Hearth & Home: Tops at making houses homey, inside and out
One of the Northwest suburbs' premier fireplace, outdoor furniture and outdoor cooking/grilling appliances dealers is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Hearth & Home in Mount Prospect, which is owned by the O'Donnell family, has served several generations of families.
“We are a family owned and operated business that wants to provide our customers with quality products designed for enjoyment, durability and value and we strive to provide our customers with the best in service and selection,” said Pat O'Donnell, president.
So, it should come as no surprise that Hearth & Home earned the “Best Barbecue/Patio Furniture” distinction from our readers this year.
“We are honored that our customers have voted us 'Best of the Best,' an award that was 50 years in the making,” said O'Donnell. “Whether you are looking for a new fireplace, grill or set of patio furniture, we have an excellent team on hand that will educate you on your purchase from start to finish. And we always stress to our customers the importance of both the quality of the products and the service we provide.”
“Customers expect to keep their purchases for many years, so they want an established business like Hearth & Home that has the ability and expertise to service these products correctly in the years to come. This is something you just cannot get from a 'big box' store,” he added.
Hearth & Home, which was founded in 1971 by Robert O'Donnell and has occupied three different locations around downtown Mount Prospect over the years, has a comfortable showroom featuring more than 50 fireplace displays, along with a wonderful variety of grills, smokers, outdoor furniture and umbrellas.
Among the offerings is Berlin Gardens “green” outdoor furniture (tables, chairs, swings, bars, picnic tables, firepits and accessories), made of #2 milk jugs at their Berlin, Ohio, plant. Not only are these pieces made of recycled HDPE comfortable to sit in and use, they are heavy, durable, stylish, won't blow away, easy to wash, can be left outside all winter and come with a 20-year warranty.
“Their Adirondack chairs sell themselves. They even come in both smooth and textured finishes and a wide variety of colors, including weathered gray, natural wood-tone, white, black and fun tropical colors that run throughout the material so that the furniture won't fade,” explained O'Donnell.
“Deep-seating collections cushioned with “sunbrella” acrylic fabric are also very popular,” he continued. “Homeowners have found that it is far more comfortable to sit in a conversational group with deep-seating, comfy spring chairs and maybe around a gas or wood fire pit than at a traditional dining set,” he continued.
“As far as umbrellas are concerned, the 9-foot market umbrella with the collar tilt mechanism is still our tried and true umbrella for use with dining sets. However, with the casual conversation groups, the cantilever umbrella puts the base off to the side of the group and allows for the free-hanging position of the umbrella over the group,” O'Donnell explained.
When it comes to outdoor cooking, pellet grills by Green Mountain and Memphis Grills are very popular with those who enjoy slow, low cooking, as well as traditional cooking of hamburgers, brats and steaks, he continued.
“You pour wood pellets made of a variety of woods into the hopper and then the auger feeds them into the grill to cook the meat with a fine barbecue flavor,” O'Donnell explained.
Conventional charcoal grills, as well as infrared grills for the searing of meats, and conventional gas grills are all still popular, too, as are wood-burning and natural gas-burning fire pits.
“With the COVID pandemic, homeowners have been seeking more and more outdoor items — so the earlier you shop for the item you want, the better,” O'Donnell counseled.
Hearth & Home is located at 530 W. Northwest Highway, Mount Prospect. For more information, call (847) 259-7550 or visit www.hearthandhomeusa.com.