As the year draws to a close, and our diary for December 2024 has been filled, we wanted to express our gratitude (as always) to our customers who continue to support us. Looking back on all the wonderful projects we have been a part of in your homes and businesses, and the growth our showroom continues to make as we upgrade our displays to meet demands, we are proud of another successful year here at Pepper's Fireplaces!
2024: The Year of Gas Fires, Statement Marble Fireplaces, and Showroom Upgrades!
We experienced a 20% increase in gas fire installations this year, and many of our customers looked to invest in larger, hotter, more efficient gas fires. This proves zonal heating is more important than ever, as our houses extend larger & larger, and heating bills rise.
In January we were approached by a lovely couple from Bexley who commissioned a stunning, bespoke mantelpiece inspired by Art Deco design, in Bianca Carrara marble. When their fireplace was finalised, we found ourselves equally inspired, and put a similar one on display, naming it in their honour. It is available to view at our showroom and has been christened 'The Wayman'.
February brought with it lots of love to our showroom, thanks to Gazco, who are one of our leading suppliers of gas, electric & solid-fuel. Our new room out the back was adorned with plenty of their best-selling products, and decorated by their efficient showroom team!
Marching forwards with further upgrades to our showroom, we began our relationship with luxury media wall company Emberlux, owned by Evonicfires. Seeing a continued high demand for media walls, with neat & modern storage solutions, we wanted to offer our customers a quality solution they could pair with their favourite fires. This took pride of place in our window, and since its installation we have had wonderful feedback, and it continues to capture attention from passers by looking for inspiration!
Looking back at April, which was one of our quieter months for the showroom, but still packed full of stunning design projects, including the installation of a New Forest 650SQ in Abbeywood. Our customer recently sent us photos of the finished room, and we love her choice of bright, bold
colour.
May is usually the beginning of our quiet season, but still plenty going. on behind the scenes! For those who don't know, our family business includes not just the Fireplace Showroom, but also the Garden Centre, which thrives during that time of year. So to represent May, we've picked a photo of one of our team cosied up in front of their fire at home, tucking into a bowl of soup, on an unseasonably cold day. So passionate, about what we do, we cant help but bring our work home with us!
We had a customer from Erith approach us for installation in June, looking to purchase two fireplaces for her home. As they were going in a through-lounge, she wanted them to match, and because she was buying them together, she had a budget we needed to stick to. We worked together, with our client in the showroom, to find a fireplace option that ticked all her boxes. A recent photo proves that it also ticked boxes we hadn't considered, including a heated cat bed!
June also marked the release of the British Fires Black Glass upgrades across the New Forest range. Since the upgrade was released, we've seen a huge uptake on these fires (which were already one of our best-selling media wall fires) and British Fires kindly upgraded our display so customers could experience for themselves the impact this change has on an already electric stunning fire-effect.
A very hot July didn't deter our customers thinking ahead for the colder months due to come, as we saw a large increase in gas fire enquiries, and our new 'Wayman' display lit the flames of inspiration for a family in Welling. Our clients chose to fit their new statement mantel around Onyx's new Eclipse 60HL gas fire, which has been a popular choice for many of our customers looking for a realistic glass fronted, remote control, gas fire.
We continued our trend of big, beautiful gas fires in August when our client based in Longfield had a tricky situation from the result of her builders building her a chimney that was not suitable for use. Thankfully, we were able to offer a solution with a Balanced Flue Gazco Reflex 75T, which provided a stunning, realistic gas fire, without needing to use her chimney.
September is the start of our prime heating season, and we kicked it off by installing a Futara 5 Woodburner for our fabulous client in Welling. Their visit to our showroom back in June helped stoke the flames of their imagination, and we worked with them to plan their dream stove set-up whilst keeping their budget in mind.. We offered a complete service which included installation of their liner, flue pipe, closure plate, connector, and a chimney sweep, and installed their new stove on a honed granite hearth, and fitted a chamber they had supplied themselves,. Our customer was pleased with the end result and sent us a lovely updated photo with his chimney breast painted and skirting pending!
October marked the beginning of the end for a long-term client of ours who had undertaken a massive year-long renovation project of their family home in Bexleyheath, and had consulted us on transforming their living room fireplace. The final result was a monochromatic Aegean Limestone finish, using the Colby mantel for a timeless look with clean lines, complemented by the Gazco's Reflex 75T black glass gas fire. A stunning combination which added warmth and atmosphere to our customer's beautiful, newly decorated room.
"Remember, remember, Pepper's Sale in November!" This November was the first time we ran a month-long 'black-friday' sale, to resounding popularity with our customers. The feedback we received from this opportunity was fantastic and we hope to run it again should we be able to! One of our customers who was able to take advantage of our sale was a client in New Eltham who upgraded her fire thanks to the discount we extended to her, opting for the new Onyx Eclipse high-efficiency gas fire, with a Aegean Limestone Hersham mantel and polished granite slips for a slick, neat finish.
Rounding off our 2024 recap in December, and it t'was the month of big statement mantelpieces and plenty of glass-fronted gas fires. We installed 3 of Elgin & Hall's Hartley Gas Fireplace suites into individual customer homes, thanks to the Hartley suite's fantastic price-point and stunning flame-effect. We have the Hartley on display at our showroom and it is a popular choice for our customers who want a neat, modern gas fireplace.
During December we were also tasked with an exciting fireplace design project for our customer in Plumstead; our design brief was electric, black, modern, and it needed to fit on our client's narrow chimney breast. We delivered by designing a bespoke Nero Marquina marble mantelpiece, complete with honed granite slips, a narrow hearth & the award-winning British Fires New Forest 650SQ Black Deluxe.
To finalise our 2024, we upgraded a customer's existing log-burner in New-Barn which was failing to heat her open-plan space thanks to an ineffective stove, and an incorrect flue-system. Before our year was up, and ahead of our Christmas deadline, we replaced the old with a new Chesterfield 5 Multi-Fuel stove, and a flashy new Stovax XQ flue system. The result was a happy & warm customer, which is always the outcome we strive for!
Looking at the year ahead our aim to expand the range of fires and fireplaces we offer our customers continues, and we are excited to announce the latest range from beModern, 'Diamond Fireplaces' is available to purchase now.. Their selection of flat-wall electric fireplace suites are available in an affordable array of micro-marble and timber designs for an opulent, modern finish. Debuting at our showroom very soon, their slimline iQX electric fire is already on display and proving popular with our customers.
Thank you to everyone who used Pepper's for their new fire in 2024; your reviews, photos, and referrals have meant so much to us, and we hope to have even more opportunities to do what we have been passionate about for 36 years; designing and installing fireplaces.
2025 has begun with an icy January, but our showroom continues to extend a warm welcome to all who visit hoping to start their exciting new fireplace journey with us!
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