From time immemorial, people have gathered to keep warm in chimney nooks. Even today, the fireplace plays this congenial, comforting role in our homes especially, of course, in harsh winters. Over the years, the fireplace has also become a fully-fledged feature in home decor. Constantly re-invented, it is sometimes replaced by a wood stove, increasingly popular, especially for its thermal efficiency. Manufacturers of fireplaces, stoves and insert hearths compete in creativity to propose ever trendier models.  With an open or closed hearth, central, with one or two sides, suspended or on legs, pivoting, mural or corner… there is something to suit all tastes. While the fireplace can be discreet and melt into the decor, it can also become its centrepiece, especially when it is of generous size. Decidedly modern, the suspended hearth adds a contemporary feel to the room, dressing it up in a flash.

Whether rounded, rectangular or revolving, other models provide a  hearth with 360° visibility. Sometimes both. As for the Gyrofocus model designed in 1968 by Dominique Imbert, founder of the French company Focus. A classic of its kind, exhibited in 1998 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Another French manufacturer stands out on the market for designer fireplaces: JC BORDELET. For the past 30 years, this company in Montpellier has opted for non-conformity by producing very colourful models. It in fact turned the lacquering of its hearths into perfectly mastered expertise, now enabling it to propose a palette of 180 colours for most of its models. In Belgium, the Stûv company offers stoves of chic design while targetting zero emission of fine particles and carbon monoxide. Thanks to its patented combustion technology, its P-10 pellet stove provides very high efficiency with ultra-limited discharge. Its large pivoting window offering a superb view of the fire won the 2016 Red Dot Design Award, one of the world's most prestigious design awards.