The natural flame fireplace burning a path in an electric world

On a chilly evening, one reaches for a switch, a remote, or a match, and within moments the room changes. The flicker of a flame softens the space. Conversations begin to slow as people instinctively move closer.

For centuries, this small ritual has centred around the heat and hypnotic dance of flame.

But the building industry has begun to change the rules around how this fire is created and, in the case of multi-residential dwellings and hotels, snuffed out altogether.

Across Australia, gas connections are quietly disappearing from new developments, and wood fireplaces are increasingly difficult to install in dense suburban environments. Yet, in architectural plans and design briefs, the fireplace remains stubbornly present. Clients still circle it on floor plans while designers continue to sketch living rooms around it.

The desire for a fireplace, it seems, isn’t going anywhere.

Fireplaces in a gas-free future

In a factory in Denmark, the answer to combining the convenience of electricity with a natural flame has been shaping design decisions for nearly two decades.

Since 2008, Decoflame has been designing and manufacturing fireplaces which look entirely familiar; long ribbons of flame playing within glass architectural centrepieces, but operating with modern technology rather than traditional combustion.

The company’s breakthrough lies in something most people never see: the way the fuel burns.

Rather than igniting liquid bioethanol directly, Decoflame fireplaces warm the fuel until it becomes vapour. Only the vapour burns, while the liquid itself remains sealed in a closed tank, separate from the flame.

“With 20-80 hour-long burn times, our patented Burning Ethanol Vapour (BEV) technology works very differently from traditional manual ethanol burners,” explains Chris George, Sales Director at Decoflame. “With BEV, the flame is never in contact with the fuel. Bioethanol is delivered to the appliance via an automatic pump system and stored in a sealed container inside the fireplace. Our technology converts that bioethanol into vapour, and the vapour is what actually burns.”

The flame never touches the fuel source; the process is controlled and contained in a way traditional bioethanol burners never were.

This innovative system of Burning Ethanol Vapour changes the experience in subtle but important ways.

“This creates a completely clean combustion process above the fire line,” says Chris. “With typical manual ethanol burners, the flame is in contact with the fuel, which can create smell, smoke and potential safety risks.”

For instance, with a Decoflame fireplace, there’s no smoke drifting toward the ceiling, lingering smell or soot collecting on nearby surfaces. And because the flame never touches the fuel source, the process is controlled and contained in a way traditional bioethanol burners never were.

“The bioethanol is slowly heated to a particular temperature, and the vapour passes from the sealed fuel container up to the fire line. That’s where it ignites,” remarks Chris. “Because the flame never comes into contact with the liquid fuel, it’s a much safer and more controlled system.”

Refuelling doesn’t involve pouring liquid into an open tray or coming into contact with the flame. Instead, this automatic pump safely transfers bioethanol into the internal tank.

The fireplace itself plugs into a standard 10-amp power outlet, with no flue required; installation is closer to a household appliance than a conventional gas or wood fireplace installation. Yet when the flame appears, it still resembles and behaves exactly like a fire.

Specifying fireplaces in multi-residential developments

In a Sydney apartment display suite, a visitor walks in expecting the typical electric fireplace, a convincing imitation perhaps, but still recognisable as a screen or LED effect. Then the flame flickers unpredictably. It responds to airflow, has the depth and movement people instinctively recognise from a flame. As the heat builds in the room, the intrigue deepens.

“Compared with standard electric fireplaces, the key difference is heat output,” says Chris. “A typical electric fireplace might heat around 30 square metres of living space, whereas a Decoflame fireplace can heat anywhere from 50 to more than 225 square metres.”

For developers, this combination of flame and quality heat output is increasingly valuable. Installing a traditional gas fireplace often requires significant infrastructure: gas lines, ventilation systems, flues, compliance costs and specialised trades.

Chris notes, “Because the fireplace simply plugs in like a household appliance, it can be installed at the end of a project without specialised trades, whether it’s a new home build, a multi-res development or a renovation.”

A Burning Ethanol Vapour fireplace simplifies much of the process. With no chimney and no gas connection required, installation becomes dramatically easier. For builders, this means lower construction costs, and for designers, it opens up placement possibilities which were previously difficult or simply impossible.

The timing of this technology has proven well aligned with the direction of Australian building policy.

Victoria, which represents roughly half of the country’s heating market, has already legislated against new natural gas connections in many developments. The shift mirrors policies introduced earlier in New Zealand and is increasingly appearing at the council level in parts of New South Wales.

As this move toward electrification accelerates, architects are beginning to reconsider many fixtures previously assumed to rely on gas. At Crown Sydney, one of the country’s most recognisable hospitality destinations, Decoflame fireplaces now form part of the building’s interior design experience.

But the same technology is also appearing in residential designs: new apartments, renovated homes, and first-home builds where the budget might not stretch to the complexity of a gas installation.

Part of the appeal lies in efficiency

A single 20-litre carton of bioethanol can provide up to 52 hours of burn time, and the BEV system allows Decoflame fireplaces to burn two to four times longer than some competing technologies.

“Decoflame fireplaces typically burn two to four times longer than other BEV brands on the market,” says Chris.

Across Australia and New Zealand, only a handful of companies produce fireplaces using this type of vapour-burning technology. As a result, many architects and designers simply haven’t encountered it yet.

Which is why the most common response happens the first time someone sees the system operating. They watch the flame for a moment before the question inevitably arises in surprise.

“Wait…is it an actual flame?” The answer, of course, is yes.

“The reaction is always incredibly enthusiastic,” remarks Chris. “When architects and homeowners see a Decoflame fireplace in action, it’s swiftly specified for the project.”

And in a building industry rapidly moving away from gas, a fireplace with the benefits and ease of electricity has forged the reinvention of one of architecture’s oldest and most comforting features.

Experience DecoFlame in person at stockists around Australia or view the collection on ArchiPro today.