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Joanna Heath

With the cold weather rolling in, nothing seems more appealing than curling up in front of a toasty fire. But cozy doesn't have to mean kitschy. With these ultracontemporary gas fireplaces, the style-conscious have good reason to stay inside until spring.
The best of the bunch double as cutting-edge works of art. The futuristic-looking Napoleon Tureen features a single towering flame emerging as if by magic from a toughened ceramic bowl filled with river rocks, reflected in sleek satin chrome (from $2,924; napoleonfireplaces.com).
The funky EcoSmart Retro Fire not only looks cool but ups your green-chic credentials by using denatured ethanol, a renewable and clean-burning fuel, and has the added benefit of not requiring a flue (from $6,900; ecomoderndesign.com).
Designer Henry Harrison of Platonic Fireplaces specializes in minimalist fireplaces that fit into wall recesses. The bespoke models can incorporate a range of heat-proof objects, like realistic autumn leaves and twigs (platonic fireplaces.co.uk). Winther Browne also offers a range of hole-in-the-wall fireplaces for spaces as small as 320mm. The Mystique, with its dark-tinted glass, resembles a flat-screen TV and can be adjusted with a remote (from $1,188; winther browne.co.uk).
The French firm Bloch Design offers a variety of custom-made fireplaces in glass, including a hanging design with a transparent rectangular flue suspended from the ceiling (price on request; bloch design.com). Best of all, there are no ashes to clean out.