interior solutions
“IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH
AND GET AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR BEFORE TAKING THE PLUNGE.”
Tey can’t lay claim to the warmest blaze - and are sold as a secondary heat source only - but they burn with superb energy-efficiency and have a flare for the dramatic. Ethanol doesn’t roar or crackle like a wood fire on a cold winter evening, but the flames dance and flicker attractively, sustained by biofuel poured straight into the burner.
of environmental concerns, and it’s no wonder that modern homes may be moving away from wood-burners. Most domestic fireplaces now tend towards one of three fuels: Gas, electricity, or ethanol. Gas fireplaces have long been the market-leader - an instant, authentic flame that’s cleaner than a sooty real fire - but generally require expert installation, annual check-ups and a fixed flue. In the 1980s, electric fires became a la mode, as cheap, easy-to-install alternatives to gas. Tey can’t hold a candle to gas for raw heat, but won points for convenience and cleanliness. Teir biggest drawback is simple: It’s not real fire. A relatively new entrant, ethanol fireplaces are ventless units that run on denatured alcohol, producing no pollutants beside negligible quantities of CO2.
TIP TWO A style feature With the substance sorted, you can now turn your attention to style. Once a stationary object, confined to a square metre or so below the chimney, fireplaces have now found their way into almost every part of your living room. Some protrude from the wall; some rise up through the floor; some hang precariously from the ceiling. Tere are even fireplaces that can be controlled remotely through an app on your smartphone, and that can change the colour of their flames at will. Tough they may not pack the most punch, ethanol fireplaces lead the pack in flexibility when it comes to styling a room. Needing neither chimney nor plug socket, freestanding units can be re-positioned at will, while initial installation takes around 10-15 minutes. Weather-permitting, they can even be taken outside, providing light, heat and atmosphere for an evening on the patio.
For those wishing to channel a wood burner’s old-world charm, ethanol fireplaces can fit snugly into the hearth of any country house, or be made up as traditional, standalone stoves. As Imaginfires notes: “A lot of our fireplaces look like wood-burners and they’re free- standing too, so they’re easy to set up and move around if needed.” For the more modern-minded, fireplaces can now be accommodated into all kinds of cubist structures, while a popular option involves inserting your fireplace into a frame hanging on the wall. Fireplace or wall-mounted television: From a distance it can be impossible to tell.
TIP THREE Little features and design additions can make a big difference Whe
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