With winter at our doorsteps, many of us are eagerly awaiting the first blast of cold weather and the lighting of the season's first fire. The romantic allure of flickering flames is undeniable. Even in warm locales such as Texas, Florida and parts of California, homes have been and still are outfitted with fireplaces.

Fireplaces are usually located in the living room, but that hasn't always been the case. Historically, fireplaces were used primarily for heat and for cooking. In early architecture, the fireplace or hearth traditionally would be located in the home's busiest room, the kitchen. In larger homes, multiple fireplaces would be scattered throughout the floor plan with the intent to distribute heat to all parts of the home.

In some countries, in architecture made of wood, fire stoves are more typical than brick-and-mortar fireplaces. Placed in the center or in a corner of a room, fire stoves have taken the form of utilitarian metal stoves, as well as more decorative and sculptural glazed pottery. Depending on the scale of the room, in larger halls, these fire stoves could be installed in multiples, creating a dramatic architectural effect.

Fireplaces often are designed as the focal point of a room. Designs for mantelpieces have been expanded from discreet wood renditions to exuberant and intricate marble and stone surrounds. In accordance to the overall architectural style, themes and motifs could be developed. Today, many antique fireplace mantelpieces are collected and sold to be reused in present-day constructions as a means to give the interior design a sense of provenance.

As home design and technology evolved, besides wood-burning fireplaces, gas-burning heating elements allowed for smaller fireplaces to be used in more locations throughout a home. This technology also meant heat on demand at the flick of a switch. No hauling wood or cleaning ashes from the hearth floor.

In addition, as structural advances and architectural styles changed, the idea of the fireplace changed dramatically. Fireplaces now could be designed to be open on two sides. This meant greater efficiency, as two rooms could be heated simultaneously. Reflective of the streamlined architecture of the 1960s and 1970s, the hearth proportions also changed, taking a more horizontal design than before.

Certainly technology has given us the ability to manipulate the location and concept of fireplaces. Universally, our need for a hearth at the center of the home remains, and our search expands as we look to incorporate fireplaces into places of business and public spaces such as airport lobbies, hotels and restaurants.

Today's technology has given rise to the installation of "fireplaces" in the unlikeliest places. These fireboxes are sealed units that work with a fire gel or bio ethanol fluid and emit little or no fumes. Sleek profiles and ribbon-like openings can be inserted into almost any wall. Atmosphere and some warmth can be had even in a 40th-floor condo or your office suite.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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