteria.
I chose the “32 DVS GSR Insert” because I liked the look of it and I like the fact that it uses the "Advanced" GreenSmart™ Ember-Fyre™ burner, blower and the GreenSmart™ remote.
I clicked the “Customize Your Fire” button and then selected a face, finish, and door style. This is the fun part, because when you click on different faces and colors, it immediately shows you a preview of what your fireplace will look like.
You can also change the “wall” that displays behind your fireplace, selecting from a variety of options such as:
Painted wall
Brown, light, or red brick
Natural stone
Stone block
River rock
Black granite
Marble
Slate or grey slate
Concrete
Next, customize your fireplace’s interior. Select a fireback (backdrop for the fire) and a log set.
Finally, select from “extras” such as a wall thermostat.
Here’s a picture of my fireplace design:
When you’re finished designing your fireplace, print out the specs
and a picture, and bring them to Rich’s when you place your order.
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For more details about our products and for directions to our showrooms, visit richshome.com.
You’ve probably done it. Wadded up sheets of yesterday’s newspaper and stuffed it amongst the kindling in your wood stove. Lit innumerable matches and tossed them atop the newspaper. Blew a stream of your own hot air onto the tiny flame until you got lightheaded.
Now, there’s a better way to light a wood stove. It’s called GreenStart™, a state-of-the-art ignition system that lights your stove in about 1 minute with the click of a button.
Now we’re talking!
The GreenStart system pulls room air into a small igniter unit that’s embedded into the sidewall on the back of a wood stove. It super-heats that air to 1400 degrees Farenheit. The super-heated air comes out an exit point on the unit and starts the kindling burning in about 1 minute. The entire cycle of forcing super-heated air through the unit takes about 15 minutes.
When doing a “cold start” of your stove, all you do is place the kindling close to the exit point for the super-heated air and push the “start” button.
When you want to refresh a fire that’s already been lit, you simply load the wood into the firebox and push the button.
In this video, our friends at Travis Industries in Mukilteo, WA (manufacturers of the Fireplace Xtrordinair, Avalon, and Lopi brands), explain how the GreenStart igniter works and demonstrate the ideal way to load kindling into your wood stove when using this option.
Be sure to check out the notes below the video. You’ll learn about two FPX inserts that are available with the GreenStart option.
How to load kindling into an insert that uses the GreenStart option
Add two pieces of kindling to the bottom of the firebox.
Add a third, medium-size piece of kindling crossways, as close to the igniter exit as possible.
Add a second medium piece of kindling about 1 inch away from the first one; then add additional pieces in a log-cabin fashion.
Add larger pieces of kindling.
Once you’re finished adding layers of kindling, add larger pieces of wood to the rest of the fireplace.
Close the door.
If your unit has a bypass, make sure it’s in the fully-open position. Also make sure the air control is in the fully-open position.
Press the “Start” button and the GreenStart system will light your fireplace.
After about 15 minutes, when the fire gets going well, close the bypass.
FPX Elite Plus Inserts With GreenStart Option
33 Elite Plus with Single Arched Door FPX’s exclusive flush-to-the fireplace design enhances the beautiful lines of a classic fireplace and provides modern heating efficiency. This insert heats a space up to 2,000 square feet with less wood and longer burn times and is designed to be installed in both masonry and zero clearance wood burning fireplaces.
33 Elite Plus with Single Rectangular Door Features the Shadowbox face and single piece panel for a simple design that conceals the convection opening to give a sleek linear appeal. This insert features a variable speed, high volume blower which can utilize the hard-wiring option kit to preserve the classic good looks of your existing fireplace without a power cord showing on the hearth.
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For more details about our products and for directions to our showrooms, visit richshome.com.
It's our biggest sale of the year on hearth products.
Starting today (Wed, Aug 29, 2012) through Labor Day, you'll find fantastic deals on demos, closeouts and factory seconds -- fireplaces, inserts, and stoves, including the Avalon brand.
Not only that, but you'll save thousands on Rich's hot tubs, as the price on over 100 spas has been reduced.
There's more! We're offering final clearance prices on Rich's patio furniture -- save up to 70% off.
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They’re stylish. They’re space-saving. Media consoles are the must-have home décor innovation for 2012.
Media consoles do triple duty:
They store media components
They have a reinforced shelf on top for a wide screen TV
They include a built-in electric fireplace
Designs
You can find a media console to complement any style of home décor – they come in traditional, transitional, and contemporary designs. Several models allow you to choose a finish. Common finishes include oak, walnut, mocha, espresso, natural, matte black, black satin, or stainless steel.
Firebox Options
The built-in electric firebox comes equipped with either a traditional log set or a contemporary glass ember bed – several models allow you to customize which type of firebox display you prefer.
Features
While the typical media console is the horizontal (landscape) design, several are configured to fit in corners (perfect for a bedroom or condo living room).
All media consoles feature generous storage compartments, cabinet space, and shelving so you can neatly store (or hide) your collection of remotes, media components, speakers and DVDs.
They also come equipped with a heavy duty surface for housing your television – the platforms on some models support TVs of up to 60 inches.
Stop by and ask our sales associates to show you how you can create a unique look for your home with a media console. If you don’t see quite what you want in our showroom, we’d be happy to order ANY product from the Dimplex catalog for you.
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Electric fireplaces are undergoing major redesigns to reflect Americans' desire to save space and heat efficiently, while still enjoying the benefits of a crackling fire. Here are five concepts that are revolutionizing the electric fireplace industry:
1. You can have flames without heat.
Electric fireplaces are efficient at zone heating, and they’re certainly a lot better looking than baseboard heaters or fan-forced wall heaters.
But perhaps the most attractive quality of an electric fireplace is its ambiance. With the flick of a switch, you can turn off the heat and enjoy the flickering flames any day of the year.
One of our favorite ambient fireplaces is the Illuminations Electric Fireplace (pictured above) from Fireplace Extordinair (FPX). This candlescape fireplace features flickering LED flame technology, and enhances the design of any bedroom or bath.
2. Fireplace “smoke” isn’t really smoke.
The OptiMyst from Dimplex is revolutionizing the entire electric fireplace industry with its patented smoke effect. The OptiMyst creates a three-dimensional flame, glowing logs and a shimmering ember bed, and produces “smoke” that is actually mist.
Pictured below are the contemporary Rockwell model (left) and the traditional Renwick.
This 5-second video demonstrates what the OptiMyst fire looks like:
3. Fireplaces and TVs go together. Media consoles are absolutely the hottest items in the electric fireplace industry for 2012. These space-saving units are both practical and add a significant “wow” factor to your family room, media room, or “man cave.”
A typical media console includes storage for media components (receiver, DVD/Blu-Ray player, speakers), space on top for a wide screen TV, and of course, a built-in electric fireplace. Media consoles come in many shapes and sizes, from the ultra-sleek Novara (below, left) to the transitional Brookings (below, right).
4. Slim and sleek is in.
Wall-mounted fireplaces such as the Synergy from Dimplex have a linear look, similar to a flat screen TV. Because they mount right on a wall, they open up much more living space in a room while simultaneously serving as a beautiful focal point.
5. Glass is the new log.
Log fireplaces are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today, you’re more likely to see decorative flame beds customized with colored glass, stone, black pebbles, or driftwood.
This Convex Wall-Mount electric fireplace from Dimplex has black pebbles in the flame bed, and can be customized with a variety of decorative fill, so your fireplace will complement your home’s décor.
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