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IITTALA / IITTALA GROUP OY ABFIREPLACE TABLE FIREPLACEDesign: Ilkka Suppanen 2008 (Product Design Series) Fireplace gathers people around an open fire in the time-honoured fashion. With it the magic of a living fire can brought to the dinner table. This completely new product is of fire-proof glass and steel and fuelled with ethanol. Its minimalist design gives prominence to the flame. People have gathered around fires for thousands of years. A few years ago, interior architect Ilkka Suppanen took part in a multimedia project exploring the concept of a virtual campfire. The results included the idea of how radio, and later television, has replaced the campfire as the place around which people gathered to spend time and listen to stories. The concept lived on, and it has now been developed into Fireplace. It employs a simple idea that has never been seen before – a fireplace that can be placed on the table. But unlike other flueless fireplaces it does not require any special installation. It has a sturdy steel base and the flames are behind heat-resistant boroslicate glass. The fuel is odourless and soot-free ethanol. The heat from the flame reaches no higher than one metre, and the fire is extinguished by covering it with a steel lid. The lid also prevents the ethanol from vaporizing from its container. The minimalist design of the piece gives precedence to the flame; in dim light the glass seems to disappear, leaving only the fire to provide light. The process of designing the table fireplace faced a number of problems. The flame had to remain approximately the same size regardless of the amount of fuel and it was not to be affected by ventilation, draught or humidity. Moreover, no products of this kind had ever been made before. Product development, however, succeeded and the result was a completely new item in Iittala’s product range. Despite its price, Fireplace has become popular and demand has occasionally exceeded supply. Iittala / Iittala Group Oy Ab Hämeentie 135, 00560 Helsinki Tel. +358 (0)204 3910 www.iittala.com |
