Modern-style fireplaces and hearth products featuring new burn technology were the clear winners at last week’s Hearth Patio & Barbecue Expo 2009, the fireplace industry’s equivalent of Fashion Week.
Contemporary designs from such mainstays as RAIS and Palazzetti coexisted with new open-faced, wood-burning technology from Hearth & Home Technologies and Earthcore Industries. Fireplace manufacturers say the breadth and product depth proves that the industry remains committed to innovation and design even in a slumping economy.
Held this year in Reno, Nev., the Expo saw a fair share of introductions in a rapidly growing sector: contemporary designs. “There has been a trend in contemporary architecture overall,” Peter Dircks, vice president of product management at Hearth & Home Technologies in Lakeville, Minn., said on the show floor last week. “Generation Y and Generation X have been bringing new perspectives in design.”
Younger buyers may be driving the market, but Dircks says more older, wealthy buyers are also embracing relaxed design sensibility and contemporary architecture. “There definitely is a polarity in the dynamics—younger and modern and older and modern,” he adds.
Catering to this crowd, Hearth & Home unveiled Solaris, perhaps the most exciting new introduction at the show. This see-through fireplace can be configured with a thin glass burner or with engineered glass so the flame appears to go on and on even though it’s only 6 inches thick.
Even manufacturers producing more contemporary products concede that this sector only represents a small part of the market and say that most American consumers still want traditional or transitional designs.
That modern design is hot overall is one explanation why these types of fireplaces are prevalent. But the other theory is that manufacturers want to capture the business that previously went to European brands. Traditionally, consumers who wanted contemporary design stoves and fireplaces had to look to Scandinavian and Italian companies, but now American companies, sensing a growing demand for such styles, are creating products to appeal to those consumers. “It’s just the evolution of design,” Dircks says.
Kurt Rumens, president of Travis Industries in Mukilteo, Wash., agrees that there is more contemporary products on the market, but he’s unsure whether the modern look is here to stay among fireplace buyers. “We show [our contemporary] products to builders, and we get tremendous response, but most of what we sell is traditional,” he says. “There are a lot of oohs and aahs, but not a lot of sell through right now. What we notice is that people are saying, ‘I want a great fireplace and a quality fireplace.’ The high-end stuff is moving.”
Another emerging category: clean-burning open-faced wood fireplaces.
Frowned upon by the EPA and many jurisdictions across the country, wood-burning fireplaces are not as efficient as wood inserts and stoves and they also release more particulates. But now manufacturers are developing products that meet or exceed EPA standards. The industry says more of these types of products will hit the market in the coming years. Here are 10 of the hottest fireplaces from the show:
Heat & Glo: Solaris is a 6-inch fireplace that can be installed as a see-through unit with a thin glass burner or it may use reflective engineered glass so the flame appears to go on and on. Available in 2009's fourth quarter, the unit is available in 36 color combinations. www.hearthnhome.com.
Palazzetti: Part of the manufacturer’s Ecofire Line, Elena is a freestanding pellet stove that’s 90% efficient. The sealed unit can be installed in energy-efficient passive house because it does not need an external opening for the circulation of air; the stove gets all the air it needs directly from the outdoors through a special air duct. It’s available in painted metal or with a thick ceramic coating and cast-iron front. www.palazzetti.it.
Burley: First designed as a wall-hung unit, Thistleton has been totally redesigned to recess into thin wall cavities. The electric fireplace measures a mere 2¾ inches and features 4,500 BTUs so it can be used to heat a room. It comes with two trim options, a remote control, and three fuel-bed choices. www.burleyfires.com.
Regency: The latest addition to the company’s Horizon line, the HZ42ST has a smaller footprint for smaller houses and now has a see-through design. Measuring 48¼ inches wide, the unit has a 30-inch burner covered with cobalt blue crystals and offers 19,500 BTUs. It has a 69% efficiency rating. www.regency-vision.com.
Travis Industries: The manufacturer has added the GreenSmart System to the existing gas 864 TRV fireplace. A collection of components, controls, and technology, the system offers a choice of pilots: continuous standing pilot mode or an energy-saving intermittent pilot spark. It also has an electric servo motor with a turn-down ratio of up to 72% and air shutter adjustment levers. www.travis-inc.com.
RAIS: Continuing its reputation for Euro-style contemporary stoves, the manufacturer has unveiled the Pilar wood-burning unit, which measures about 5 feet, 8 inches and features a round design. The clean-burning stove can be turned to 70, 160 or 360 degrees. www.rais.com.
Heatilator: PureSky is a wood-burning fireplace that does not need doors because the unit’s emissions are 65% fewer than a standard exempt wood fireplace. It has a traditional appearance, refractory lining, and two standard outside air kits. The 36-inch unit meets the EPA’s new low mass wood-burning fireplace program. www.heatilator.com.
Earthcore Industries: The Isokern modular pre-fabricated fireplace is equipped with the HearthCat Emission Control System, allowing the manufacturer to develop what it says is the world’s cleanest burning open-hearth masonry fireplace. It uses a catalytic converter and a hood that drags in combustion air, reducing particulate emissions from an open-hearth wood-burning fire by as much as 90%. www.earthcoreindustries.com.
Renaissance Fireplaces: Using the same firebox dimensions that Count Rumford used in mid 18th century, Renaissance Rumford is the world’s first certified clean-burning open fireplace. The Rumford design creates a hotter taller fire, and the smooth throat promotes a draft without affecting flue gases. The unit’s emissions rate with the door open is 3.15 grams per kilogram—70% fewer than a typical fireplace with the door open—and 0.60 grams with the door closed. The 45% efficient unit has a hide-away guillotine ceramic glass door and a fire screen that prevents embers from escaping. www.renaissancefireplaces.com.
Empire Comfort System: Mantis has a 93% efficiency rating, making it one of the most efficient gas units on the market. The unit has a power-vented exhaust and intake made from PVC, which reduces the installation cost and requires a smaller opening in the home’s exterior. A pump re-circulates the heat to extract as much as it can before it vents. It offers 28,000 BTUs. www.empirecomfot.com.
Nigel Maynard is senior editor, products, at BUILDER magazine.