Cuddle up to a new flame

TIME was that if you wanted a fire you didn't have much choice. Without the luxury of an open chimney you were faced with gas fires that hissed and roared or the unattractive glow of orange and black plastic from an electric fire.

How technology has changed things.

Now fires are things of beauty that can be lit at the press of a button without the fuss and mess of coal and logs. The biggest trend now is for hole-in-the-wall gas fires or electric fires that hang from the wall like plasma screen TVs.

UK-based Dimplex pioneered Optiflame, a system that gives authentic-looking flames over coal or logs, and now their style has caught up with the technology.

The wall hung fires are perfect for city pads where you want a modern focal point in the main room. Installation is not as easy as simply plugging it into a socket and requires a qualified electrician.

The latest gel fires too allow you to have the look of a real fire instantly without fiddly fixing and plumbing. Next do a range of portable bowls with gel flame that last for a couple of hours but you can also get large hang-on-the-wall fires that you can literally put up like a picture.

Gas fires too have undergone a revolution. Now not only do you not need to have a chimney you don't even need to have a mains gas supply with many models able to be adapted to bottled gas.

Niall Deiraniya, MD of Dru Fires, based in Swinton, said: "The advances with balanced flue technology, which mean you can have a fire without a chimney, have radically changed the market and means any property can have a realistic fire.

"Programmes like Changing Rooms have placed a great emphasis on home design so people are adding a new fireplace.

"They are the focal point of any room and can completely transform the look. The UK fire market is the biggest in the world."

View comments (2 comments. Last comment 18/08/2006 at 20:22)