LOG, gas or biofuel? Freestanding, floating or wall-mounted? Luke Rix-Standing explores the many elements of contemporary fireplaces.

THEY may be more associated with medieval banqueting halls, Hogwarts common rooms in the Harry Potter books and, once in a while, Father Christmas, but the traditional fireplace has been having a distinctly modern makeover of late.

More than mere sources of heat, fireplaces provide a visual focus for a room with a mixture of light, colour and movement. Cosy has always been the classic fire feeling, but many contemporary flames boast bolder, more artistic designs that fit well with contemporary interiors.

Whether you're looking for an ultra-modern fireplace or just an updated twist on an old-fashioned one, there's a diverse range of products and heating methods out there, and here are the key points to consider.

Fuel options: pros and cons

A classic wood fire is dreamy and romantic until it comes to cleaning and maintaining it. Ash scorches the brickwork and a good portion of heat is lost up the chimney.

Most domestic fireplaces now tend towards one of three fuels: gas, electricity or ethanol. Gas fireplaces have long been the market-leader - an instant, authentic flame that's cleaner than a sooty real fire - but require expert installation, annual check-ups and a fixed flue.

In the 1980s, electric fires took over as cheap, easy-to-install alternatives to gas. They can't hold a candle to gas for raw heat, but they won points for convenience and cleanliness. Their biggest drawback is simple: the flames are not real.

Ethanol fireplaces, a relative newcomer, are ventless units that run on denatured alcohol, producing no pollutants beside negligible quantities of CO2. Biofire company Imaginfires says the UK market has "really got going" in the past couple of years.

Although they cannot lay claim to the warmest blaze - and are sold as a secondary heat source only - they burn with superb energy-efficiency. Ethanol doesn't roar or crackle like a wood fire on a cold winter evening, but the flames dance and flicker attractively, sustained by biofuel poured straight into the burner.

A style feature

Once a stationary object, confined to a square metre or so below the chimney, fireplaces have now found their way into almost every part of the living room.

Some protrude from the wall; some rise up through the floor; some hang precariously from the ceiling. There are even fireplaces that can be controlled remotely through an app on your smartphone, and that can change the colour of their flames at will.

Ethanol fireplaces need neither chimney nor plug socket and, weather permitting, they can even be taken outside, providing light, heat and atmosphere for an evening on the patio.

For those wishing to channel a wood burner's old-world charm, ethanol fireplaces can fit snugly into the hearth of any country house, or be made up as traditional, standalone stoves. As Imaginfires says "A lot of our fireplaces look like wood-burners and they're free-standing too, so they're easy to set up and move around if needed."

Fireplaces can now also be inserted into a frame hanging on the wall. Fireplace or wall-mounted television: from a distance it can be impossible to tell.

New twists on old models

Usually chimney-bound, gas fires are keeping up with modern trends thanks to companies designing ventless models with low emissions that can burn in any corner of the home.

Ordinary gas fires have been evolving, too. "We recently launched the Elemental Range," said Paul Chesney, managing director of fireplace supplier Chesneys. "We've taken five of our most popular designs, reduced the size and altered the design to make them appeal to those with less space." Many are made with luxurious limestone or marble.

Paul added: "Wood-burning stoves remain popular and can be highly effective barbecues, with capacity for grilling, roasting, baking, wok-frying and steaming."

The finest flames

Imaginfires sells their ethanol units for £120 to £700, while limestone models from Chesneys start at around £1,600 - but customers seeking more from their fire can buy a multimedia fireplace - an electric fire built into an entertainment unit that can include anything from a CD rack to a widescreen TV and BOSE sound system.

At the very pinnacle of "high end" are the experimental designs of American company Heat & Glo (heatnglo.com). The infinity flame design on their Solaris Fireplace is more art installation than hearth, using lighting effects to create a thin line of fire that hangs suspended in mid-air, before retreating backwards into the wall.

They also briefly marketed the ground-breaking, if overpriced, Aqueon Fireplace, which for $50,000 produced a sustainable flame by separating hydrogen - literally making fire from water.

Filled with increasingly inventive designs, and facing down pending environmental regulation, the fireplace industry looks set to be trailblazing for some time to come.