Especially this time of year, it’s tough to be inside my skin. This is because as we begin to approach propitious Spring, the true indecisive scope of my Libra dispositions emerge, causing me to both look forward to the warming weather ahead and long back nostalgically for the ravaging winds of winter. Given the record storms we’ve seen this year, I may be alone in that desire, but March is fickle, and there’s likely plenty of unruly weather ahead for full enjoyment of the thermo-heating charms of an Antonio Lupi enclosed firebox. Designed by Mario Ferrarini, Skema is a handsome fireplace-cum-modular storage unit that’s a true innovation in wood heating.

Skema. Designed by Mario Ferrarini for Antonio Lupi.

Seamless Integration of a Wood-Burning Firebox

Skema’s over-arching advantage is that it eschews the familiar stand-alone configurations of wood-burning stoves without relinquishing the pleasures of a real wood fire. Skema is, in effect, an entire wall made out of the thermo-heating infrastructure: firebox, air inlets, piping, and distribution elements are all obscured, while only the front window—flanked by Skema’s fine finish in Corten steel or black and white lacquer—remains visible.

The upshot of Skema’s reworking of the wood stove is not only a better use of floor space, but also an enhanced efficiency. For Skema is designed to transcend the familiar ancillary use of the wood stove to become an entire centralized system. Antonio Lupi achieves this through installation of a connective mantle to the back of the unit: “the hot air produced by the fireplace is conveyed to the outlets at the top of the mantle, from where it can be distributed to the various rooms through flexible aluminum pipes.” Said distribution is achieved naturally through the dynamic qualities of heat and air, or improved via the enhanced efficiency of an air extractor.

Other advantages of Skema include an increased radiant capacity (heat is stored within the elements of the firebox and then released slowly), joints that are interlocked and welded for increased durability, multiple air inlets for a more complete burn, and a slide-away front door with a chain-connected counterweight. All of this is a god-send for fans of wood heat, but ultimately Skema’s strongest statement is its clean, modern aesthetic and storage capacity, which facilitates all kinds of interesting compositions starring your personal bric-a-brac and the timeless look of cut and stacked wood.

Via MocoLoco.