Fireplace

What Is a Bio Ethanol Fireplace

A bio ethanol fireplace burns liquid ethanol fuel rather than wood or gas, which means it produces a real, visible flame without needing a chimney, flue or gas connection. This makes the category particularly useful in flats, converted properties and modern extensions where installing a conventional fireplace isn't practical.

At RB12 the range is entirely from Le Feu, a brand known for treating the fireplace as a sculptural object in its own right rather than something hidden inside a surround. The Dome and Eye ranges are designed to be viewed from multiple angles, so they tend to work best positioned away from a wall, as a focal point within a room.

Choosing the Right Fireplace for Your Room

Because these are freestanding, sculptural pieces rather than built-in units, placement is largely about sightlines and clearance rather than fitting into an existing chimney breast. Think about which seating positions in the room will face the fireplace and leave enough open floor space around it so the flame is visible without obstruction.

The Dome models come in ground-standing and sky-mounted formats, so the choice partly comes down to whether you want the fireplace to sit low, closer to floor level and coffee table height, or higher, as a more prominent visual anchor in a taller room. The Eye range sits somewhere between a piece of furniture and a piece of art, and works well as a single focal object rather than alongside other large pieces.

Materials and Finishes

The Le Feu Dome Steel High is finished in steel, giving it a more industrial, matte presence compared with the smoother, more sculptural surfaces of the Eye range. The Le Feu Eye Black Bio Ethanol Fireplace, Le Feu Eye White Bio Ethanol Fireplace and Le Feu Eye Silver Bio Ethanol Fireplace are each available in a single finish, so the colour choice largely comes down to how much contrast you want against your walls and flooring.

Bio ethanol fireplaces need occasional cleaning of the burner area and should be refuelled and lit according to the manufacturer's instructions, but they don't require the ash removal or chimney sweeping associated with wood-burning fireplaces.

The Dome and Eye Collections

The Dome collection includes the Le Feu Dome Ground High, Le Feu Dome Ground Low and Le Feu Dome Sky, giving a choice of ground or sky-mounted formats and different heights within the same rounded, domed silhouette. This makes it possible to keep a consistent design language across a room while adjusting the visual weight of the fireplace itself.

The Eye collection takes a different, more angular approach, with the fireplace presented as an open, eye-shaped form. Choosing between Dome and Eye is largely a question of which silhouette suits the rest of the room's furniture and lighting.

Living with a Freestanding Fireplace

A freestanding bio ethanol fireplace tends to work as the anchor of a seating arrangement, so it pairs naturally with sofas and armchairs arranged to face it. A low coffee table nearby keeps the floor area around the flame clear while still giving you somewhere to put a drink.

If you want to build out the display, a set of candle holders or a piece from vases & flower pots placed to one side can soften the look without competing with the fireplace's own sculptural form. For care items, fuel and tools designed to go alongside the fireplace, see our fireplace accessories range.

Shop Fireplaces in the UK at RB12

RB12 stocks the Le Feu fireplace collection online, from the ground and sky-mounted Dome models to the black, white and silver finishes of the Eye range. Browse the full fireplace category, or view the wider home & decor collection for pieces to place alongside it.