With modern design dictating that everything in your home must hang on a wall and have a silver finish, it's refreshing to encounter the Bubble chimney, a fireplace that looks current without emulating a plasma TV. Hanging from the ceiling via a slim tube, the Bubble's black finish evokes the furnaces of yore, while the oval shape and efficient design take advantage of the heat from the flame and smoke in the tube. It's supposedly covered in heat-resistant paint, though I wouldn't lean against it during a dinner party.

Designed by Andrea Crosetta and made by Chimney Anthrax (might want to rethink that name, guys), the Bubble would be a warm addition to any room, but since it's meant to be prominent, it had better not have to compete for attention with anything. Keep the TV somewhere else. The Bubble goes for about $6,000 a pop. — Peter Pachal

Climalis, via freshome