Cosy times: How to keep warm during wintertime
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Jane Tuna
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 06, 2009 00:00
FETHİYE - Although it might look slightly unattractive, popular ’soba’ or wood-burning stove is a functional way of warming your home during the cold winter season. Luckily, there are some other designs that can create a new and cooler look to the typically dull brown soba. It is a popular talking point as well as being practical and serviceable
Recent years have seen rapid changes in how the people of the southwest city of Fethiye choose to heat their homes during its short but chilly winter. The popular "soba" or wood-burning stove is a functional, but slightly unattractive, way of warming your room. Luckily, there are other designs that have modernized the typically dull, brown soba.
Residents have become more concerned with the design, efficiency and aesthetics of their heating system. A wood-burning stove is often the focal point of a room and a brown soba with an odd-looking pipe attached is not everyone’s concept of 21st century interior design. But now brown is not the only color.
Bea Laughland, a resident of Kaya Valley in Fethiye was fortunate enough to find a small, intricately enameled antique, cream-colored soba for sale in Istanbul and immediately snatched it up. It was shipped to her home in Fethiye and is now fitted in her living room. Not only is it very attractive and serviceable, it is a popular talking point among their envious friends. "It’s much better than going to bed with an electric blanket," said her husband.
A cold winter night’s chill can also be relieved by warming air conditioning units, electric fireplaces or gas heaters. Some people even have gas or LPG central heating, but for many the installation expense and running costs make those out of reach. There is also the environmental cost of gas and central heating. And with wood being environmentalists’ fuel of choice, the soba tops the list of heaters.
Luckily, businessman Bayram Salman has come to the rescue of the style conscious. When visiting a building trade fair in Istanbul four years ago, he spotted an elegant, black, caste iron wood-burning stove. Based on a Greek design and produced by Şefer Dökum, an Istanbul company, these stylish stoves were being exported to Greece, Italy and Lebanon but were not initially available in Turkey.
The weren’t on the market in Turkey primarily because of the cost, but as Turkish consumers increasingly demanded quality, the market for these durable, high-quality products increased. Salman knew there were potential customers waiting for these stoves in Fethiye and he set up a distribution and service facility for the town.
Many foreign residents and Turkish professionals, who want something reliable but modern and different, have bought them. "People are prepared to pay the premium," he said. "They are actually buying a wood-burning stove that will last forever. The classic design, sealed components and fuel efficiency will save them money in the long run."
For the ones who are concerned about the problems, the company offers free instillation service.
"We also offer an inclusive instillation service," said Salman. "Chimneys are checked and the stove is professionally fitted. On the rare occasions people experience a problem, we have a 24-hour after-care service. We want people to get the best results from their investment. It’s important to us."
The wood for a soba should be produced sustainably to protect the environment. The most popular wood to burn in Fethiye is oak, which grows slowly. TEMA is working together with the Forest Ministry to plant vast areas of oak.
Residents have become more concerned with the design, efficiency and aesthetics of their heating system. A wood-burning stove is often the focal point of a room and a brown soba with an odd-looking pipe attached is not everyone’s concept of 21st century interior design. But now brown is not the only color.
Bea Laughland, a resident of Kaya Valley in Fethiye was fortunate enough to find a small, intricately enameled antique, cream-colored soba for sale in Istanbul and immediately snatched it up. It was shipped to her home in Fethiye and is now fitted in her living room. Not only is it very attractive and serviceable, it is a popular talking point among their envious friends. "It’s much better than going to bed with an electric blanket," said her husband.
A cold winter night’s chill can also be relieved by warming air conditioning units, electric fireplaces or gas heaters. Some people even have gas or LPG central heating, but for many the installation expense and running costs make those out of reach. There is also the environmental cost of gas and central heating. And with wood being environmentalists’ fuel of choice, the soba tops the list of heaters.
Luckily, businessman Bayram Salman has come to the rescue of the style conscious. When visiting a building trade fair in Istanbul four years ago, he spotted an elegant, black, caste iron wood-burning stove. Based on a Greek design and produced by Şefer Dökum, an Istanbul company, these stylish stoves were being exported to Greece, Italy and Lebanon but were not initially available in Turkey.
The weren’t on the market in Turkey primarily because of the cost, but as Turkish consumers increasingly demanded quality, the market for these durable, high-quality products increased. Salman knew there were potential customers waiting for these stoves in Fethiye and he set up a distribution and service facility for the town.
Many foreign residents and Turkish professionals, who want something reliable but modern and different, have bought them. "People are prepared to pay the premium," he said. "They are actually buying a wood-burning stove that will last forever. The classic design, sealed components and fuel efficiency will save them money in the long run."
For the ones who are concerned about the problems, the company offers free instillation service.
"We also offer an inclusive instillation service," said Salman. "Chimneys are checked and the stove is professionally fitted. On the rare occasions people experience a problem, we have a 24-hour after-care service. We want people to get the best results from their investment. It’s important to us."
The wood for a soba should be produced sustainably to protect the environment. The most popular wood to burn in Fethiye is oak, which grows slowly. TEMA is working together with the Forest Ministry to plant vast areas of oak.