Core77

Indoor fire, absent a fireplace, is tricky to pull off; we've all seen bad examples of a would-be design Prometheus' attempt to bring open flame into the living room. But we found a multitude of simple and tasteful examples done by Secret North, a Reykjavik-based company that "innovatively [integrates] fire features with furniture."

We derive our design inspiration from the diversity and eloquent beauty of Icelandic nature. We then transfer these ideas into product concepts, carefully balancing classic elegance with modern style to create unique focal points for home and business environments. Lava, rocks & stones, stainless steel, glass, leather and wood are commonly used in our designs, inspired by the island's natural beauty. A beauty accentuated by the forces of volcanoes and glaciers - fire & ice.

The flames consume organic Bio-Ethanol, which burns clean, precluding the need for an exhaust. The user loads the fuel into a stainless steel fuel box, and the flame can be easily extinguished by simply placing the lid over the flame; in the case of the tabletop Fire Keeper, below, the flat metal bar can even be used as a sort of manual "dimmer switch," regulating the size of the fire according to how much of the aperture is left exposed, and in the photo below that, the entire tabletop slides to serve as the dimmer/damper.

There are also ceiling-hung models, like this one:

Our favorite is this small tabletop model, which looksl ike a tissue box...if tissue boxes were made out of raw freaking lava. Mostly I want one of these so when guests come over and see it I can put my fingers together and say "Mmmolten hot mag-ma."

Check out more of Secret North's stuff here.