The Fireplace You Can Put Your Hand Into

Put your hand into the flames of a Dimplex Optimyst and nothing happens. They are cool to the touch, because they are not flames — they are ultra-fine water vapour, lit from below.

That one fact is what makes this thing interesting, and it is worth understanding properly, because it unlocks installations that are simply not possible with fire.

What water vapour actually gets you

No chimney. No venting. No gas line. No ash, no soot, nothing to sweep and nothing to service. The unit sits at 230W on a standard 120V supply — less than a hairdryer.

More to the point: it is safe from every angle and safe to touch. That means you can build it into places nobody would put a real fire. Into a kitchen island. Into a three-sided room divider you can walk around. Into a reception desk or a restaurant banquette. The Optimyst RGB Cassette is 20" wide, 9.5" high and 12" deep, and weighs 22 pounds — small enough to treat as a component rather than an appliance.

And when 20" is not enough, you link several together for a continuous run.

Five colours, and the crackle

The RGB version adds colour control: natural orange, blue, violet, red or aquamarine. The natural orange is what you will run most of the time and it is genuinely convincing. The others are there for the rooms that want them — and in a bar or a hotel lobby, an aquamarine flame is a talking point.

There is sound, too. Authentic crackling with volume control, which sounds like a gimmick until you sit near one without it and notice how much of a fire's presence is what you hear rather than what you see.

All of it runs from a Bluetooth remote or the Dimplex Flame Connect app — colour, intensity, sound, and saved presets so the room can go from quiet evening to full effect without fiddling.

The ember bed is yours to design

A media tray comes included and it is deliberately empty. You choose what sits in it. An optional glow log set is available separately if you want the traditional look, or you can put your own media in and make it something else entirely.

This is the part designers tend to enjoy most, and it is the reason the same cassette can read as rustic in one room and clinical in another.

Specifications

The honest caveats

Two things to know before you buy.

It does not produce heat. This is an effect, not a heater. If you want a fireplace that warms the room, this is the wrong product and you want a gas or electric unit with a proper heating element.

It uses water. The reservoir needs topping up. There is an optional plumbed kit for a continuous supply — worth it for commercial installations or anywhere awkward to reach — but note it works with copper piping only, and it is sold separately. Budget for it at the design stage if you want it, because retrofitting plumbing into a finished island is nobody's idea of a good afternoon.

Worth a look if

You want fire somewhere fire cannot go. A room with no flue and no gas. A commercial space with strict safety requirements. A design where the fireplace needs to be seen from three sides. Or a home with small children where a real flame is simply not on the table.

The Optimyst RGB Cassette 20" is $2,129.99, with the installation guide and spec sheets on the product page. Free shipping over $299.

Planning something larger? The rest of our water vapour range includes wider cassettes for longer runs, and if you are weighing this against a conventional electric unit, our honest look at electric fireplaces covers the trade-offs.