WarmStone Fireplaces and Designs

08/29/2026

“All I know is when we first fired up the [Tulikivi], I felt like I was rich.” --Keith Clyde

Monique Miller and Keith Clyde met in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1996. A carpenter by trade, Keith was building an airplane hangar for Monique’s father. One day when she was onsite, a ski pass from the Snowbird ski area attached to her jacket caught Keith’s eye. He, too, was an avid skier.

Monique had directed children’s ski programs across the West for several winters, and in summer, she operated her own shuttle business for mountaineers in Denali National Park. Keith grew up on his family’s dairy farm northeast of Sandpoint, and started building a cabin there at age 18.

Monique had clipped out a photograph of a Tulikivi heater from a magazine years before, but it wasn’t until 1997 when she and Keith were on a trip to the Yukon Territory that she discovered its name. They drove a Volkswagen camper van that broke down every 100 miles enroute to their summer work in Talkeetna, Alaska, and when it broke down in Whitehorse, the couple went to a plumbing store for a part. A large Tulikivi soapstone heater was in the store. The employees shared info about Tulikivi, and Monique contacted then Idaho dealer Mary Berberet.

They lived in Keith’s cabin after they met, and decided to build a conventional style home because they wanted to take more children into their family.

Because the Tulikivi took center stage in their hearts and in the house itself, they designed the house around the soapstone heater. Architect Rann Haight drafted the design for the Tulikivi TLU2480 in their home. Three yards of concrete comprised the foundation, supporting the more than three-ton heater.

Keith and Monique built everything in their house themselves. They pulled nails and re-purposed the old lumber from the local Schweitzer ski area, and peeled logs from their property, adding them to their home.

Keith had two children, and soon the couple was fostering children, often adding onto their home to accommodate up to 10 children at one time.

Their 50-acre property used to be part of a dairy farm that Keith’s family owned. It’s a beautiful site with mature trees that provide plenty of wood for burning in the Tulikivi, a yard that once held larger gardens, a 30-foot greenhouse, and a berry garden. Monique worked hard growing food for her growing family; they also raised miniature horses, pigs, and chickens. Today, Work Exchange campers assist with garden and yard chores. The couple also sharecrop, grow and sell hay.

Since 1997 they typically burn about four cords to stave off the humid Idaho cold, burning fires from the end of October into April. If it’s 20F degrees or colder, Keith and Monique build a fire in the Tulikivi twice daily, adding small heaters in far-flung rooms.

During ski season, ski boots, helmets, and gloves adorn the stove. They always keep a bowl of water in one of the cubbies to help increase humidity in winter. Tulikivi masonry heaters naturally keep homes less dry than homes that use traditional woodstoves because of healthy heat that gently radiates from its soapstone mass.

Every year the family hosts pizza parties, a spirited contest that 20-25 of their family and friends take seriously by bringing their own toppings and building versions that party goers vote on. This is a great way to share the warmth of a Tulikivi—pizzas only take 10-15 minutes in the hot bakeoven until pie perfection and smiles all around.

Monique uses a clay cloche for baking bread, casseroles, or stews in the masonry heater. The two cubby boxes on the front of the Tulikivi are perfect for rising bread dough.

Monique is self-employed, managing properties, including an Airbnb rental on their property—the cabin that Keith built and they lived in while building their house. She also worked several years for foster care programs. In winter, she travels the world, seeking the best snorkeling spots and embracing nature.

Today, semi-retired, Keith works as a building contractor and keeps the home fires burning in winter.

Keith said he was “amazed that the Tulikivi wasn’t scratched by their children. They liked to put their faces and fingers on the store.” Monique admitted there are still some fingerprints, likely matching the fingerprints on their hearts.

Monique and Keith created a lovely homestead through hard work and vision. Their big hearts touched a multitude of lives and their dream continues. So far, they are blessed with ten grandchildren.

07/01/2026

04/29/2026

Often a love affair with a Tulikivi masonry heater begins with a photograph. Love at first sight and the image imprints on your mind until it’s time to bring the dream home.
And that’s how it began with Renata Gruber. Long before she and her husband Michael Gruber built their house northwest of Spokane, Washington, Renata remembered seeing “a photo of a Finnish home, little stocking-footed blond girls sitting on the bench of the hearth, above their heads was hard tac or Finnish rye crisp, large and round with a hole in the center hanging on poles above a large soapstone fireplace.”
Curiosity inspired research and the discovery of Tulikivi masonry heaters. Renata remembers telling Michael, “If we ever build a home this will be at its heart, the non-negotiable element in our home.”
In about 2005, the couple walked into Tony’s on the Lake, a restaurant near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Renata noticed a beautiful soapstone heater, thinking, “Oh my God, this is a Tulikivi!” When she inquired about it, the owner of the restaurant “lit up,” excited to talk about his Tulikivi. After a great conversation, he gave them two soapstone shot glasses, crafted from leftover soapstone from the heater’s install. Perhaps that photo of the Finnish Tulikivi years ago had been a premonition; the couple now had three blond, stocking-footed girls.
Five years later, Renata served as general contractor while the Grubers built their home. She instructed the architect to design the house around a Tulikivi masonry heater. He had previously worked with Tulikivi distributor Ron Pihl at Warmstone Fireplaces and Design in Livingston, who in turn, directed her to area dealer Meri Berberet.
They installed model TTU2700/5 with a bakeoven and a four-sided wrap-around bench in 2011. And as promised, it sits center stage in their lovely home, a perfect balance of design and functionality.

For the rest of the story (Tulikivi use, hut-to-hut ski trip in Finland, Max the cat, and more) visit https://www.warmstone.com/a-tulikivi-love-affair.










https://www.warmstone.com/a-tulikivi-love-affair

04/18/2026

Isn't she lovely? This custom Tulikivi masonry heater in Big Sky was recently updated by new owners. The TTU 2700 is central to hearth and home, adding warmth, healthy radiant heat, and stunning beauty, blending into the architecture of the home with style.

Talk to our team to get your project rolling in time for next year's first fall burn. 406-333-4383 or stop by our showroom, 116 North B Street, Livingston, MT. Hours: Monday - Friday 8am-4:30pm, Saturdays by appointment.

04/04/2026

An enlightening article that applauds healthy radiant heat of ceramic tile heaters, akin to Tulikivi soapstone masonry heaters and the way they provide healthy heat. We should all be concerned about the health hazards of traditional woodstoves. This style of stove has been in use in Europe since the 13th century for good reason--they're more efficient, store heat in its mass, and radiate gentle heat over many hours.

Warmstone has many options of masonry heaters that can upgrade your woodburning experience and protect your family from winter's chill as well as be a more healthy alternative. Give us a call, 1 406-333-4383, or stop by Warmstone's showroom, 116 N. B St., Livingston, Montana.

, , , , Masonry Heater/Rocket Heaters/Kachelofen Hub, Masonry Heater Association of North America, Masonry Heater Design House, Tulikivi

As DEFRA introduces ever stricter rules for traditional wood burners, those seeking a statement fire without the side portion of eco guilt are turning to a centuries-old alternative.