Arkiane Fireplaces
17 August 2009
“Freedom’s Just Another Word”
I don’t think there’s anything that brings more to a home than a fireplace, and what especially “raises the bar” so to speak is an especially innovative fireplace design, which if you’ve noticed the picture that tops this blog, you know at once is going to be the subject of today’s blog. Arkiane is a French company that is doing some of the most extraordinary work imaginable in this field. Really, when you think about it, that last word, imagination, is undoubtedly the key to their success. The company itself was founded in 1990 by Dominique Lelong, who bills himself as “a true fireplace professional,” but I would have characterized him as an innovative fireplace professional.
The Yàn-Li which tops this blog is a wonderful shape for a fireplace, something that really moves it miles and miles from the mainstream. The fireplace surround is made up three stylistic flames in three different colors, to represent both the fire’s movement and its harmony. And the other particularly cool thing is that because it burns wood, not natural gas or coal, it is actually “green,” which is becoming increasingly important these days. And yes, I do know it’s a shame to cut down trees for a fireplace, but it is still something that is replaceable, most unlike the coal—”clean” or not.
The Icoya, which is the second fireplace we show here, is named after a queen from the Inca civilization who was said to represent nature, lightness and beauty. I first encountered the Inca Civilization while I was in grade school, specifically the ruins at Machu Picchu which were featured in a Charlton Heston movie called “Secret of the Incas.” It ends with a secret passage sequence that I remember to this day, and I saw it only once over half a century ago! But to get back to the subject here, Icoya’s surname was “flying flower,” and her symbol was a butterfly. Inspired by that queen, Arkiane created a new fireplace that is wing-shaped like a butterfly with a deep insight into the fire itself. I’m telling you, you could plop this fireplace in the middle of that movie, and I think it would fit right in. But it’s more than just a wonderful design.
The fireplace itself is available in two versions: the built-in one we show here and a wall-mounted version which hangs on the wall so you can see the whole appliance. The other thing I find particularly well-thought out is the glass door itself. Some years back my wife and I were surprised when we installed a gas log and fireplace screen because the screen tended to hold all the heat in. To get the most out of the fireplace for heating the room, we have always placed the screen in another part of the room. The Icoya fireplace has definitely gone that one better! They provide a special rack for the glass door, enabling the user to keep it closed, for those times when the fire’s on only for the ambience, and remove it and store it stylishly when the fireplace is wanted for its warmth.
Finally, the Kephren pyramid fireplace is named after the one in Egypt that stands next to the Great Sphinx, and like its namesake, it has a certain amount of mystery about it; to wit, there is no apparent smoke shaft, so where the heck does the smoke go? Well, as it turns out, there are four tubes hidden in the cover’s stiles to draw away the smoke and evacuate it. But this concept of smoke evacuation with an air vacuum means that the user can place the fireplace in the middle of a room, elevate it, or install it at an angle. Because the fireplace itself is four-sided, it can be enjoyed no matter where you sit. So, maybe they should have called it the Freedom Fireplace, because it really does free you in every sense of the word, making freedom much more than just another word, don’t you think?
Joseph
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