Free spirited

For many contemporary homes, new building methods such as underfloor heating and insulation mean a fireplace is chosen more for the ambience it provides than purely for winter warmth.

Illusion, from Real Fires, can be used comfortably all year round. At 1.8m-wide, Illusion looks like a long flame floating between two pieces of glass, and its low gas usage makes it economical to run.

Illusion can be open or enclosed, in a corner or double sided. All models can run off piped natural gas or bottled LPG.

Real Fires director Ali Scott says the Illusion is primarily designed for the ambience it creates, rather than as the main heating source in a room.

"It is ideal for contemporary homes, as it has a very modern look. Because the Illusion doesn't have a high heat output, it can supplement existing heating in the winter or create an interesting focal point in a room all through the year," she says.

Illusion can be built into a new home where, because it requires only a shallow 300mm cavity, it takes up very little space. This also makes it easy to retrofit it into the wall cavity in an existing house.

Contact Real Fires NZ, cnr Archers and Poland Rds, Glenfield, Auckland, phone (09) 444 7331. Email: info@realfires.co.nz. Website: www.realfires.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas