Fireplaces are wonderful during the cold winter months when most of us just feel numbed by the cold. They warm our whole body within a few minutes and provide the perfect opportunity for the entire family to gather around with stories about their day. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the United States noted this and between 1933 and 1944 he presented his views on important issues in weekly radio segments that he named ‘fireside chats’.
The unfortunate reality, however, is that few of us have a house or apartment large enough to justify installing a fireplace. The other point to consider is that the majority of South Africans rent an apartment or a house from a landlord or through an agency. This makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to install a device that would the banish winter cold to the Antarctica.
Some people in certain European countries still have fireplaces but that’s generally because they do not have central heating installed. Few building contractors build properties with fireplaces – space is expensive than in Victorian days.
There is a solution to this problem, though. Minimalist fireplaces have become immensely popular due to their versatility and small size. These fireplaces are portable enough to move them from the bedroom to the lounge area or to the kitchen.
The main difference is that these fireplaces use biofire technology. This means that they do not require the installation of a chimney. One other advantage is that biofire lasts longer than conventional fires. This is a big advantage because it is only necessary to refuel the fire every 12 hours. And then it’s only with a small quantity of wood. Biofire ensures fires that burn steadily and cleanly, ie, there is no smoke.
Modern fireplaces have made it easier to ‘install’ a fireplace into any residence, no matter how big or small it is. Another benefit of these fireplaces is that they are elegant and can fit in nicely with just about any room. This adds a pleasant aesthetic to the room.
Author bio:
Liquorish wrote this article about the alternatives to conventional fireplaces.