Road test: Vienna fireplace

IT’S a tabletop fireplace that will warm the heart of any apartment dweller.

Marshmallows, anyone? The Vienna fireplace runs on methylated spirits and burns without fumes.

WHAT is it?

Something that will warm the heart of any apartment-dweller this winter: a tabletop fireplace, the size of a shoebox, that runs on “bio-ethanol”.

Sounds dodgy.

Well, you need to use common sense: keep children and pets away, and don’t try to add more fuel while it’s burning (durr). Bio-ethanol — a nice name for methylated spirits — burns without fumes, so you don’t need a chimney.

How does it work?

The stylish construction has a simple mechanism at its heart: a steel reservoir with a wick in it. Simply fill it with fuel, and light it. It goes for several hours.

And?

It’s mesmerising. The blue/yellow flame does a soft dance in complete silence. It puts out a reasonable amount of heat, too. Best of all, there’s no soot or ash to clean up.

$219, designerfire.com.au