Can it be that our culture no longer appreciates the value of an honest flame? On the contrary. We just want it to make more sense to our efficient spaces. Many of us can recall the sledgehammers, sooted clothing, and a week of distress when removing the brick fireplace and chimney from your home. Even though I think we can all appreciate a great fire, the glow of a gas or electric fireplace can lovingly replace its predecessor. In this week’s Top Ten list, we take a look at the crackling indoor firepits that choose alternative fuels, freestanding cylinders, modern wood burners, and flat, wall-mounted versions to keep those cozy winter evenings alive.

Don’t let the Fireplace Blow Out, Modern Alternatives Keep the Flames Alive.

1. BLF50
MANUFACTURER: Dimplex
PRICE: $1,399
Dimensions: 50-5/16″w x 19-7/16″h x 7″d

Wide-reaching at a 50″ width, the BLF50 design is what Dimplex calls transitional, clean and simple. Using a patented electric flame technology that includes a flame bed made from colored glass pieces that are silvered on one side, the reflecting light creates a flame-like effect. Use it as a fully recessed fireplace in new projects, retrofit into an existing walls, or wall-mounted. The BLF50 requires 120 volts to create three settings of heat that can be adjusted with a remote control.

2. Verona
MANUFACTURER: Fiamma
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 24″, 30″, 48″ and custom sizes

Definitely not your usual fireplace look, the Verona gas burner is ultra modern. Using a burner instead of gas logs plugged into your wall, it is perfect for projects that are looking to turn up the heat without requiring heavy ventilation. I could see this being used in climates that don’t require hefty heating in the winter months, since the Verona gas burner creates a gentle heat with a dramatic look. Fiamma employs a bed of liquid glass with this burner that has won multiple awards and is offered in several different colors.

3. Wilderness
MANUFACTURER: Ironhaus
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 36″, 42″ and 50″

This Wilderness fireplace by Ironhaus is a stainless steel outdoor wood burning fireplace. It is comes with your choice of 9 different handcrafted door designs in arched or rectangular shapes, and has 6 door handle options with over 20 finishes. The Montana-based Ironhaus company made this design with bricks to look as authentic as original masonry, but since they’ve updated it with steel, the Ironhaus is easy to install.

4. Cylinder 65169
MANUFACTURER: Neoporte Modern Door
PRICE: $1,967
Dimensions: 33.07″h x 11.81″dia.

Across the board, Neoporte Modern Door uses elemental style with the look of brushed, silver tones on single or double doors. I’m sure at some point they realized how useful this aesthetic would be when used to create contemporary fireplaces and other accessories too. Recommending the use of denatured alcohol to fuel its fire, the Cylinder 65169 fireplace makes the environment a priority. Perfect for your family dinner and movie or a gathering, the economy of the flame has an approximate burn time of 2.5- 3 hours.

5. Niagra
MANUFACTURER: Max Blank
PRICE: 8,580
Dimensions: 30.5“w x 73.23″h x 18.7″d

Fire and Ice is right, folks. If you’re looking for a center piece of a fireplace unit, look no further. The Niagra by the German-based Max Blank has a waterfall and a fire going at the same time. According to the company information, this vertical fireplace will provide your space with radiant heat, room humidification, and dust control… not to mention romance. But after seeing this German Krupp steel-made fireplace with it’s patented combustion of wood you’re bound to respect it as a machine for the 5-7 hours of warm, radiant heat it provides.

6. Fusion
DESIGNER: Marc Philipp Veenendaal
MANUFACTURER: EcoSmart
PRICE: $6,900
Dimensions: 39″h x 37.2″w x 17.72″d

A floor fireplace that boasts descriptive words like minimalist, chic, practical, and colorful, the Fusion design by Marc Philipp Veenendaal for EcoSmart Fire creates a furniture piece out of what typically rests in or on your wall. Rectangular in shape with a rear toughened glass panel and wind screen static affixed to the front of this firebox, the Fusion is portable and fueled by the renewable energy source, denatured ethanol, to bolster its greening power.

7. Halcyon
MANUFACTURER: European Home
PRICE: $7,200
Dimensions: 57”w x 44”h x 18 ½”d

The word Halcyon (pronounced hal-see-on) originates from the ancient Greek myth of Alcyone, meaning golden or marked by peace and prosperity. But its interior lights, remote control and your choice of black, stainless or white interiors are modern features that brings this Halcyon gas fireplace by European Home right into the present. Another option is the choice of fire media that comes in a crushed stone, crushed glass, Dover stones or Dover stones with logs.

8. Stûv 21
MANUFACTURER: StûvPRICE: $9,000 and up, including installation and chimney wood
Dimensions: 17.7″w x 32.3″h – 53.1″w x 18.5″h

Fabulously simple and of impressive quality, the Stûv 21 is as close to a custom designed wood burning fireplace as you can get. It comes in 13 different sizes, and is offered in single face or double face designs for a totally unobstructed view of the fire. The glass door slides up, completely disappearing instead of flapping forward or being hinged to the sides. The Belgian company, Stûv, is a highly reputable company designing stoves, hearths, and cladding with the utmost precision. Within the United States, the Sag Harbor Fireplace store in Sag Harbor, NY is the one and only dealer of all Stûv fireplaces.

9. Anaheim Corner Electric
MANUFACTURER: Classic Flame
PRICE: $1,149
Dimensions: 47.5″W x 14.5″D x 33″H overall; 23″ fireplace size

The multi-functionality of Classic Flame’s Anaheim Corner Electric Fireplace, in their Espresso finish, is the ultimate way to spruce up a media center. I’d think those of us dealing with smaller spaces also appreciate it’s efficient use of area. The 23″ fireplace inside the glass doors at its base is operated by a remote control. It leaves plenty of space throughout the compartments for your belongings too. To top it off, the center comes with a beveled base, adjustable shelves, and a satin nickel oval door knobs.

10. Double Vision
DESIGNER: Jan des Bouvrie
MANUFACTURER: Safretti
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions

“Peace and harmony are the absolute key elements of my designs,” says Jan des Bouvrie about her Double Vision fireplace for Safretti. “Designs that in an interior will provide a timeless basis to work with. This specific design is a beautiful symbiosis between two products, each of which strengthens the other with force.” In other words, the newest line by Safretti combines a satisfying chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open-fire feel with its use of sustainable, potato-infused bioalcohol that keeps its flames alive. As Amanda Smith wrote in a 3rings post recently, it is “a statement about the visual art pieces that fireplaces have become.”

Hope you enjoyed our roundup of the Top Ten: Alternative Fireplaces!

Top Ten articles publish every Tuesday. Email 3rings@designerpages.com if there’s a category you’d like to see.