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This
outdoor fireplace, designed by Annette Miller of Sussex, is a
combination cocktail table and fire pit.
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Annette Miller of Sussex loves the cozy
nature of an indoor fireplace, but she also enjoys an occasional fire
outdoors.
But Miller wanted the outdoor fire pit
to be on the comfort of her deck rather than the buggy backyard. So
she took the matter into her own hands and constructed an outdoor
fireplace designed like a cocktail table that offers the beauty of a
real flame without any of the additional dangers of an actual
fireplace.
"It’s really a safe product that
can be used really anywhere — even indoors," says Miller.
"You don’t need to worry about smoke and it never sparks and it
makes a really nice center point on a deck."
Miller’s concept, which is an actual
burning fire that throws off no sparks or smoke, is made possible by
using an alcohol-based gel fuel called Realflame. By placing a can of
Realflame inside the base of the fireplace beneath ceramic logs, an
actual fire can be enjoyed for hours on a wooden deck without the fire
hazard that may accompany other patio-type fireplaces like a Chiminea.
"I’ve just always enjoyed an
open flame and when I saw an alcohol burning fireplace, I just thought
it would also be such a good idea to bring it outside for the deck,
too," says Miller. "The neat thing about the fuel is that
because it’s made for fireplaces it produces a dancing yellow flame
that crackles and snaps, but never sparks."
The fireplace itself rests within a
teak wood table. Teak wood, Miller adds, is a high quality, durable
wood, making it ideal for a fireplace table. Once she patented her
product, Miller marketed the idea to Three Birds Casual LLC (www.three-birds.com),
a producer of casual living products in Indiana.
Though she feels the overall product
design is a fairly simple concept, Miller isn’t surprised that
people are catching on to the idea and adding it to their deck
furniture collection. "The best thing is there’s no smell, no
mess and no big time commitment because this fireplace is very
convenient and easy to use. There is just something inviting and
mesmerizing about a fire."
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